Atlantic Sea-Park

The Atlantic Sea-Park is one of the largest aquariums in northern Europe, built into the rocky shoreline west of the city centre and designed to showcase the marine life of the Norwegian Sea and the Sunnmøre coastline. It opened in 1973 and was redesigned and expanded in 2015, and it's excellent: the tanks are large, the exhibits are focused on local species, and the outdoor pool is genuinely impressive.

The park is about 2.5 kilometres from the city centre — a pleasant walk along the coastline, or a short bus ride. Allow two to three hours. The surrounding park area and the views across the fjord are an added bonus in good weather.

things to do sight
A story
The aquarium holds the largest outdoor seawater pool in Europe, a 4-million-litre basin containing the Atlantic Ocean habitat of the Ålesund region — cold, clear, and full of cod, wolffish, and rays. During feeding time, divers enter the tank; the fish are so accustomed to them that they actively approach. The wolffish, which have powerful crushing teeth for eating shellfish, tend to hang near the bottom looking simultaneously ugly and magnificent.