The quick version
- A flat, green island of farmland, boathouses and open sea, linked to its neighbours by bridge and a short drive from the centre of Ålesund.
- Cruise ships dock right in Ålesund, a 2 minute walk from the cruise port into the city, so you can be on your way west within minutes of stepping off.[6]
- The coastal landmarks excursion runs 4 hours and takes in Giske Church, Alnes Lighthouse and the Aksla viewpoint, from US$93.[7]
- August averages 14.8 °C and February 2.8 °C, so pack a windproof layer whatever the calendar says.[8]
- If you would rather be on the water, the hybrid electric round trip to Geirangerfjord runs 8.5 to 9.5 hours, from US$202.[9]
| Giske Island excursion | Alnes Lighthouse tour | Viking Islands tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$93[7] | from US$1467[10] | from US$943[11] |
| Duration | 4 hours[7] | 5 hours[10] | 4 hours[11] |
| Guide | Live guide, English[7] | English, Latvian, Norwegian[10] | Live guide, English[11] |
| Highlights | Giske Church[7] | Alnes Lighthouse[10] | Viking islands[11] |
During the night of 23 January 1904, a fire swept through the largely wooden town.
Is Giske island right for your port day?
Travel there
Giske island: flat, green and close to town
Giske is the quiet one. Where the fjords north and east of Ålesund rear up into rock walls and waterfalls, Giske lies low and green, a flat patch of farmland and boathouses sitting out in the open sea. From the water it barely reads as an island at all, more a raft of fields with a small church on the highest point of it. That flatness is the whole point of a visit. You can drive it, walk it, and see the shape of it in a short port day without climbing anything.
It also sits close to town. Ålesund spreads across its own islands, and the road west runs past the aquarium and the airport island before it reaches Giske and its neighbours. Cruise ships dock at a spot right in the town of Ålesund, literally a 2 minute walk from the cruise port into the city[6], so a run out to the coast islands fits neatly around a port call. In 2024, Ålesund had 290 cruise ship arrivals[14], and on a busy summer morning the taxis and tour vans fill quickly, so it pays to decide before you dock.
Getting to Giske island from the cruise dock
By road, and mostly in a straight line west. The route runs out of the centre, past the Atlantic aquarium and the airport, then over the bridges and causeways that link the flat islands. If you are coming from the airport instead, the Airport Express Bus (Flybussen FB65) runs between the terminal and Ålesund sentrum in roughly 15 to 25 minutes[12].
You do not need a car. The guided Giske Island Iconic Coastal Landmarks Excursion lasts 4 hours and is wheelchair accessible, with a live English speaking guide[7]. A taxi from the dock is the simple fallback, and local buses follow the same road. If you would rather not think about timetables at all, an organised tour takes the driving and the commentary off your hands.
One more thing worth knowing: the islands sit in a chain, so Giske, Vigra and the smaller neighbours west of town come as a package. With a car or a driver for a few hours you can loop out and back on different roads, stopping wherever the view suits you, instead of retracing every metre.
Boathouses, flat fields and open water on the islands west of Ålesund.
Giske island Norway history in stone and sea
The island's reputation is old. This low, fertile ground was the seat of a coastal family whose reach ran out along the shipping lanes, and local telling binds the place to Gange-Rolv, with Vigra lying just across the sound. There is no great museum to explain it. The setting does the work instead: flat fields, stone walls, boathouses, and water on every side, with the church as the one building that stands above the rest.
Keep the history in proportion to the landscape and enjoy it as atmosphere rather than a checklist. If you want a firm date for the area, the town has one: the Ålesund fire happened during the night of 23 January 1904[15]. The Art Nouveau streets are a separate walk, and an easy one from the dock.
What you actually see on the island
The drive out is half the pleasure. You pass boathouses and jetties, low green fields and stands of birch, with the sea opening up on your right. On Giske itself the church sits on a small rise above the flat ground, and the edges of the island are all beach, shallow water and dry stone walls. It is farmland you are looking at, worked and quiet, not a wilderness.
The guided excursion listing puts Giske Church, Alnes Lighthouse and the Aksla viewpoint into one 4 hour route from US$93[7]. Doing it yourself, the aquarium on the way is an easy stop, and Atlanterhavsparken Aquarium lists the adult ticket price as NOK 275[16]. Back in town, the classic view is from the top: there are 418 steps from the town park up to the Fjellstua viewpoint on Mount Aksla[17].
Small practical notes help here. Take water with you, since the island is farmed and quiet rather than built up, and the ground is soft after rain. Birdlife and beachcombing are the low-key pleasures, the church and its churchyard the historic ones, and both reward a slow pace.
from US$93
The guided coastal excursion to Giske Church, Alnes Lighthouse and the Aksla viewpoint runs 4 hours and is wheelchair accessible.[7]
Tours, buses and the practical choice
For a port day you have three broad choices. A guided coastal tour gets you to the church, the lighthouse and the viewpoint with no logistics to solve, from US$93[7]. A private car and driver costs a great deal more: the private tour with an Alnes Lighthouse visit is from US$1467 for 5 hours[10], and the private tour to the Viking Islands is from US$943 for 4 hours[11].
Then there is the town, which is walkable. Hop-on hop-off buses run in Ålesund with commentary in eight languages[18], and the Gray Line hop-on hop-off listing is from US$50 with a ticket valid for 1 day[19]. If you arrive by air and want to be met, the one-way airport transfer is from US$134 and takes 30 minutes[20]. None of it is compulsory, and the 2 minute walk from the dock into the city[6] costs nothing at all.
Weather, seasons and what to pack
Coastal weather here is mild and changeable. Ålesund's average temperature is 2.8 °C in the coldest month (February) and 14.8 °C in the warmest month (August)[8]. Those are not hard numbers to plan around, but the wind off the sea makes a summer morning feel cooler than the figure suggests, and rain arrives quickly and clears just as fast.
Pack a windproof and waterproof outer layer, a warm mid layer, and shoes that cope with wet grass and gravel. A viewpoint is only enjoyable if you are warm enough to stand still in it. If you are in port after dark between late September and late March, there is a chance of northern lights during moderate to strong geomagnetic activity[13].
Pairing Giske with a fjord day
Giske is a half day, not a whole one, so the two fit together when your ship is in port long enough: islands and coast in the morning, town in the afternoon. The fjords are a bigger commitment. The hybrid electric boat round trip to Geirangerfjord runs 8.5 to 9.5 hours, is rated 4.75 from 758 reviews, and starts from US$202[9].
That route covers Storfjorden, Sunnylvsfjorden and Geirangerfjord, with the Seven Sisters and Friaren waterfalls on the way out and time in Geiranger in the middle of the day. The Seven Sisters waterfall is 410 meters tall in total, and the highest of the seven streams has a free fall of 250 meters[21]. The fjord landscape carries World Heritage status: the West Norwegian Fjords, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005[22].
Shorter fjord options exist too. The Hjørundfjord round trip from Ålesund takes 5 hours, from US$115[23], and the RIB fjord safari into the same fjord takes 105 minutes, from US$157[24]. Away from the water, the distance from Ålesund to Geiranger is 67 miles (108 km)[25], though the scenic mountain route is always closed in winter and normally open from mid-May to October/November[26]. For wildlife, between April and August, more than 30,000 puffins come to the cliffs at Runde to breed[27].
Coastal and fjord tours from Ålesund, from-prices
From-prices in US dollars, as listed on GetYourGuide.[7][9][10][11]
What a Giske coast day costs, from-prices in US dollars
US dollar from-prices from GetYourGuide listings.[7][9][10][11] Child prices are not listed on those pages.
When to head west to Giske island
Planning your Giske day
Decide how you will move
Guided tour, taxi, bus or a rental car. If a fixed 4 hour coastal route appeals, book it before you sail.[7]
Check your port timings
A Geirangerfjord round trip of 8.5 to 9.5 hours and a half day on the islands will not both fit a short call.[9]
Dress for the coast
Windproof shell, warm mid layer, shoes for wet grass. August averages 14.8 °C and February 2.8 °C.[8]
Keep the town for later
The dock is a 2 minute walk from the city, so the Art Nouveau streets and the Aksla steps can wait until you are back.[6]
Leave slack for the return
Traffic on the bridges and through the tunnels west of town can bunch up, so aim to be back at the ship with time in hand.
Sail the Geirangerfjord on the hybrid electric round trip
from US$202Reserve now & pay later
