Alesund, Norway walking tour. Demanding?

[ChrisCrafter]

In 13 days we will be on the Neptune cruising Norway and Iceland. We are signed up for the included Art Nouveau walking tour in Alesund. It is rated as demanding which has me a bit concerned as I’ve never seen a walking tour with that rating. Im hoping it is a typo. Has anybody been on this walking tour and able to give a report as to how difficult it is? Thank you.

[MikeyB]

46 minutes ago, ChrisCrafter said:

In 13 days we will be on the Neptune cruising Norway and Iceland. We are signed up for the included Art Nouveau walking tour in Alesund. It is rated as demanding which has me a bit concerned as I’ve never seen a walking tour with that rating. Im hoping it is a typo. Has anybody been on this walking tour and able to give a report as to how difficult it is? Thank you.

Will be on that cruise with you.

If you note the tour is only 2 hours.  In the write-up for this excursion it describes "demanding" as being three hours or more.  We are walking in the town center and harbor so how bad can it be.

The day before the port there is always a port talk in the theater.  And they always go into more detail as to who would have a problem with the tour.

[photopro2]

50 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

In the write-up for this excursion it describes "demanding" as being three hours or more. 

Viking's definition of "demanding"  is not based only on the walking distance of the tour. Other factors are taken into account including that activities by foot may contain difficult unpaved surfaces and/or multiple stairs and steep inclines.

 

It is unusual for the included tour to be described as demanding and so I checked the description of a similar Art Nouveau Walking Tour on the Seabourn website. They are much more specific in their description, noting that "this walking tour covers approximately 3 km and involves steps, uneven ground, cobblestone paths, gradual slopes and is therefore not suitable for guests with any walking difficulties"

 

I think this suggests that Viking have correctly given a "demanding" rating (due to what may well be less than ideal walking surfaces in this historic town) rather than making a typo in the description.

[ChrisCrafter]

Thank you PhotoPro. The Seabourn description is very helpful. Those of you who have been on the Viking River tour of Marksburg Castle in Germany will understand my concern over the rating. Making our way up the uneven medieval stone entryway was a challenge. Coming back down after it had been raining was scary. 

[dd57]

I did this tour last year.  There wasn't a lot of up and down, but there was a lot of uneven pavement, steps, and cobblestones.  It was lightly raining and some areas could be slippery, so the right shoes are important.  It would not be appropriate for anyone who has difficulty walking.  It was no where near as bad as Marksburg Castle.  I greatly enjoyed both.

[ChrisCrafter]

Thank you all. I thought I would give an update. After walking on a lot of uneven cobblestones the day before in Bergen, I decided to skip the demanding Alesund walking tour in the rain. My husband went and said I made the right decision. His comment,  “It was easy if you were a billy goat.” We walked into town later on our own which was very pretty and easy. 

[CCWineLover]

On 5/10/2023 at 5:50 AM, ChrisCrafter said:

 I’ve never seen a walking tour with that rating.

We've actually seen quite a number of Viking walking tours with demanding rating - and our experience is that if they say that, they mean it.  We like the demanding walking tours, but they aren't for everyone.

We did Into the Midnight Sun last July.  Some of the demanding walking tours were actually demanding plus (like hiking in Lofoten) and some were flatter and just several miles of walking so length made them demanding (like one in Shetland).  Others the terrain made the difference (like cobblestones or rough non-paved ground).

[MikeyB]

22 hours ago, ChrisCrafter said:

Thank you all. I thought I would give an update. After walking on a lot of uneven cobblestones the day before in Bergen, I decided to skip the demanding Alesund walking tour in the rain. My husband went and said I made the right decision. His comment,  “It was easy if you were a billy goat.” We walked into town later on our own which was very pretty and easy. 

We are on board with you and did the excursion.   Honestly there was only a 5 minute period where the walk was demanding.  You had to walk uphill at a 40 to 45 degree angle.  It was to reach a viewpoint that could have been skipped. 

[Redtravel]

Alesund is beautiful.  It’s easy to get a map and see it on your own.  Be sure to visit the folk museum.