Looking out from the cruise ship from the top outdoor decks was lovely. We could not get enough of the beautiful views of the city, the lush green mountainous landscape around us. Alesund is a city as part of an archipelago so everything revolves around the water.

When we disembarked there was a Hop on Hop Off Bus at the terminal which we took around the city center, the Aquarium and to the Mount Aksla viewpoint on Fjestula. The view from here was breathtaking and despite the overcast was entirely worth the trip. There was also a nice restaurant up there serving traditional Norwegian specialties. The viewing platform is also reachable by foot up / or down a step walkway of over 400 steps which we did to return to the city. This offers more incredible views onto the archipelago as you make your way down and we even saw a Norwegian wedding photo shot along the way that was using the gorgeous backdrop for this occasion. Minutes later we were surprised by a big storm which made the steep recline a lot more challenging (though also felt very authentic Norwegian). We were soaked through once we had reached the city center and continued to stroll around town. Alesund city center is very cozy, pretty to look at and linger in and very easily walkable. There was no need for taxis or transport- we could walk right back onto the ship.

Germany, Norway/Swalbard Cruise - Aug 2018