Three islands. A thousand years of coastal history.
Begin your private tour with a pickup from your hotel, apartment, or cruise port in Ålesund, and head out to the islands of Valderøya, Giske, and Godøya — where the history of Norway was written long before Ålesund existed.
ALNES FISHING VILLAGE
In the 19th century, Alnes was one of the largest and most important fishing communities in Sunnmøre — for a long period, the largest of them all. The village lies on the northern shore of Godøya, at the edge of the open Atlantic, and for centuries fishing was its livelihood, decided by the weather, the seasons, and the need to return safely to harbour. It was precisely for the fishermen's safety that the first navigation light was lit on the Alnes headland in 1853, and later the Alnes Lighthouse was built. There has been a lighthouse here ever since; it was protected as heritage in 2000 and still operates. Alnes keeps a rare mix of fishing and farming: densely built traditional house clusters with open fields running to the coast — a way of life that elsewhere has vanished. In 2017, it became a Selected National Cultural Landscape.
ALNES LIGHTHOUSE
Beside the lighthouse, a modern visitor centre houses a café and an art gallery. Stop to try its speciality, Fyrkake — the lighthouse cake with lingonberries (not included). Large windows face the Atlantic and the rugged coast.
GISKE CHURCH
Continue to Giske Church and admire its exterior. Built in Romanesque style around 1130, it is one of the few churches in Norway made entirely of marble, and was once the private church of the powerful Giske family. Beside it stands Giske Amfi, the open-air amphitheatre of the Giskespelet play, which tells of events around 1030 that changed Norway's history.
LOCAL SAGAS
From your guide, hear the sagas of Gange-Rolv — identified with the Viking leader Rollo, whose lands became Normandy and among whose descendants was William the Conqueror — and of the Arnungs, the noble family whose daughter Tora became the wife of King Harald Hardrada.
MAKKEVIKA BIRD SANCTUARY
Drive past Makkevika, part of an internationally important protected wetland, where waders, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds stop during migration.
SKJONGHELLAREN SEA CAVE
Finish at the Skjonghellaren sea cave on Valderøya, 57 metres above sea level, washed out by the waves 130,000 years ago. Animal bones some 30,000 years old have been found here, along with tools and remains showing the cave was used by people in the early Iron Age.