City walk in Kristiansund

On foot in Kristiansund

Kristiansund is also called the polychrome town, because of the colorful houses that is characteristic.  The town is small and it is easy to visit the city's attractions on foot. The architecture of Kristiansund is special and the reconstruction city Kristiansund is highlighted as one of the 20th century's most protected cultural in Norway. The city also has an impressive cultural life with numerous festivals; the Opera Festival Weeks, Nordic Light photo festival and many more.

Start your tour on foot in the harbour with a trip with the Sundbåten harbour boat, where you can island hop and explore each district if you want or you can take the 20 min round trip as a small introduction to this picturesque little harbor town and that is a great sightseeing. A tour with Sundbåten in combination with walking will take anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on whether you visit all stop points.

The first island that Sundbåten is calling, is the old town of Kristiansund. Much of Kristiansund was i bombed during World War 2 and at Inland you will find most of the of the buildings that were saved. The area has old wooden houses with narrow streets, crooked and charming atmosphere. You may walk up to The monument which gives a nice view over the harbor. Here's a good path up and at the top is the monument that is a pillar of WW2 and cannons. The tour continues with Sundbåten to Gomalandet and walk the 10 minutes storll to the Norwegian Klipfish Museum where you learn t this important industry for the town through a guided tour in the summer. Klipfish is dried and mature salted cod.Try a taste bacalao and smell of salted fish and sea sitting in the walls of the old Klippfish wharf. From there you can go to Patrick Volckmars museum cafe, which to this day has own coffee roaster and cafe in the 50's style.

5 minutes on foot you is visit Mellemværfte shipbuilding museum from 1856. Here you can see the old veteran ships and wooden ships under repair and there is a small outdoor exhibition and guided tours in the summer.

Walk back to the center will take you about 15 minutes.

Back on the pier are also boat trip to Grip island. There are one or two departures from mid May to mid-August. The journey takes a total of 3 hours. Grip is 14 k north of Kristiansund and is an old fishing village which has now cozy house, Stave and cafe for visitors.

On the pier you can find sculpture of the Klipsish woman, symbol of the hardworking women of the city from this important era in Kristiansund's history and Herring boy who represents the next important era in the history of the city.

Up the city center and the Langveiend, where you will pass Byfossen and Nerparken - park with statues and memorials.

15 min walk from the town center is Kirkelandet Church from 1964, one of the most distinctive and modern church. Impressive inside with the 320 glass pieces in various colors.

Next stop is the park area Kringsjå which has a large area with nice and easy paths. Havstien is a marked hiking trail of 3 kilometers and off the track. Partl of the trail is right next to the ocean. In the park area, visit the Varden viewtower, lookout tower with 360 degree panoramic views. You get to see the ocean, with the islands of Averøy, Grip and Smøla, while you will get an overview of Kristiansund city. From here you will also be able to see the fjords withdraw inwards towards Trollheimen and Dovre.