Giske
Municipality · Møre og Romsdal
About Giske
Giske's 12th-century white marble church, the Alnes lighthouse café on Godøya, and surfable sand at Alnes, linked by bridges and subsea tunnels.
What to do and where to stay in Giske
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Skjonghelleren caveLocal oddity
One of the largest caves on the coast, 57 m up Valderøya's mountainside and about 100 m deep, with Stone Age traces and animal bones over 30,000 years old; bring a torch.
Skjong, west side of Valderøya · 1–1.5 h incl. walk · all year (path can be slippery)
2Alnes Lighthouse and Experience CentreSight
A listed 1937 lighthouse on Godøya's northern tip; works by Ørnulf Opdahl line the steep stairs up the tower, and a gallery shows changing exhibitions.
Alnes, northern tip of Godøya · 1–1.5 h · summer for the tower and café; gallery exhibitions through the year
3Alnes fishing village and beachesSwim
Once one of Sunnmøre's largest fishing villages and now a national cultural landscape, with rows of old houses and pebble and sandy beaches used for swimming and surfing.
Alnes, north side of Godøya · 30–90 min · all year (swimming in summer; surfing mostly autumn–winter swells)
4Rantane ridge from DybHike
A ridge walk west from Dyb on Godøya's southern tip on partly exposed path, with the open sea right below; skip the last airy stretch in wind or wet.
Dyb car park, about 4 km south of the tunnel (not in the bus roundabout)
5Storhornet on GodøyfjelletHike
At 497 m the highest peak on the Giske islands, climbed in 1.5–2.5 hours from Alnes or Gjuv, past the fishing lake Alnesvatnet, with views to the Sunnmøre Alps.
Godøyfjellet, Godøya; start Alnes (shop car park) or Gjuv school · 1.5–2.5 h up (up to 3 km one way) · spring–autumn
6Mjeltehaugen burial moundHistory & culture
A Bronze Age burial mound 30 m across and up to 9 m high, from around 1300–1100 BC, whose closest parallel is the Kivik grave in Scania, Sweden.
Giske island, near the church · 15–30 min · all year
7Seilmerket on BrimnesetViewpoint
A large round black-and-white stone beacon on the outermost rocks of south-west Vigra, reached on a short walk over Synnesfjellet; keep back from the edge in heavy seas.
Brimneset, south-west Vigra
8Giske ChurchHistory & culture
A 12th-century Romanesque church of white marble, probably built as the powerful Giske family's private chapel, with carved crosses on its east wall.
South side of Giske island · 30–60 min · all year outside; guided tours in summer
9Kvalneset on GiskeNature
A flat, marked 2 km walk to the headland on west Giske with a bench at the tip and the beach on the way back, used for kitesurfing, snorkelling and sunsets towards Alnes.
West Giske; park at the end of Kvalneset or in Sjøvegen · 2 km
10Molnesfjellet and Molnes beach, VigraHike
An easy hike of about 3.5 km round trip from Rota stadium up the bare 122 m Molnesfjellet, with a shore trail along the round-stone beach of Molnes nature reserve.
North Vigra; free parking at Rota stadium · about 1 h (3.5 km return) · all year