Kniven Viewpoint

Ålesund


For the best view over Ålesund and its fishhook-shaped peninsula, as well as the mountains and islands beyond, head up the 418 steps to the summit of Aksla Hill and this panoramic viewing point. On a sunny day it's a cracking scene indeed, and it looks pretty special when the town lights start to twinkle at twilight, too.

Follow Lihauggata from the pedestrian shopping street Kongensgata, pass the Rollon statue, and begin the 15-minute puff to the top of the hill. There's also a cheat's road to the crest; take Røysegata east from the centre, then follow the Fjellstua signposts up the hill.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ålesund attractions

1. Rollon Statue

0.14 MILES

Rollo the Viking founded Normandy in 911; William the Conqueror is his descendant.

2. Aalesunds Museum

0.28 MILES

The town museum illustrates the history of sealing, fishing, shipping and industry in the Sunnmøre region, the fire of 1904 and the town's Jugendstil…

3. Jugendstil Senteret

0.48 MILES

The city's unique architectural heritage is documented in a former pharmacy, the first listed Jugendstil monument in Ålesund. Apart from the building's…

4. KUBE

0.48 MILES

Ålesund's primary contemporary art space highlights Norwegian artists, as well as hosting the occasional design- and architecture-focused show. The old…

5. Fishing Museum

0.51 MILES

The 1861 Holmbua warehouse (one of the very few buildings to survive the 1904 fire) has exhibits on the development of fishing across the centuries and…

6. Ålesund Church

0.69 MILES

Built of solid stone in 1909, Ålesund's parish church has a strikingly wide chancel, every square inch covered in frescoes over the wide sweep of its…

7. Atlanterhavsparken

2.28 MILES

At the peninsula's western extreme, 3km from the town centre, this aquarium can consume a whole day. Be introduced to the North Atlantic's teeming…

8. Sunnmøre Museum

2.39 MILES

Ålesund's celebrated Sunnmøre Museum is 4km east of the centre. Here, at the site of the old Borgundkaupangen trading centre, active from the 11th to 16th…