Mount Aksla: the 418 steps, and how to get up if you can't climb

The steps run from Byparken, the town park, up to Fjellstua at the top of Aksla. There are 418 of them, climbing a bit over 110 metres. One honest warning first: the climb starts before the steps do. The path up to the park is already uphill, so your legs are working before you reach step one.

It is easier than it looks from the bottom. There are handrails the whole way and benches often enough to stop and breathe. Some steps have numbers on them, so you can see how far you have come, and there is a small platform partway up with an open view. The steps are concrete and steep in places, but steady. Nearly everyone stops once or twice on the way up. That is normal, not a sign you are unfit.

Most walkers do the steps in 20 to 30 minutes. The official Fjord Norway guide says to allow 30 to 40 minutes one way at an easy pace, and that is the safer number to plan a port day around. It depends on your legs and how often you stop for the view. Coming down is quicker, around 15 minutes. So for the climb, the top, and the way down, with time for photos, count on about an hour.

Ships dock in the central cruise area, at the Sørsidekaiene quays or Skansekaia, right by the Art Nouveau centre, and you walk straight off into town. Berth assignments can change at short notice, so check the official Ålesund Havn cruise-call list for your ship. My guide to the Ålesund cruise terminal breaks down each berth and the walk in. From the central quays it is about a 14 minute walk to the foot of the steps at Byparken, the town park. Follow the signs for Fjellstua. Ålesund is small and flat until the climb itself starts.

You do not have to take the steps. The town train, Bytoget, runs from the cruise area up to Fjellstua when it is operating, with a photo stop at the top. At the time of writing it costs 350 kroner for an adult on board, or 320 kroner booked online, with lower fares for children and families – not cheap for a short ride, but it saves the climb. A taxi will take you straight to the café entrance, and you can drive up the mountain road yourself, with free parking at the top.

Two honest notes. The steps are not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers, so the road, the town train, or a taxi are the step-free ways up. And large tour buses are no longer allowed up the final road to Fjellstua, restricted since 2025, so do not assume a sightseeing bus will take you to the top – the town train is the one to rely on.

Do not count on the terrace at Fjellstua being free, and do not trust the number you will see quoted for it either. The café has charged non-customers to use its viewing area – NRK reported NOK 100 a head in 2019, raised from 15 – and guides have been repeating that figure ever since. What I cannot tell you is what it costs today. Fjellstua's own website says nothing about a charge, and neither does its FAQ, which goes into some detail about walking, driving and parking up here. That was still true in September 2026. So treat NOK 100 as a seven-year-old number rather than a price: carry a card, and do not let it decide whether you climb. Fjellstua lists its hours as 10:00 to 17:00, and to 18:00 on Thursdays. If the photograph is all you are after, stop at Byrampen on the way up instead – the platform looks straight over the Art Nouveau town and it costs nothing.

On a clear day you look out over the Art Nouveau town, the islands running out to the open sea, and the Sunnmøre Alps in the distance. On a grey day you still get the town and the water, and the mountains simply hide. If you want a change on the way down, there are other paths back into town.

If your ship is in for five or six hours or more, Aksla plus a slow walk through the Art Nouveau streets is an easy plan with little risk. You are never far from the ship. All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before departure, so keep half an eye on the clock. The town is small and getting back is quick, but it is easy to lose track of time on the terrace. For the rest of your hours ashore, see my things to do in Ålesund and the main Ålesund cruise guide.