Ålesund, Norway: ‘The smell of the sea and the wind’ 🇳🇴

“We enjoy going on hikes and bringing along good coffee that we brew in nature.”

Feb 13, 2024

Today’s Filter guide has the terribly unfair advantage of being located in one of earth’s prettiest places. Anne Birte Hanken and her husband run Jacu Coffee Roastery in her hometown of Ålesund, Norway, an art nouveau town nestled along those strips of land that meet the sea called fjords. I visited Ålesund several summers ago, when the midnight skies are lavender above the North Sea and the air is deeply clean.

Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Ålesund?

Both mountain and fjord landscapes by the sea and enjoying culture in the small city center we have here. I work in the city myself and often discover new little urban spaces that fascinate me. It's important to look up! There is so much beautiful architecture and interesting details on the buildings here. There are spires, ornaments, and beautiful colors on the facades. With just a short boat or car ride, you can be by the sea or on a mountain peak over 1,000 meters high. I really enjoy these contrasts!

Ålesund, Norway. Photo courtesy of Filter

Filter: What are your favorite places and activities there?

Alnes Lighthouse (20 minutes by car) and a mountain peak, such as the top of Sulafjellet or Sukkertoppen. A hike over Molnesfjellet is also a beautiful experience.

Filter: What do you like to do outside of town?

Geiranger, Valldal, and Åndalsnes are small villages outside Ålesund that are really worth visiting. They have incredibly beautiful mountain landscapes. A somewhat lesser-known place is Herdalssetra, an old mountain farm where many goats still roam and might try to eat your packed lunch. In Valldal, you can buy strawberries directly from the farm, and they are probably the best strawberries in the world ;) A special place to visit is Trandal in Hjørundfjorden.

If you go to Molnesfjellet, there is a charming bakery at that island called Rykende Fersk Boulangerie that is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Jacu Coffee Roastery. Photos courtesy of Jacu

Filter: What touristy things around Ålesund are actually worth the hype?

The stairs leading up to Fjellstua are right in the city and are definitely worth a visit. From there, you can see the very famous view of the city, and it's not much effort to climb the 318 steps up there.

Filter: Where are your favorite quiet corners?

The park in the city center. Walk along the quay and see the fishing boats selling fish. Molovegen with the small lighthouse in the middle of the city. The backyard at 1904 (Green Garden).

Filter: What's a coffee shop there that you really admire?

We are a coffee roastery, so we roast coffee, and you can enjoy our coffee at many lovely small coffee shops here in the city. I particularly like Apotekergata 5, Dråpe, Racoon, and 1904 "Green Garden”.

If you go to Åndalsnes, make sure to visit Sødahlhuset.

Filter: What makes Ålesund feel most like home to you?

The smell of the sea and the wind, the fresh air.

Filter: Is there anything you'd like to add about what you love about Ålesund?

The architecture! And the entrepreneurial spirit that we have here. There is a lot of creativity in this city. Many people create their own products and their own businesses.

Filter: How did you get involved in coffee in Ålesund?

I was born and raised in this city but moved to Oslo to study design and art. We later moved back and wanted to create our own workplace around our talents in art and design. Coffee became the product because we had come to love specialty coffee during the years we lived in Oslo. I now run this coffee roastery with my husband, and we have three children and live by the fjord. We enjoy going on hikes and bringing along good coffee that we brew in nature.