Transportation
Air:
The nearest airport is Ǻlesund
(also called Vigra airport, airport code is AES). It is reguraly served
by SAS Braathens with direct
flights to and from Oslo (almost every hour), Bergen, Trondheim and
Stavanger. Flight time is very short (45 minutes from Oslo, 25 minutes
from Bergen and Trondheim). The cheapest tickets cost 380 NKr (about
$60) one way including all taxes. The airport is also served by Norwegian Air Shuttle. There some
international flights during summer period.The airport is reachable by car but the drive involves a car ferry from Hareid to Sulesund and a toll tunnel to the airport. It takes about one hour. Alternative way is to take passenger express boat from Hareid to Valderoy and connecting bus to the airport. It takes about 30 minutes from Hareid to the airport.
Boat:
Hurtigruten
(Norwegian coastal ship) calls at Torvik and Ǻlesund every day
on its way from Bergen to Kirkiness and back. It takes about 10 hours
to/from Bergen and 16 hours to/from Tronheim and you can transport your
car. Torvik is the nearest port of call, but if you are travelling
without car you should opt for Ǻlesund that provides for public
transportation options and car rental opportunities.
Bus/Rail:
I would not recommend using bus or rail to travel to
the area. It is more expensive and less convenient than by air and much
less impressive than by boat. However there are direct nightly buses from
Oslo airport and back.
Alternatively there are buses from Oslo
to Ǻlesund.
The nearest train station is Åndalsnes,
about 150km to the east.
Car
Rental: Generally it is very
expensive to rent a car in Norway. You may save a lot by flying
to Stockholm in Sweden and driving from there.
You have 3 different options to rent a car in
the area.
All major car rental companies (Avis, Hertz,
Budget, Europcar) have offices in the airport (airport code is AES) and in the city of Ǻlesund.
It may be cheaper to rent in the city because you will not need to pay
airport tax. If you are travelling from USA it may be cheaper to book
the car in advance. At least you will get unlimited mileage, while if
you arrange rentals locally it is usually per kilometre charge.
The second option is Rent-A-Wreck
company in Ǻlesund. It may be a good option if you do not plan
to drive a lot. It offers low daily rates (from 140NKr which is about
$23) a day but you pay for every kilometre you drive.
Finally you can rent a car locally in Hareid. Eilertsen G. A/S Shell gas station rents cars and also
operates as Avis franchise. If you are looking for a weekly or weekend
rental it is usually cheaper to book it on the Internet at Avis website
using location code H9D in airport code box. To rent for a couple of
weekdays however it is cheaper to call the station +47 70 09 53 00 or e-mail Geir Eilertsen at geir.eilertsen@ulsteinvik.toyota.no.
The rates for a compact car are 395 NKr per day plus 1.70NKr per km and
you are not usually penalized for a late return.
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Driving:
This is not a short drive from anywhere beside the
city of Ǻlesund itself. However the drive may worth the time and
efforts because it will go over dramatic Norwegian mountains and
fjords. The distance to the cottage is in the table to the right: Please note, there is a car ferry from
Sulesund to Hareid. Some routes involve additional car ferries. Stockholm may be the most interesting
starting point, because flights their are usually cheaper and renting a
car is much cheaper. |
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