Alnes: Coastal Landscape, Trails and Lighthouse

Alnes on Godøya combines a distinctive fishing and farming landscape with seaside walking paths, routes to mountain destinations and the historic Alnes Fyr. This place on Norway’s northwest coast is especially appealing if you want your trip to include both nature and outdoor activities as well as coastal culture.

Coastal and Cultural Landscapes

The settlement lies on a flat beach terrace by the sea. Behind it are characteristically divided agricultural fields, while pastureland reaches up the mountain slopes. This sequence defines Alnes as a typical fishing and farming landscape. The extensive natural pasture at Alneslia is one of the most important natural pastures on the outer coast of Møre og Romsdal. In 2017, Alnes was included in Norway’s programme for selected agricultural cultural landscapes.

The area’s natural features include mountain coastal heath, sand dunes, north-facing coastal cliffs and boulder fields. Sandvika is a sandy beach at Alnes on Godøya. The different landscape features give the place its own character: coast, agricultural land and pastureland are all part of the same landscape.

Seaside Walks and Routes to Mountain Destinations

There are good opportunities for seaside walks along Alnessanden on the west side of Godøya and onward to Juv. If you would rather choose a route towards the mountains than follow the coast, there is a marked trail to Godøyfjellet that starts in Alnes and Juv. This lets you choose between a seaside walk and a marked mountain route without treating the two as the same trail.

The Storhornet route also has a starting point in Alnes, among other places. It follows a well-maintained trail through the Valkvæegga area and over Sløktind, at 436 m above sea level, to Storhornet. These different destinations may factor into your choice of holiday apartment and travel plans: consider whether you would prefer to include coastal walks or routes to mountain destinations in your stay.

Alnes Fyr: Lighthouse and Coastal Culture

Alnes Fyr was first put into operation in 1937 and has watched over the mouth of Breisundet for generations. The 45-seat auditorium screens short films about coastal life past and present, pilotage in Norway, modern cooking with seaweed, the history of trade between Norway and Denmark, and the history of the lighthouse. The Tårnutstilling in the tower is a permanent exhibition featuring art by Ørnulf Opdahl.

The visitor centre in the fishing village of Alnes on Godøya presents lighthouse and coastal culture, local food, art and crafts. A spiral staircase in the red-and-white tower leads to the viewing gallery. From there, you can see the Sunnmøre Alps to the east and the open ocean to the west; on clear days, the view reaches as far as the Alps. The tower is accessible during opening hours and when weather conditions are suitable. Alnes Fyr is open year-round, although opening hours vary by season.

Café and Practical Information

The café at Alnes Fyr serves freshly baked waffles with strawberry jam and sour cream every day, seasonal cakes, open-faced sandwiches on rustic bread and, on windier days, hearty soups. The café, gallery and auditorium are wheelchair-accessible. The lighthouse tower, however, can only be reached by stairs. If access to the tower is important to your travel plans, take both the stairs and the weather-dependent accessibility into account.

You can reach Alnes from Ålesund by car in 30 minutes via the Godøy Tunnel. The new tunnel to Alnes has pedestrian and cycling paths. In summer, bus route 664 runs to Alnes several times a day. These options give you different ways to get there: by car, by bus or, using the pedestrian and cycling paths in the tunnel, on foot or by bicycle.

If you are considering other destinations, you can also find Vigra, Valderøya, Valderhaugstranda, Godøy and Giske here.

Back to the main travel overview: Giske.