North Norway

Tromsø >>

West from Tromsø: Kvaløya and Sommarøy >>

The road to Finnmark >>

The Finnmarksvidda >>

Hammerfest >>

Nordkapp and around >>

East to Kirkenes >>

Svalbard >>

Karl Baedeker, writing a hundred years ago about Norway’s remote northern provinces of Troms and Finnmark, observed that they “possess attractions for the scientific traveller and the sportsman, but can hardly be recommended for the ordinary tourist” – a comment that isn’t too wide off the mark even today. These are enticing lands, no question: the natural environment they offer is stunning in its extremes, with the midnight sun and polar night further defamiliarizing the often lunar-like terrain. But the travelling can be hard going, the individual sights geographically disparate and, once you do reach them, rather subdued in their appeal.

The intricate, fretted coastline of Troms has shaped its history since the days when powerful Viking lords operated a trading empire from the region’s islands. And while half the population still lives offshore in dozens of tiny fishing villages, the place to aim for first is Tromsø, the so-called “Capital of the North” and a lively university town where King Håkon and his government proclaimed a “Free Norway” in 1940, before fleeing into exile. Beyond Tromsø, the long trek north and east begins in earnest as you enter Finnmark, a vast wilderness covering 48,000 square kilometres, but home to just two percent of the Norwegian population. Much of this land was laid to waste during World War II, the combined effect of the Russian advance and the retreating German army’s scorched-earth policy, and it’s now possible to drive for hours without coming across a building much more than sixty years old.

  The first obvious target in Finnmark is Alta, a sprawling settlement – relatively speaking, of course – and an important crossroads famous for its prehistoric rock carvings. From here, most visitors make straight for the steely cliffs of Nordkapp (the North Cape), ostensibly but not actually Europe’s northernmost point, with or without a detour to the likeable port of Hammerfest, and leave it at that; but some doggedly press on to Kirkenes, the last town before the Russian border, where you feel as if you’re about to drop off the end of the world.

  The main alternative from Alta is to travel inland across the eerily endless scrubland of the Finnmarksvidda, where winter temperatures can plummet to -35°C. This high plateau is the last stronghold of the Sámi, northern Norway’s indigenous people, some of whom still live a semi-nomadic life tied to the movement of their reindeer herds. You’ll spot Sámi in their brightly coloured traditional gear all across the region, but most notably in the remote towns of Kautokeino and Karasjok, strange, disconsolate places in the middle of the plain.

  Finally, and even more adventurously, there is the Svalbard archipelago, whose icy mountains rise out of the Arctic Ocean over 800km north of mainland Norway. Once the exclusive haunt of trappers, fishermen and coal miners, Svalbard now makes a tidy income from adventure tourism, offering everything from guided glacier walks to hard-core snowmobile excursions and husky riding: journeys that will take you out to places as remote and wild a spot as you’re ever likely to get in your life. You can fly there independently from Tromsø and Oslo at surprisingly bearable prices, though most people opt for a package tour.

  As for accommodation, all the major settlements have at least a couple of hotels and the main roads are sprinkled with campsites. If you have a tent and a well-insulated sleeping bag, you can, in theory, bed down more or less where you like, but the hostility of the climate and the ferocity of the summer mosquitoes, especially in the marshy areas of the Finnmarksvidda, make most people think (at least) twice. There are HI hostels at Alta, Karasjok, Kirkenes, Honningsvåg, Mehamn, Harstad, Senja, Skibotndalen and Tromsø.

ZODIAC EXCURSION ON ISFJORDEN, SVALBARD

Highlights

1 Emmas Drømmekjøkken, Tromsø Try the Arctic specialities – reindeer and char for instance – at this exquisite Tromsø restaurant.

2 Alta’s prehistoric rock carvings Follow the trail round northern Europe’s most extensive collection of prehistoric rock carvings.

3 Juhls’ Silver Gallery, Kautokeino The first and foremost of Finnmark’s Sámi-influenced jewellery-makers and designers.

4 Repvåg An old fishing station with traditional red-painted wooden buildings on stilts, framed by a picture-postcard setting.

5 The Hurtigruten Cruise around the tippity top of the European continent and across the Barents Sea – the most remote and spectacular section of this long-distance coastal boat trip.

6 End of the World Guesthouse Wonderful, charming new B&B set right out at the region’s most northerly stretches in laconic, iconic Gamvik.

7 Wildlife safaris on the Svalbard archipelago Take a snowmobile or Zodiac boat out in this remote archipelago to find over one hundred species of migratory birds as well as seals, walruses, whales, arctic foxes, reindeer and polar bears.

< Back to North Norway

GETTING AROUND: NORTH NORWAY

Public transport in the provinces of Troms and Finnmark is by bus, the Hurtigruten coastal boat and plane – there are no trains to speak of. For all but the most truncated of tours, the best idea is to pick and mix these different forms of transport – for example by flying from Tromsø to Kirkenes and then taking the Hurtigruten back, or vice versa – in order to experience this part of Norway in as many ways as you can. What you should try to avoid is endless doubling-back on the E6, though this is often difficult as it is the only road to run right across the region. To give an idea of the distances involved, from Tromsø it’s 400km to Alta, 640km to Nordkapp and 970km to Kirkenes.

BY PLANE

Airports The region has several airports, including those at Alta, Hammerfest, Honningsvåg, Kirkenes, Tromsø and Longyearbyen, on Svalbard.

Airlines SAS ( flysas.com) and its subsidiary, Widerøe ( wideroe.no), have the widest range of flights to northern Norway – including a twice-daily route to and from Svalbard – but Norwegian Airlines ( norwegian.com) chips in too, flying regularly to Tromsø, Alta, Kirkenes, Harstad/Narvik, Bardufoss and Lakselv.

Fares Standard return fares are usually expensive, but discounts are frequent and Norwegian Airlines are most economical.

BY BUS

Routes Torghatten Nord ( torghattennord.no) runs buses north from Bodø and Fauske to Alta in three segments: Bodø to Narvik via Fauske (2 daily; 6hr 15min); Narvik to Tromsø (1–3 daily; 4hr 20min); and Tromsø to Alta (1 daily; 6hr 30min). To get from Narvik to Alta you must change buses at Balsfjord and then Nordkjosbotn. Passengers heading to Nordkapp overnight at Alta, before proceeding on the next leg of the journey north to Honningsvåg, where – from early June to late Aug – they can change onto the connecting bus to Nordkapp. Alta is also where you can pick up local buses to Hammerfest, Kautokeino, Karasjok and Kirkenes.

Timetables and tickets Bus timetables are available at most tourist offices and bus stations; they are also available online – Nobina covers Tromsø and its environs ( 177,  tromskortet.no) and Boreal the whole of Finnmark ( 177,  boreal.no). On the longer rides, it’s a good idea to buy tickets in advance, or turn up early, as buses fill up fast in the summer.

BY BOAT

Hurtigruten coastal boat A leisurely way to cross the region is on the daily Hurtigruten coastal boat ( hurtigruten.no), which takes 40hr to cross the huge fjords between Tromsø and Kirkenes. En route, it calls at eleven ports, mostly remote fishing villages but also Hammerfest and Honningsvåg, where northbound ferries pause for 4hr so that special buses can cart passengers off to Nordkapp and back.

Car and boat travel One especially appealing option, though this has more to do with comfort than speed, is to travel by land and sea. Special deals on the Hurtigruten can make this surprisingly affordable and tourist offices at the Hurtigruten’s ports of call will make bookings. If you are renting a car, taking your vehicle onto the Hurtigruten may well work out a lot cheaper than leaving it at your port of embarkation: (see By car).

Hurtigbåt passenger express boat At the other end of the nautical extreme, the region has various Hurtigbåt passenger express boat services to some of the smaller settlements in Finnmark, as well as one main one between Tromsø and Harstad, which operates 3–4 times daily (twice at weekends).

BY CAR

Driving Though the E6 and some other main roads are kept open throughout the winter (as far as possible), conditions are not necessarily straightforward: drivers will find the going a little slow as they have to negotiate some pretty tough terrain, and ice and snow can make the roads treacherous, if not temporarily impassable, at any time. You can cover 250–300km in a day without any problem, but much more and it all becomes rather wearisome. Keep an eye on the fuel indicator too, as petrol stations are confined to the larger settlements and they may be 100–200km apart. Car repairs can take time since workshops are scarce and parts often have to be ordered from the south. Note also that if you are renting a car, one-way drop-off charges in Norway are invariably exorbitant, often exceeding 1000kr.

Summer Be warned that in July and August the E6 north of Alta can get congested with caravans and motorhomes on their way to Nordkapp. You can avoid the crush by starting early or, for that matter, by driving overnight – an eerie experience when it’s bright sunlight in the wee hours of the morning.

Winter If you’re not used to driving in winter conditions, don’t start here – especially during the polar night (late Nov to late Jan), which can be extremely disorientating. If you intend to use the region’s minor, unpaved roads, be prepared for the worst and take food and drink, warm clothes and a mobile phone.

Tromsø

Located at the northern end of the E8 some 260km north of Narvik, TROMSØ has been referred to, rather farcically, as the “Paris of the North”, and while even the tourist office doesn’t make any explicit pretence to such grandiose titles today, the city is without question the de facto social and cultural capital of northern Norway. Easily the region’s most populous town, its street cred harks back to the Middle Ages and beyond, when seafarers made use of its sheltered harbour, and there’s been a church here at least since the thirteenth century. Tromsø received its municipal charter in 1794, when it was primarily a fishing port and trading station, and flourished in the middle of the nineteenth century when its seamen ventured north to Svalbard to reap rich rewards hunting arctic fox, polar bears, reindeer, walrus and, most profitable of all, seal. Subsequently, Tromsø became famous as the jumping-off point for a string of Arctic expeditions, its celebrity status assured when the explorer Roald Amundsen flew from here to his death somewhere on the Arctic icecap in 1928. Since those heady days, Tromsø has grown into an urbane and likeable small city with a population of 68,000 employed in a wide range of industries and at the university. It’s become an important port too, for although the city is some 360km north of the Arctic Circle, its climate is moderated by the Gulf Stream, which sweeps up the Norwegian coast and keeps its harbour ice-free. Give or take the odd museum, the city may fall somewhat short on top-ranking sights, but its amiable atmosphere, fine mountain-and-fjord setting, and clutch of lively restaurants and bars more than compensate. Scenesters here remain extremely proud of locally grown electro-emo heroes Röyksopp, and the Tromsø’s DJ culture is consequently alive and kicking.

  The compact centre slopes up from the eastern shores of the hilly island of Tromsøya, connected to the mainland by bridge and tunnel. A five-minute walk from one side to the other, the busiest part of the city centre spreads south from Stortorget, the main square, along Storgata, the main street and north–south axis, as far as Kirkegata and the harbourfront.

Domkirke

Kirkegata 7 • June–Aug Tues–Sat noon–4pm, Sun 10am–4pm; Sept–May Tues–Sat noon–4pm, Sun 10am–2pm • Free

Completed in 1861, the beige Lutheran Domkirke (Cathedral), bang in the centre on Kirkegata, bears witness to the prosperity of the town’s nineteenth-century merchants, who became rich on the back of the barter trade with Russia. They part-funded the cathedral’s construction, the result being the large and handsome structure of today, whose slender spire and dinky little tower pokes high into the sky above the neo-Gothic pointed windows of the nave. The building is now the only wooden cathedral in the country.

Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum

Sjøgata 1 • Mid-June to mid-Aug daily 11am–6pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun noon–5pm • Free •  nnkm.no

In a sizeable old building a block east of the cathedral, the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Art Museum of Northern Norway) is not a large ensemble, but the second-floor displays of the permanent collection were overhauled when the museum turned 25 in 2010, modernizing the place somewhat. The collection now covers all of Norway’s artistic bases, beginning in the nineteenth century with the ingenious landscapes of Thomas Fearnley and Johan Dahl and several Romantic peasant scenes by Adolph Tidemand (1814–76). There are lots of north Norway landscapes and seascapes here too, including several delightful paintings by Kongsberg-born Otto Sinding (1842–1909) – look out for his Spring Day in Lofoten – as well as a whole battery of paintings by the talented and prolific Axel Revold (1887–1962), whose work typically maintains a gentle, heart-warming lyricism. By contrast, Willi Midelfarts (1904–75) was clearly enraged when he painted his bloody Assault on the House of Karl Liebknecht, a reference to the murder of one of Germany’s leading Marxists in 1919. The museum also owns a handful of minor works by Edvard Munch, including a handsome portrait entitled Parisian Model.

Stortorget

The main square, Stortorget, is the site of a daily open-air market selling flowers and knick-knacks. The square nudges down towards the waterfront, where fresh fish and prawns are sold direct from inshore fishing boats throughout the summer.

Perspektivet Museum

Storgata 95 • June–Aug Tues–Sun 11am–5pm; Sept–May Tues–Fri 11am–3pm, Thurs till 7pm • Free •  perspektivet.no

At the Perspektivet Museum the emphasis is on all things local, with a lively programme of temporary exhibitions concerning Tromsø and its inhabitants. In recent years, the museum has turned to focusing on its photographic collections – which now total some 400,000 images – even commissioning new works from local photographers to document the changing face of modern Tromsø. The building itself, dating from 1838, is also of interest as the one-time home of the local writer Cora Sandel (1880–1974), who was born Sara Fabricius and lived in Tromsø from 1893 to 1905, before shipping out to Paris. Sandel’s important works include the Alberte Trilogy, a set of semi-autobiographical novels following the trials and tribulations of a young woman as she attempts to establish her own independent identity. The museum has a small section on Sandel on the first floor, but it is confined to a few of her knick-knacks and several photos of her on walkabout in Tromsø.

Polarmuseet

Søndre Tollbodgate 11 • Daily: March to mid-June & mid-Aug to Sept 11am–5pm; mid-June to mid-Aug 10am–7pm; Oct–Feb 11am–4pm • 50kr •  polarmuseum.no

Down by the water, an old wooden warehouse holds the city’s most engaging museum, the Polarmuseet (Polar Museum). The collection begins with a less-than-stimulating series of displays on trapping in the Arctic, but beyond is an outstanding section on Svalbard, including archeological finds retrieved in the 1980s from an eighteenth-century Russian whaling station. Most of the artefacts come from graves preserved by permafrost and, among many items, there are combs, leather boots, parts of a sledge, slippers and even – just to prove illicit puffing is not a recent phenomenon – a clay pipe from a period when the Russian company in charge of affairs forbade trappers from smoking. Two other sections on the first floor focus on seal hunting, an important part of the local economy until the 1950s.

  Upstairs, on the second floor, a further section is devoted to the exploits of one Henry Rudi (1889–1970), the so-called “Isbjørnkongen” (Polar Bear King), who spent 27 winters on Svalbard and Greenland, bludgeoning his way through the local wildlife, killing 713 polar bears in the process. Rather more edifying is the extensive display on the polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872–1928), who spent thirty years searching out the secrets of the polar regions. The museum exhibits all sorts of oddments used by Amundsen and his men – from long johns and pipes through to boots and ice picks – but it is the photos that steal the show, providing a fascinating insight into the way Amundsen’s polar expeditions were organized and the hardships he and his men endured. Amundsen clearly liked having his picture taken, judging from the heroic poses he struck, his derring-do emphasized by the finest set of eyebrows north of Oslo.

  Finally, there’s another extensive section on Amundsen’s contemporary Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930), a polar explorer of similar renown who, in his later years, became a leading figure in international famine relief. In 1895, Nansen and his colleague Hjalmar Johansen made an abortive effort to reach the North Pole by dog sledge after their ship was trapped by pack ice. It took them a full fifteen months to get back to safety, a journey of such epic proportions that tales of it captivated all of Scandinavia.

ROALD AMUNDSEN

One of Norway’s most celebrated sons, Roald Amundsen (1872–1928) was intent on becoming a polar explorer from his early teens. He read everything there was to read on the subject, even training as a sea captain in preparation, and, in 1897, embarked with a Belgian expedition upon his first trip to Antarctica. Undeterred by a winter on the ice after the ship broke up, he was soon planning his own expedition. In 1901, he purchased a sealer, the Gjøa, in Tromsø, leaving in June 1903 to spend three years sailing and charting the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Gjøa (now on display in Oslo) was the first vessel to complete this extraordinary voyage, which tested Amundsen and his crew to the very limits. Long searched for, the Passage had for centuries been something of a nautical Holy Grail and the voyage’s progress – and at times the lack of it – was headline news right across the world.

  Amundsen’s next target was the North Pole, but during his preparations, in 1909, the American admiral and explorer Robert Peary got there first. Amundsen immediately switched his attention to the South Pole, and in 1910 set out in a new ship, the Fram (also exhibited in Oslo), for the Antarctic, which he reached on December 14, 1911, famously beating the British expedition of Captain Scott by just a couple of weeks.

  Neither did Amundsen’s ambitions end there: in 1926, he became one of the first men to fly over the North Pole in the airship of the Italian Umberto Nobile, though it was this last expedition that did for Amundsen: in 1928, the Norwegian flew north out of Tromsø in a bid to rescue the stranded Nobile and was never seen again.

Tromsø Kunstforening

Musegata 2 • Wed–Sun noon–5pm • Free •  tromsokunstforening.no

Just to the south of the town centre, at the upper end of Muségata, the Tromsø Kunstforening (Tromsø Art Society) occupies part of a large and attractive Neoclassical building dating from the 1890s. The cultural organization puts on imaginative temporary exhibitions of Norwegian contemporary art with the emphasis on the work of northern Norwegian artists.

Polaria

Hjalmar Johansens gate 12 • Daily: mid-May to mid-Aug 10am–7pm; mid-Aug to mid-May 11am–5pm • 105kr •  polaria.no • The complex is 200m south of Tromsø Kunstforening along Storgata

A lavish waterfront complex, Polaria deals with all things Arctic. There’s an aquarium filled with Arctic species, a 180-degree cinema showing a film on Svalbard shot from a helicopter and several exhibitions on polar research. Parked outside in a glass greenhouse is a 1940s sealing ship, the M/S Polstjerna.

Arktisk-alpin botanisk hage

Breivika • Year-round dawn to dusk • Free •  uit.no/botanisk • Bus #42

Located next to the University of Tromsø’s Breivika campus in the centre of the island 4km north of the centre, the Arktisk-alpin botanisk hage (Arctic-Alpine Botanical Gardens) are the world’s most northerly botanical gardens, spanning some five acres of land. There are plants from all continents, with particular strong representation from Siberia, the Himalayas and the Rockies; they all tend to bloom from May to October.

Tromsø Museum

Lars Thørings veg 10 • June–Aug daily 9am–6pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat noon–3pm, Sun 11am–4pm • 30kr •  uit.no/tmu • Bus #37 from the centre (every 30min;  nobina.no)

About 3km south of the centre, near the southern tip of Tromsøya, the Tromsø Museum is a historical and ethnographic museum run by the university. It’s a varied collection, featuring nature and the sciences downstairs, and culture and history above. Pride of place goes to the medieval religious carvings, naïve but evocative pieces retrieved from various northern Norwegian churches. There’s also an enjoyable section on the Sámi featuring displays on every aspect of Sámi life – from dwellings, tools and equipment through to traditional costume and hunting techniques. Meanwhile, the aurora borealis exhibit gives a particularly good explanation on exactly why and how the phenomenon exists.

Ishavskatedralen

Hans Nilsens veg 41 • Mid- to late May daily 3–6pm; June to mid-Aug Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 1–7pm; mid-Aug to mid-May daily 3/4–6pm • 35kr •  ishavskatedralen.no • Bus #20, #24 or #28

A few minutes’ walk east from the centre, across the spindly, cantilevered Tromsøbrua bridge, rises the desperately modern Ishavskatedralen (Arctic Cathedral). Completed in 1965 – and recently renovated – the church maintains a strikingly white, glacier-like appearance, achieved by means of eleven immense triangular concrete sections, representing the eleven Apostles left after the betrayal. The entire east wall is formed by a huge stained-glass window, one of the largest in Europe, and the organ is unusual too, built to represent a ship when viewed from beneath – recalling the tradition, still seen in many a Nordic church, of suspending a ship from the ceiling as a good-luck talisman for seafarers.

ARCTIC PHENOMENA

On and above the Arctic Circle, an imaginary line drawn round the earth at latitude 66.5 degrees north, there is a period around midsummer during which the sun never makes it below the horizon, even at midnight – hence the midnight sun. On the Arctic Circle itself, this only happens on one night of the year – at the summer solstice – but the further north you go, the greater the number of nights without darkness: in Bodø, it’s from the first week of June to early July; in Tromsø from late May to late July; in Alta, from the third week in May to the end of July; in Hammerfest, mid-May to late July; and in Nordkapp, early May to the end of July. Obviously, the midnight sun is best experienced on a clear night, but fog or cloud can turn the sun into a glowing, red ball – a spectacle that can be wonderful but also strangely uncanny. All the region’s tourist offices have the exact dates of the midnight sun, though note that these are calculated at sea level; climb up a hill and you can extend the dates by a day or two. The converse of all this is the polar night, a period of constant darkness either side of the winter solstice; again the further north of the Arctic Circle you are, the longer this lasts.

  The Arctic Circle also marks the typical southern limit of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, though this extraordinary phenomenon has been seen as far south as latitude 40 degrees north – roughly the position of New York or Ankara. Caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere by electrons, carried away from the sun by the solar wind, the northern lights take various forms and are highly mobile – either flickering in one spot or travelling across the sky. At relatively low latitudes hereabouts, the aurora is tilted at an angle and is often coloured red – the sagas tell of Vikings being half scared to death by them – but nearer the pole, they hang like gigantic luminous curtains, often tinted greenish blue. Naturally enough, there’s no predicting when the northern lights will occur. They are most likely to come out during the darkest period (between November and February) – though they can be seen as early as late August and as late as mid-April. On a clear night the fiery ribbons can be strangely humbling.

Fjellheisen mountain funicular

Daily every 30min: Feb & March 10am–4pm; April to late May & Sept 10am–5pm; late May to early Aug 10am–1am; Aug 10am–10pm; Oct–Dec 1am–4pm; • 120kr •  fjellheisen.no • Bus #26 from the city centre or a 15min walk southeast of the Ishavskatedralen

Every half-hour the Fjellheisen mountain funicular, 3km from the centre across the bridge, whisks up to 27 passengers up to the top of Mount Storsteinen. From the 421m summit, the views of the city and its surroundings are extensive and it’s a smashing spot to catch the midnight sun; there’s even a café at the top. Note that mountain funicular services are suspended during inclement weather.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: TROMSØ

By plane The airport is 5km west of the centre on the other side of Tromsøya. Frequent Flybussen (Mon–Fri 5.30am–midnight every 15min–1hr, Sat 5.30am–4.40pm roughly hourly, Sun 10.20am–midnight hourly; 60kr) run into the city, stopping at the Rica Ishavshotel on Sjøgata and at most central hotels. A taxi to the centre will cost between 120–150kr.

By bus Long-distance buses pull in at the stops on Prostneset, metres from the Hurtigruten quay. Torghatten ( tromskortet.no) services run to Alta (1–2 daily; 6hr 30min) and Narvik (2–4 daily; 4hr 15min).

By boat The Hurtigruten coastal boat ( hurtigruten.com) docks in the town centre beside the Prostneset quay at the foot of Kirkegata, while Hurtigbåt services ( tromskortet.no) arrive at the jetty about 150m to the south. Northbound, the Hurtigruten leaves Tromsø for Hammerfest daily at 6.30pm (11hr); southbound it sails at 1.30am, arriving in Harstad 6hr 30min later. The main Hurtigbåt passenger express boat service, meanwhile, links Tromsø with Harstad (2–5 daily; 2hr 45min). For Lofoten, it’s quickest and easiest if you take the Hurtigbåt to Harstad, then the bus.

By car Cars in Tromsø can be rented from Europcar, Alkeveien 5, and at the airport ( 77 67 56 00); Hertz, Fridtjof Nansenplass 3c, and at the airport ( 48 26 20 00).

GETTING AROUND

By bus For Tromsø’s outlying attractions you’ll need to catch a municipal bus ( 177,  tromskortet.no). The standard, flat-rate fare is 28kr.

By taxi Tromsø Taxi  77 60 30 10 (24hr).

By bike Bikes can be rented from Tromsø Natur og Fritid, Sjøgata 14 ( tromsonaturogfritid.no), which has touring cycles from 230kr/day.

INFORMATION

Tourist office Kirkegata 2, a few paces from the Prostneset quay (mid-May to Aug Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am–4pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat 10am–4pm, plus Jan & Feb Sun 11am–3.30pm;  77 61 00 00,  visittromso.no). It issues free town maps, has a small list of B&Bs, and provides oodles of local information, including details of bus and boat sightseeing trips around neighbouring islands.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Diving and sea rafting Dykkersenteret AS, Stakkevollveien 72 ( 77 69 66 00,  dykkersentret.no), organizes guided diving tours to local wrecks in the surrounding fjords. Also runs fishing and midnight-sun excursions and offers equipment rental.

Hiking Troms Turlag, next door to the tourist office at Kirkegata 2 (Wed noon–4pm, Thurs noon–6pm, Fri noon–2pm;  77 68 51 75,  turistforeningen.no/troms), is a DNT affiliate with bags of information on local hiking trails and DNT huts.

Wilderness tours Among several wilderness-tour specialists, Tromsø Villmarkssenter (Tromsø Wilderness Centre;  77 69 60 02,  villmarkssenter.no) offers a wide range of activities from guided glacier walks, kayak paddling and mountain climbing in summer to ski trips and dog-sled rides in winter. Overnight trips staying in a lavvo (a Sámi tent) can also be arranged. It is run by Tove Sorensen and Tore Albrigsten – and their several hundred Alaskan huskies – Norway’s most experienced dog-sled racers. The centre is located about 6km from downtown Tromsø at Straumsvegen 603, beyond the airport on the island of Kvaløya.

ACCOMMODATION

Tromsø has a good supply of modern, central hotels, though the majority occupy chunky concrete high-rises whose exterior may or may not be indicative of what lies await inside. Less expensive – and sometimes more distinctive – are the town’s guesthouses; there’s also a rudimentary HI hostel. In addition, the tourist office has a small list of B&Bs, but most are stuck out in the suburbs. Tromsø is a popular destination, so advance reservation is recommended, especially in the summer.

HOTELS

ABC Hotel Nord Parkgata 4  77 66 83 00,  hotellnord.no. Though Tromsø no longer has an HI hostel, this budget hotel is aimed at backpackers and students (with discounts for the latter), and offers an unbeatable central location three blocks west of the cathedral on Storgata. Rooms feature free calls to Norwegian landlines, and there is free parking and use of the well-appointed kitchen. Cycle rental 150kr/day. 875kr

Ami Skolegata 24  77 62 10 00,  amihotel.no. With seventeen simple rooms offering significantly more style than other spots in this price range, this guesthouse/hotel is set in a period wooden villa behind the town centre and offers wide views over the city from the hillside. Wi-fi access and breakfast included in price. 750kr

Quality Hotel Saga Richard Withsplass 2  77 60 70 00,  choicehotels.no. Although there has been some Ikea-ization at this mid-sized, 1960s chain hotel, renovated in 2010, the public areas remain reassuringly old-fashioned with lots of pine (rather than chipboard), while most of the 103 rooms have at least a bit of pizzazz. Ask for a room on a high floor for views right onto the Domkirke. Set smack in the centre of town. 1295kr

Radisson Blu Hotel Tromsø Sjøgata 7  77 60 00 00,  radissonblu.com. The largest hotel in town – and a very popular one – occupying two large ten-storey towers at the harbour. The rooms, which had a refit a few years ago, have been kitted out in two styles, Arctic (calming white, orange and green finishes) and Chilli (somewhat warmer red tones); the Superior ones (as well as the gym and sauna) have cracking views of the harbour. Ultra-efficient service, and free wi-fi to boot. Downstairs is the lively and well-known (to Norwegians, at least) Rorbua pub, which occasionally features live music. 1195kr

 Rica Ishavshotel Tromsø Fr. Langes gate 2  77 66 64 00,  rica.no. Perched on the harbourfront a few metres from the Hurtigruten dock, this imaginatively designed hotel is partly built in the style of a ship, complete with a sort of crow’s-nest bar. Lovely rooms – half of them are singles, thanks to such a big trade in business travellers here – and unbeatable views over the harbour with the mountains glinting behind make it the best setting in town. Fourth-floor bar has some breathtaking views. 1495kr

Viking Grønnegata 18  77 64 77 30,  viking-hotell.no. The 24 bright and modern rooms at this breezy guesthouse have considerably more energy than most other places in town. They also have several contemporary apartment-style rooms with full kitchens and large living spaces. Centrally located near the Mack brewery. 980kr

CAMPSITE

Tromsø Camping Elvestrandvegen  77 63 80 37,  tromsocamping.no. Reasonably handy waterside site about 2km east of the Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen), on the mainland side of the main bridge, with 55 modern and “rustic” cabins. Open year-round. Take bus #20 or #24. Cabins from 1049kr, tent pitches for two people from 130kr

EATING, DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

With a clutch of first-rate restaurants, several enjoyable cafés and a great supply of late-night bars, Tromsø is at least as well served as any comparably sized Norwegian city. The best of the cafés and restaurants are concentrated in the vicinity of the Domkirke, and most of the livelier bars – many of which sell Mack, the local brew – are in the centre, too.

CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS

 Arctandria Strandtorget 1  77 60 07 20,  skarven.no. Some of the best food in town. The upstairs restaurant serves a superb range of fish, with the emphasis on Arctic species, and there’s also reindeer, whale and seal; main courses start at around 245kr (or 195kr if you’re going vegetarian). If you’ve come on an empty stomach, try their five-course Mack Menu (595kr), with every course cooked in some capacity with local beer. Prices are somewhat cheaper downstairs at the café-bar Vertshuset Skarven, where there’s a slightly less varied menu. Mon–Sat 4pm–midnight.

Aunegården Sjøgata 29  77 65 12 34  aunegarden.no. Cosy and popular café-restaurant within the listed late nineteenth-century Aunegården building, which was set up as a butcher in 1830. All the standard Norwegian dishes are served, including stockfish, at moderate prices (mains 108–157kr), and the triad of rather more controversial dishes – whale, seal and shark – also make an appearance. Still, these are nothing when compared with the cakes – wonderful confections, which are made at their own bakery. Weep with pleasure as you nibble at the cheesecake – then weep with pain as you realize that pleasure just cost you a dear 69kr. Mon–Sat 10.30am–11pm, Sun noon–6pm.

 Emmas Drømmekjøkken Kirkegata 8  77 63 77 30,  www.emmasdrommekjokken.no. Much praised in the national press as a gourmet treat, “Emma’s dream kitchen” lives up to its name, with an imaginative and wide-ranging menu focused on Norwegian produce. The grilled arctic char with gorgonzola sauce and cowberries is a treat as is the delicious Tana reindeer fillet with port sauce and roasted garlic. Excellent service in smart premises. Main courses are 335kr and up. Reservations recommended. Mon–Sat from 6pm; closed Sun.

Thai House Storgata 22  77 67 05 26,  thaihouse.no. Decent Thai cooking with the welcome inclusion of some excellent fish and vegetable dishes; the Thai spicy salads are especially good, as are the soups, though prices aren’t cheap, with mains from around 220kr). Daily noon–11pm.

BARS

Amundsen Restauranthus Storgata 42  77 68 52 34,  arh.no. Named after the Norwegian explorer who stayed in this building when he lived in Tromsø, this trendy, colourfully decorated bar is Tromsø’s most gay-friendly nightspot. Mon 3pm–midnight, Tues–Thurs 1pm–1.30am, Fri & Sat 11am–3am, Sun 3–11pm.

Blå Rock Café Strandgata 14  77 61 00 20,  blarock.no. Definitely the place to go for loud rock music. Also features regular live acts, plus the best burgers in town (try the amazing blue-cheese Astroburger). They serve several dozen beers, most priced at around 60kr. Mon–Thurs 11.30am–2am, Fri & Sat 11.30am–3.30am, Sun 1pm–2am.

Ølhallen Pub Storgata 4  77 62 45 80,  olhallen.no. Solid (some might say stolid) basement pub adjoining the Mack brewery, whose various ales are its speciality. It’s the first pub in town to start serving – and the earliest to close – and so only pulls in the serious drinkers. Mon–Thurs 9am–5pm, Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–3pm.

Rorbua Pub Søren Fløttmanns plass  77 75 90 86,  rorbuapub.no. Known all over the country thanks to its long-time home as a popular weekly talk show, Du skal høre mye (“You’ll Hear a Lot”). Presided over by a mammoth stuffed polar bear, this timbered spot calls to mind a drunken fisherman’s cabin from times of yore.

Skipsbroen Rica Ishavshotel, Fr. Langes gate 2  77 66 64 00,  rica.no. Inside the Rica Ishavshotel, this smart little bar overlooks the waterfront from on high – it occupies the top of a slender tower with wide windows and sea views. Relaxed atmosphere but lots of tourists. Mon–Thurs 6pm–1.30am, Fri & Sat 3pm–3am; closed Sun.

Studenthuset Driv Søndre Tollbodgate 3b  77 60 07 76,  driv.no. Built in the early 1900s as a fisherman’s warehouse, and now dining out on its exposed beams and planking, this three-tiered student hangout never wants for its share of barflies. Wed & Thurs there are live concerts (cover from 30–160kr), while Fri & Sat the disco (cover 40kr) crowd takes over. Come early to snag a seat on the benches outside; come late to watch the pick-up games begin. Mon–Thurs noon–2am, Fri & Sat noon–3.30am.

ENTERTAINMENT

Kino Fokus  90 88 99 00,  tromsokino.no. The main cinema is where you’ll find many students and sober locals looking to catch up on some culture. They tend to feature Hollywood box office hits side by side with a surprising number of domestically produced cinematic fare. The odd European art-house flick is added in from time to time for good measure.

Kulturhuset Erling Bangsunds plass 1  77 79 16 66,  kulturhuset.tr.no. The principal venue for cultural events of all kinds, this large space beside Grønnegata tends to focus on live Nordic music groups, though there are also touring dance troupes and the odd musical revue as well.

SHOPPING

Bokhuset Libris Storgata 86  77 68 30 36,  libris.no. Hardly the biggest bookshop in Norway, but this family-owed franchise of the big chain is Tromsø’s best, with a very good selection of English-language publications. Mon–Thurs 9am–6pm, Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat 10am–4pm.

Vinmonopolet Grønnegata 64. Effectively the only place in town to pick up hard liquor; also stocks Tromsø’s largest selection of wines. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm.

DIRECTORY

Internet Free access at Tromsø Bibliotek, on Grønnegata near Stortorget (Mon–Thurs 9am–7pm, Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 11am–3pm, Sun noon–4pm).

Pharmacy Vitusapotek Svanen, opposite the Radisson SAS Hotel at Fr. Langes gate 9 (Mon–Fri 8.30am–4.30pm, Sat 10am–2pm).

Post office Main office at Strandgata 41 (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm).

< Back to North Norway

West from Tromsø: Kvaløya and Sommarøy

Heading west from Tromsø towards Andenes, Highway 862 crosses the Sandnessundet straits to reach the mountainous island of Kvaløya, whose three distinct parts are joined by a couple of narrow isthmuses. On the far side of the straits, the highway meanders south offering lovely fjord and mountain views en route to the Brensholmen–Botnhamn car ferry, about 60km from Tromsø. From Botnhamn, it’s a further 160km to Gryllefjord, where a second car ferry takes you across to Andenes on Vesterålen. The pretty route makes a great little journey in itself, and breaking up the trip on the tiny islet of Sommarøy, linked to Kvaløya by a causeway that branches off Highway 862 a few kilometres short of Brensholmen, is a good option, where you can stay at a fetching little waterside hytte at the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel, then hop into one of their wooden outdoor hot-tubs for a Nordic jacuzzi session.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: WEST FROM TROMSØ: KVALØYA AND SOMMARØY

Car ferries Senjafergene ( 99 48 57 50,  senjafergene.no) operate the Brensholmen–Botnhamn (May–Aug 5–7 daily; 45min) and Gryllefjord–Andenes (late May to mid-June & mid- to late Aug 2 daily; mid-June to early Aug 3 daily; 1hr 40min; reservations advised) car ferries.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Sommarøy Arctic Hotel Sommarøy  77 66 40 00,  sommaroy.no. This relaxing hotel offers accommodation in the main building, plus high-quality, well-equipped seashore cabins for up to ten people (2600kr/day). The restaurant is excellent too, particularly its Arctic specialities, and there are two traditional badestamp – wooden hot-tubs seating up to ten people – one inside and one outdoors, next to the ocean. Rooms 1090kr, six-berth cabins 1590kr

< Back to North Norway

The road to Finnmark

Beyond Tromsø, the vast sweep of the northern landscape slowly unfolds, with silent fjords cutting deep into the coastline beneath ice-tipped peaks which themselves fade into the high plateau of the interior. This forbidding, elemental terrain is interrupted by the occasional valley, where those few souls hardy enough to make a living in these parts struggle on – often subsisting by dairy farming. Curiously enough, one particular problem for the farmers here has been the abundance of Siberian garlic (Allium sibiricum): the cows love the stuff – it tastes much more like a chive than garlic – but if they eat a lot of it, the milk they produce tastes of onions.

  Slipping along the valleys and traversing the mountains in between, the E8 and then the E6 follow the coast pretty much all the way from Tromsø to Alta, some 410km – and about a seven-hour drive – to the north. Drivers can save around 100km (although not necessarily time and certainly not money) by turning off the E8 25km south of Tromsø onto Highway 91 – a quieter, even more scenic route, offering extravagant fjord and mountain views. Highway 91 begins by cutting across the rocky peninsula that backs onto Tromsø to reach the Breivikeidet–Svensby car ferry, a magnificent twenty-minute journey over to the glaciated Lyngen peninsula. From the Svendsby ferry dock, it’s just 24km over the Lyngen to the Lyngseidet–Olderdalen car ferry, by means of which you can rejoin the E6 at Olderdalen, some 220km south of Alta. This route is at its most spectacular between Svendsby and Lyngseidet, with the road nudging along a narrow channel flanked by the imposing peaks of the Lyngsalpene, or Lyngen Alps. Beyond Olderdalen, the E6 eventually enters the province of Finnmark as it approaches the hamlet of Langfjordboten, at the head of the long and slender Langfjord. Thereafter, the road sticks tight against the coast en route to Kåfjord.

GETTING AROUND: THE ROAD TO FINNMARK

Car ferries Breivikeidet–Svensby car ferry (hourly; Mon–Fri 6.30am–10.30pm, Sat 8.10am–8.10pm, Sun 8.10am–9.55pm; 25min; 87kr car and driver;  77 71 14 00,  bjorklid.no); Lyngseidet–Olderdalen car ferry (hourly; Mon–Fri 7.20am–9.05pm, Sat 9.05am–7.20pm, Sun 9.05am–9.05pm; 40min; 122kr car and driver;  77 71 14 00,  bjorklid.no).

Kåfjord

Some 60km from Langfordboten is the tiny village of KÅFJORD, whose sympathetically restored nineteenth-century church was built by the English company who operated the area’s copper mines until they were abandoned as uneconomic in the 1870s. The Kåfjord itself is a narrow and sheltered arm of the Altafjord, which was used as an Arctic hideaway by the Tirpitz and other German battleships during World War II.

Alta

Some 20km from Kåfjord, ALTA’s primary claim to fame is the most extensive area of prehistoric rock carvings in northern Europe, which are impressive enough to have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At first blush, however, the view of the town is somewhat less than encouraging. With a population of around 20,000, it comprises a string of unenticing modern settlements that spread along the E6 for several kilometres. The ugliest part is Alta Sentrum, now befuddled by a platoon of soulless concrete blocks. World War II polished off much of the local Sámi culture that used to thrive here, as well as destroying all the old wooden buildings that once clustered together in Alta’s oldest district, Bossekop, where Dutch whalers settled in the seventeenth century.

  That being said, the settlement is an excellent place to base oneself in for explorations out to the Finnmark plateau. The area around here gets very green in the summer months, and hiking, canyoning and riverboat safaris are all on offer. In the wintertime, the stable (if very cold) climate allows for plenty of outdoor activities, including dog-sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and chasing the northern lights. Additionally, Europe’s largest dog-sled race, the Finnmarksløpet ( finnmarkslopet.no), is put on here in mid-March, complemented by a big week-long cultural celebration, the Borealis Winter Festival.

Alta’s prehistoric rock carvings and the Alta Museum

Altaveien 19 • May to mid-June daily 8am–5pm; mid-June to Aug daily 8am–8pm; Sept–April Mon–Fri 8am–3pm, Sat & Sun 11am–4pm • 90kr •  alta.museum.no • A limited local bus service – bybussen – runs from the bus station south to Bossekop and the museum (Mon–Sat every 30min–1hr; 10min); alternatively call Alta Taxi ( 78 43 53 11)

Accessed along the E6, Alta’s prehistoric rock carvings, the Helleristningene i Hjemmeluft, form part of the Alta Museum. Count on at least an hour to view the carvings and appreciate the site. A visit begins in the museum building, 5km from town, where there’s a wealth of background information on the carvings in particular and on prehistoric Finnmark in general. It also offers a potted history of the Alta area, with exhibitions on the salmon-fishing industry, copper mining and so forth.

  The rock carvings themselves extend down the hill from the museum to the fjordside along a clear and easy-to-follow footpath and boardwalk that stretches for just under 3km. On the trail, there are a dozen or so vantage points offering close-up views of the carvings, recognizable through highly stylized representations of boats, animals and people picked out in red pigment (the colours have been retouched by researchers). They make up an extraordinarily complex tableau, whose minor variations – there are four identifiable bands – in subject matter and design indicate successive historical periods. The carvings were executed between 2500 and 6000 years ago, and are indisputably impressive: clear, stylish, and touching in their simplicity. They provide an insight into a prehistoric culture that was essentially settled and largely reliant on the hunting of land animals, who were killed with flint and bone implements; sealing and fishing were of lesser importance. Many experts think it likely the carvings had spiritual significance because of the effort that was expended by the people who created them, but this is the stuff of conjecture.

FROM TOP HURTIGRUTEN, HAMMERFEST; SUMMER IN TROMSØ; PREHISTORIC ROCK CARVINGS, ALTA

Around Alta: Sorrisniva

 78 43 33 78,  sorrisniva.no • Call for details about shuttle transfers from Alta

Aside from the rock carvings, the only real reason to linger hereabouts is the Alta Friluftspark, 20km to the south of town off Highway 93, beside the river in Storelvdalen. Here, all manner of Finnmark experiences are on offer, from snowmobile tours, dog-sled trips, ice-fishing and reindeer racing in winter, to summer boat trips along the 400m-deep Sautso canyon, Scandinavia’s largest.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ALTA

By bus Alta is something of a transport hub. Long-distance buses pull into the bus station just off the E6 at Alta Sentrum. To reach Nordkapp, passengers must change – and overnight – in Honningsvåg. The following bus companies run onward services:

Boreal ( boreal.no) to: Hammerfest (1–4 daily; 2hr 30min); Honningsvåg (1–2 daily; 4hr); Karasjok (1–2 daily except Sat; 5hr); Kautokeino (1–3 daily except Sat; 2hr 15min); Kirkenes (3 weekly; 11–13hr).

Torghatten Nord ( tts.no) to: Honningsvåg (1–2 daily; 4hr); Narvik (1 daily; 9hr 25min); Tromsø (1 daily; 7hr).

INFORMATION

Tourist office Bjorn Wirkolas vei 11, in the same building as the bus terminal (June & Aug daily 9am–6pm; July daily 9am–8pm; Sept–May Mon–Fri 9am–3.30pm, Sat 10am–3pm;  78 44 50 50,  visitalta.no); near the Coop supermarket, Bossekop shopping centre (mid-June to mid-Aug only Mon–Fri 10am–6pm; same number). Both branches of the tourist office issue free town maps, will advise on hiking the Finnmarksvidda and help with finding accommodation. The latter is a particularly useful service if you’re dependent on public transport – the town’s hotels and motels are widely dispersed – or if you’re here at the height of the season.

ACCOMMODATION

HOTELS AND GUESTHOUSES

Bårstua Gjestehus Kongleveien 2a  78 43 33 33,  baarstua.no. Of Alta’s several guesthouses, this is the most appealing, located just off the E6 on the north side of town. The eight rooms here are large and pleasant enough and all of them have kitchenettes. 830kr

Igloo Hotell Sorrisniva  78 43 33 78,  sorrisniva.no. Sorrisniva boasts a 100-bed, 1100-square-metre hotel built entirely out of ice and snow, including the beds and the glasses in the bar. It’s set near the riverside, and while staying in an ice hotel seems gimmicky, it’s a (erm) cool – and memorable – way of avoiding the bland Ikea decor and amenities of the chain hotels. As the hotel is fantastically popular, advance reservations are essential. Late Jan to early April only. 3990kr

Nordlys Hotell Alta Bekkefaret 3  78 45 72 00,  nordlyshotell.no. Located just opposite the Bossekop tourist office, this Best Western hotel sports a rather uninviting mishmash of styles, but offers large, comfortable if somewhat spartan rooms. 1095kr

Thon Hotel Vica Fogdebakken 6  78 48 22 22,  thonhotels.com. Among Alta’s several hotels, this is one of the more appealing. Occupying a wooden building that started out as a farmhouse a couple of minutes’ walk from the Bossekop tourist office, it’s a small, cosy place with two dozen smart, modern rooms. Also has a suntrap of a terrace and free wi-fi. 1045kr

CAMPSITE

Alta River Camping  78 43 43 53,  alta-river-camping.no. The best of the campsites around Alta, this well-equipped, four-star site is set on a large green plot right on the Alta River. They have tent spaces here as well as hotel-style rooms and cabins, some of which have en-suite baths (others share), plus a sauna right on the water. Located about 5km out of town along Highway 93, which branches off the E6 in between Bossekop and the rock paintings. Open year-round. Tents 170kr, doubles 400kr, cabins 600kr

EATING AND DRINKING

Alfa-Omega Markedsgata 16  78 44 54 00,  alfaomega-alta.no. Omega is the continental eatery; Alfa is the no-holds-barred bar, whose vaguely Cuban aesthetic manages to attract more than its share of fortysomethings. Mon–Wed 8pm–midnight, Thurs 7pm–1am, Fri 6pm–2.30am, Sat noon–2.30am.

Rica Hotel Alta Løkkeveien 61  78 48 27 00. Large, smart hotel restaurant that’s part of the Arctic Menu scheme, specializing in regional delicacies – cloudberries, reindeer and the like. Mains cost around 200kr. Open daily noon–11.30pm.

< Back to North Norway

The Finnmarksvidda

Venture far inland from Alta and you enter the Finnmarksvidda, a vast mountain plateau which spreads southeast up to and beyond the Finnish border. Rivers, lakes and marshes lattice the region, but there’s nary a tree, let alone a mountain, to break the contours of a landscape whose wide skies and deep horizons are nevertheless eerily beautiful. Distances are hard to gauge – a dot of a storm can soon be upon you, breaking with alarming ferocity – and the air is crystal-clear, giving a whitish lustre to the sunshine. A handful of roads cross this expanse, but for the most part it remains the preserve of the few thousand semi-nomadic Sámi who make up the majority of the local population. Many still wear traditional dress, a brightly coloured, wool and felt affair of red bonnets and blue jerkins or dresses, all trimmed with red, white and yellow embroidery. You’ll see permutations on this traditional costume all over Finnmark, but especially at roadside souvenir stalls and, on Sundays, outside Sámi churches.

  Despite the slow encroachments of the tourist industry, lifestyles on the Finnmarksvidda have remained remarkably constant for centuries. The main occupation is reindeer herding, supplemented by hunting and fishing, and the pattern of Sámi life is still mostly dictated by the biology of these animals. During the winter, the reindeer graze the flat plains and shallow valleys of the interior, migrating towards the coast in early May as the snow begins to melt, and temperatures inland begin to climb, even reaching 30°C on occasion. By October, both people and reindeer are journeying back from their temporary summer quarters on the coast. The long, dark winter is spent in preparation for the great Easter festivals, when weddings and baptisms are celebrated in the region’s two principal settlements, Karasjok and – more especially – Kautokeino. Summer visits, on the other hand, can be rather disappointing, culturally speaking at least, since many families and their reindeer are kicking back at coastal pastures and there is precious little activity in either town. Still, your best bet for spotting small herds are along the road to Hammerfest and in the area around Nordkapp.

  The best time to hike the Finnmarksvidda is in late August and early September, after the peak mosquito season and before the weather turns cold. For the most part the plateau vegetation is scrub and open birch forest, which makes the going fairly easy, though the many marshes, rivers and lakes often impede progress. There are a handful of clearly demarcated hiking trails as well as a smattering of appropriately sited but unstaffed huts; for detailed information, ask at Alta tourist office.

EASTER FESTIVALS IN THE FINNSMARKSVIDDA

As neither of the Finnsmarksvidda region’s two principal settlements, Karasjok and Kautokeino, is particularly appealing in itself, Easter is without question the best time to be here, when the inhabitants celebrate the end of the polar night and the arrival of spring. There are folk-music concerts, church services and traditional sports, including the famed reindeer races – not, thank goodness, reindeers racing each other (they would never cooperate), but reindeer pulling passenger-laden sleds. Details of the Easter festivals are available at any Finnmark tourist office.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: THE FINNMARKSVIDDA

By bus Operated by Boreal ( 177,  boreal.no), bus services across the Finnmarksvidda are patchy: except on Sat, there are 1–2 buses a day from Alta to Kautokeino (just over 2hr) and to Karasjok (5hr), but nothing between Kautokeino and Karasjok. Some Alta–Karasjok buses continue to Kirkenes (12hr), while a further service links Karasjok with Hammerfest (Mon–Fri 3–4 daily, Sat & Sun 1–2 daily; 3hr).

By car From Alta, the only direct route into the Finnmarksvidda is south along Highway 93 to Kautokeino, a distance of 130km. Just short of Kautokeino, about 100km from Alta, Highway 93 connects with Highway 92, which travels the 100km or so northeast to Karasjok, where you can rejoin the E6 (but well beyond the turning to Nordkapp).

Kautokeino

It’s a two-hour drive or bus ride from Alta across the Finnmarksvidda to KAUTOKEINO (Guovdageaidnu in Sámi), the principal winter camp of the Norwegian Sámi and their reindeer, who are kept in the surrounding plains. The Sámi are not, however, easy town dwellers and although Kautokeino is very useful to them as a supply base, it’s still a desultory, desolate-looking place straggling along Highway 93 for a couple of kilometres, with the handful of buildings that pass for the town centre gathered at the point where the road crosses the Kautokeinoelva River.

THE SÁMI

The northernmost reaches of Norway, Sweden and Finland, plus the Kola peninsula of northwest Russia, are collectively known as Lapland. Traditionally, the indigenous population were called “Lapps”, but in recent years this name has fallen out of favour and been replaced by the term Sámi, although the change is by no means universal. This more commonly used term comes from the Sámi word sámpi referring to both the land and its people, who now number around 70,000 scattered across the whole of the region. Among the oldest peoples in Europe, the Sámi most likely descended from prehistoric clans who migrated here from Siberia by way of the Baltic. Their language is closely related to Finnish and Estonian, though it’s somewhat misleading to speak of a “Sámi language” as there are, in fact, three distinct versions, each of which breaks down into a number of markedly different regional dialects. All share many common features, however, including a superabundance of words and phrases to express variations in snow and ice conditions.

  Originally, the Sámi were a semi-nomadic people, living in small communities (siidas), each of which had a degree of control over the surrounding hunting grounds. They lived off hunting, fishing and trapping, preying on all the edible creatures of the north, but it was the wild reindeer that supplied most of their needs. This changed in the sixteenth century when the Sámi moved over to reindeer herding, with communities following the seasonal movements of the animals.

  The contact the Sámi have had with other Scandinavians has almost always been to their disadvantage. In the ninth century, they paid significant fur, feather and hide taxes to Norse chieftains. Later, in the seventeenth century, they faced colonization and moves to dislocate their culture from the various thrones in Sweden, Russia and Norway. The frontiers of Sámiland were only agreed in 1826, by which point hundreds of farmers had settled in “Lapland”, to the consternation of its native population. By that point, Norway’s Sámi had kowtowed to Protestant missionaries and accepted the religion of their colonizers – though the more progressive among them did support the use of Sámi languages and even translated hundreds of books into their language. In the nineteenth century, the government’s aggressive Social Darwinist policy of “Norwegianization” banned the use of indigenous languages in schools, and only allowed Sámi to buy land if they could speak Norwegian. Only in the 1950s were these policies abandoned and slowly replaced by a more considerate, progressive approach.

  1986 was a catastrophic year for the Sámi: the Chernobyl nuclear disaster contaminated much of the region’s flora and fauna, which effectively meant the collapse of the reindeer export market. While reindeer herding is now the main occupation of just one-fifth of the Sámi population, expressions of Sámi culture have expanded. Traditional arts and crafts are now widely available in all of Scandinavia’s major cities and a number of Sámi films – including the critically acclaimed Veiviseren (The Pathfinder) – have been released. Sámi music (joik) has also been given a hearing by world-music, jazz and even electronica buffs. Although their provenance is uncertain, the rhythmic song-poems that constitute joik were probably devised to soothe anxious reindeer; the words are subordinated to the unaccompanied singing and at times are replaced altogether by meaningless, sung syllables.

  Since the international anti-colonial struggles of the 1960s, the Norwegians have been obliged to thoroughly re-evaluate their relationship with the Sámi – initially by amending the national constitution to include social, cultural and linguistic rights for them in 1988, then a year later establishing a Sámi Parliament, the Sameting, in Karasjok. Certain deep-seated problems do remain – issues such as land and mineral rights and the identity of Sámi both as an indigenous, partly autonomous people and as citizens of a particular country – but at least Oslo is asking the right questions.

Juhls’ Silver Gallery

Galaniitoluodda • Daily: June to early Aug 9am–8pm; early Aug to May 9am–6pm; ring in winter to confirm hours on  78 48 43 30 • Regular guided tours (30min; free) •  juhls.no

Though it lacks obvious appeal, Kautokeino has become something of a tourist draw on account of the jewellers Frank and Regine Juhls, who braved all sorts of difficulties to set up their workshop here in 1959. It was a bold move at a time when the Sámi were very much a neglected minority, but the Juhls had a keen interest in nomadic cultures and, although the Sámi had no tradition of jewellery-making, they did adorn themselves with all sorts of unusual items traded in from the outside world. The couple was much influenced by this Sámi style of self-adornment, repeating and developing it in their own work, and their business prospered – perhaps beyond their wildest dreams.

  As further testimony to the Juhls’ commercial success, the plain and simple workshop they first built has been replaced by an extensive complex of low-lying showrooms and workshops. Exquisitely beautiful, high-quality silver work is made and sold here alongside a much broader range of classy craftwork. The complex’s interior is intriguing in its own right, with some rooms decorated in crisp, modern pan-Scandinavian style, others done out in an elaborate version of Sámi design. The gallery is located on a ridge above the west bank of the Kautokeinoelva, 2.5km south of the town centre – follow the signs.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP JUHLS’ SILVER GALLERY, KAUTOKEINO; REINDEER, SVALBARD; SÁMI COUPLE IN A LAVVO, KIRKENES

Kautokeino kirke

Goahtedievva 2 • June to mid-Aug daily 9am–9pm • Free

This delightful wooden Kautokeino kirke (Kautokeino church), located just south of the centre on the east bank of the Kautokeinoelva River and visible from everywhere in town, is decorated in bright, typically Sámi colours; it looks particularly appealing when the Sámi turn up here in their Sunday best (Easter is a good time of the year for lots of activity as many Sámi prefer to get married around then). The church, which seats three hundred, was originally built by the Swedes in 1701, and then rebuilt following German bombing in 1944. It sports a ridged turret over the entrance – typical of churches built in the 1950s.

Kautokeino Bygdetun og Museum

Mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun noon–7pm; mid-Aug to mid-June Mon–Fri 9am–3pm • 30kr

The small Kautokeino Bygdetun og Museum (Guovdageaidnu Gilisillju or Kautokeino Parish Museum) holds a history of the town inside and a number of draughty-looking Sámi dwellings outside. You’ll spot the same little turf huts and tents (known as lavvo) all over Finnmark, occasionally housing souvenir stalls.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KAUTOKEINO

By bus Buses stop at the Thon Hotel and the Statoil petrol station. Boreal ( boreal.no) run services to Alta (1–2 daily except Sat; 2hr 5min) and Karasjok (1 daily; 2hr–2hr 30min). Note that buses to and from Karasjok operate on Tues and Thurs during the school year, and Fri and Sun all year round.

INFORMATION AND TOURS

Tourist office The tourist office (daily: late June to early Aug 9am–4pm; July 9am–8pm;  78 48 65 00,  kautokeino.no) is located in a different location pretty much every year. It provides town maps and has details of local events and activities, from fishing and hiking through to “Sámi adventures”, which typically include a boat trip and a visit to a lavvo (“tent”) where you can sample traditional Sámi food and listen to joik (rhythmic song-poems) for around 350kr.

Tour operators One leading local tour operator is Cavzo Safari ( 78 48 75 88,  cavzo.no), located on the road between Alta and Kautokeino.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

HOTELS

Kautokeino Villmarkssenter Hannoluohka 2  78 48 76 02,  www.mamut.net/vmsenter. Located across the highway from the tourist office, this modest and modern spot has seventeen rooms, one apartment for four and eight separate cabins. The rooms and apartment are fairly soulless, modern digs, but the cabins are much more atmospheric (and rustic) – log-cabin-style huts with four bunked beds and shared bath and shower. Cabins 500kr; rooms 750kr; apartment 1200kr

Thon Hotel Kautokeino Biedjovaggeluodda 2  78 48 70 00,  thonhotels.no/kautokeino. The largest hotel in Kautokeino, this fortress-like modern structure north of the river just off Highway 93 is set on a small hillside overlooking the town. The 65 guest rooms are decorated in a bright and breezy style, with walls decorated by photos shot by a local artist. 795kr

RESTAURANT

Duottar Thon Hotel Kautokeino, Biedjovaggeluodda 2  78 48 70 00. The Thon’s passable restaurant specializes in local dishes with a modern twist – reindeer soup, baked salmon and sea crab, for example – with mains that range between 150kr and 300kr.

ENTERTAINMENT

Kautokeino Kulturhus Bredbuktnesveien 50  78 48 44 60,  beaivvas.no. Winner of various architectural awards, the Kautokeino Kulturhus (Guovdageaidnu Kulturviessu or Cultural Centre) houses the only state-sponsored Sámi theatre in Norway. Though not much to see on its own, if there’s anything going on in town entertainment-wise, this is where you’ll find it.

Karasjok

Apart from Kautokeino, the only other settlement of any size on the Finnmarksvidda is KARASJOK (Kárásjohka in Sámi), 130km east from Kautokeino, 270km south of Nordkapp, 220km southeast of Hammerfest, and 330km west of Kirkenes. Norway’s Sámi capital straddles the E6 on the main route from Finland to Nordkapp – and consequently sees plenty of tourists. Spread across a wooded river valley, the town has none of the desolation of Kautokeino, yet it still conspires to be fairly mundane despite the presence of the Sámi Parliament and the country’s best Sámi museum.

HIKES INTO THE FINNMARKSVIDDA

Karasjok is an excellent point of departure for an exploration of the Finnmarksvidda. The region’s most popular long-distance hike is the five-day haul across the heart of the Finnmarksvidda, from Karasjok to Alta via a string of strategically located huts – gorgeous and invigorating but not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. More gentle a trek is the 3.5km Ássebákti nature trail, which passes more than a hundred Sámi cultural monuments on the way. Clearly signed, the trail begins some 16km west of Karasjok along Highway 92 towards Kautokeino. For information on walks in the region, enquire at either the Karasjok or Alta tourist offices.

Sápmi Park

Early June to mid-Aug daily 9am–7pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–4pm • 100kr •  78 46 88 00,  eng.sapmi.no

Incorporated within the tourist office is Sápmi Park, a miniature Sámi theme park, which offers a fancy multimedia introduction to the Sámi in the Stálubákti (“Magic Theatre”) and a performance of the joik, the Samis’ yodel-like singing tradition. Here also are examples of traditional Sámi dwellings, Sámi shops and a restaurant plus displays of various ancient Sámi skills with the obligatory reindeer brought along as decoration or to be roped and coralled.

De Samiske Samlinger

Early June to mid-Aug daily 9am–6pm; mid-Aug to early June Tues–Fri 9am–3pm • 75kr •  rdm.no • Walk 200m from the tourist office north along the Nordkapp road to Museumsgata, then turn right

The small collection at De Samiske Samlinger (Sámiid vourká dávvirat or Sámi Collections) does a great job of providing an overview of Sámi culture and history, with the outdoor exhibits comprising an assortment of old dwellings that illustrate the frugality of Sámi life. Inside, a large and clearly presented collection of incidental bygones includes a colourful sample of folkloric Sámi costumes.

Gamle kirke

June–Aug daily 8am–9pm • Free

The Gamle kirke (old church) was the only building left standing in Karasjok at the end of World War II (which necessitated the rebuilding of the town’s primary church in 1958). Of simple design, it dates from 1807, making it easily the oldest-surviving church in Finnmark. It is set on the south side of the river, just off Highway 92.

Samisk Kunstnersenter

Jeagilvarmadii 54 • Tues–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat & Sun 1–4pm • Free •  samiskkunstnersenter.no

This unassuming gallery (Sámi daiddaguovddás or Sámi Artists’ Centre) showcases the work of contemporary Sámi artists, but don’t expect folksy canvases – Sámi artists are a diverse bunch and as likely to be influenced by postmodernism as reindeer herding. It is located off Highway 92 – take the next major right after the church.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KARASJOK

By bus Buses pull into Karasjok bus station, on Storgata, from where it’s a signposted 5–10min walk west to the tourist office. There is limited bus service with Boreal ( boreal.no) from Karasjok to and from Alta, Kautokeino, Hammerfest and Kirkenes, and schedules occasionally make it possible to spend a couple of hours here before moving on – enough to see the sights, but hardly long enough to get the true flavour of the place. Note that buses to and from Kautokeino operate on Tues and Thurs during the school year, and Fri and Sun all year round.

Destinations Alta (1–2 daily except Sat; 5hr); Hammerfest (1–2 daily except Sat; 4hr); Kirkenes (3–4 weekly; 11hr–13hr).

INFORMATION AND TOURS

Tourist office Sápmi, on the north side of the river beside the E6 and Highway 92 crossroads (early June to mid-Aug daily 9am–7pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–4pm;  78 46 88 00,  sapmi.no). The busiest place in town, for all intents and purposes, the tourist office is the centre of town. Staff here issue free town maps, book overnight accommodation and organize authentic(ish) Sámi expeditions.

Tours The tourist office has information on dog-sledging, visits to a Sámi camp, a boat trip on the Karasjokka River, cross-country skiing and even gold-panning. One group to contact is Kirsten Berit Siida ( kb-siida.no), which run various Sámi reindeer-related excursions.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

 Engholm’s Husky Lodge 7km west of Karasjok on Highway 92  78 46 71 66,  engholm.no. This fantastic all-year HI-accredited lodge features a number of home-made cabins of various shapes and sizes. The lodge offers self-catering facilities, a sauna and Arctic dinners, where guests sit on reindeer skins around an open fire. The owner, the illustrious Sven, is an expert dog-sled racer and keeps about forty huskies; he uses them on a variety of guided winter tours and in summer organizes everything from fishing trips and guided wilderness hikes to horseback riding. No dorms, but HI members get a ten percent discount. Pick-up from Karasjok costs 150kr. Full-board from 2200kr. Cabins from 500kr

Rica Hotel Karasjok  78 46 88 60,  rica.no. Though much less atmospheric than Engholm’s, this breezy modern establishment set in a large chalet-like building, a short stroll north of the tourist office along the E6, is the best option for staying in the town centre. The hotel also boasts the summertime Storgammen restaurant, a set of turf-covered huts where a limited selection of Sámi-style meals, such as reindeer or salmon with cloudberries and cream, are served. Reckon on 220kr for a main course. 1100kr

< Back to North Norway

Hammerfest

Situated on the western shore of the rugged island of Kvaløya, linked to the mainland by bridge, HAMMERFEST, some 150km north of Alta, claims to be the world’s northernmost town, though in actuality this prize goes to Longyearbyen on Svalbard. It was, however, the first town in Europe to have electric street-lighting, and is indeed mainland Europe’s most northerly settlement. Hardly fascinating facts perhaps, but both give a glimpse of the pride the locals take in making the most of what is, indisputably, an inhospitable location. Indeed, it’s a wonder the town has survived at all: a hurricane flattened the place in 1856; it was burnt to the ground in 1890; and the retreating Germans mauled it at the end of World War II. Yet, instead of being abandoned, Hammerfest was stubbornly rebuilt for a third time. Nor is it the grim industrial town you might expect from the proximity of the offshore oil wells, but a bright, cheerful port, which drapes around a horseshoe-shaped harbour sheltered from the elements by a steep, rocky hill. Hammerfest also benefits from the occasional dignified wooden building that recalls its nineteenth-century heyday as the centre of the Pomor trade in which Norwegian fish were traded for boat-loads of Russian flour. But don’t get too carried away: Bill Bryson, in Neither Here Nor There, hit the nail on the head with his description of Hammerfest as “an agreeable enough town in a thank-you-God-for-not-making-me-live-here sort of way”. To be sure, it’s the general atmosphere of the place that appeals rather than any specific sight.

Strandgata

Running parallel to the waterfront, Strandgata, the town’s principal street, is a busy, 500m-long run of supermarkets, clothes and souvenir shops, partly inspired by the town’s role as a stopoff for cruise ships on the way to Nordkapp.

The old town quay

Most of the activity takes place on the old town quay, off Sjøgata, with tourists emerging from the liners to beetle around the harbourfront, eat shellfish from the stalls along the wharf or buy souvenirs in the small, summertime Sámi market.

Isbjørnklubben

Hamnegata 3 • June & July Mon–Fri 6am–6pm, Sat & Sun 6am–4pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat & Sun 10am–2pm • Free; membership 180kr •  isbjornklubb.no

One of Hammerfest’s (begrudgingly, for some) renowned attractions is the Isbjørnklubben (Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society), located next to the tourist office. The society’s pint-sized museum – filled with stuffed polar bears and seal-skin-covered furniture – tells the story of Hammerfest as a trapping centre for polar bears, eagles and arctic fox, and gives the background to the creation of the society itself in 1963. You could always join 235,000 others and become a member of the society, whose proceeds are put towards Arctic conservation and endangered animals programmes. Whatever you do, be sure to avoid the ceremony of being “knighted” with a walrus’s penis bone – not only will it set you back 225kr, but it’s sure to make you cringe with embarrassment for weeks on end.

Gjenreisningsmuseet

Kirkegata 21 • June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat & Sun 10am–2pm; mid-Aug to May daily 11am–2pm • 50kr •  gjenreisningsmuseet.no

The purpose-built Gjenreisningsmuseet (Museum of Reconstruction for Finnmark and Northern Troms), a five-minute walk west of the old town quay up Kirkegata, begins with a fascinating section on the hardships endured by the inhabitants of Finnmark during the German retreat in the face of the advancing Russians in late 1944. The Germans ordered a general evacuation and then applied a scorched-earth policy, which left almost all of the region’s towns and villages in ruins. Just in case any of his soldiers got the wrong idea, Hitler’s orders stipulated that “Compassion for the population is out of place.” Refugees in their own country, the Norwegians found shelter wherever they could and several thousand hid out in caves until May 1945, though many died from cold and malnutrition.

  Subsequent sections of the museum deal with postwar reconstruction, giving a sharply critical account of the central government bureaucracy initially put in charge. Under the weight of complaints, it was disbanded in 1948 and control was passed back to the municipalities. Interestingly, the left-wing Labour Party, who co-ordinated the reconstruction programme, adopted an almost evangelical stance, crusading against dirtiness, inequality and drunkenness in equal measure.

Salen

For something a little more energetic, take the footpath that zigzags up Salen, the hill behind town. It takes about fifteen minutes to reach the plateau at the top, from where there are panoramic views out across the town and over to the nearby islands. The footpath begins a couple of minutes’ walk from the old town quay on Salsgata, one block south of Strandgata.

SEILAND

Should you get antsy while holed up in Hammerfest, try a day-trip or overnight excursion out to Seiland, a nearby island where you can take in any number of activities, including hiking, deep-sea fishing, boating, snowmobiling and hunting. Trips offered by Seiland Explore ( 78 41 96 40,  seiland-explore.com) range from deep-sea fishing (from 1000kr/day) to a two-day guided excursion to a glacier (from around 7000kr per group). Alternatively, the tourist office has details of local excursions, easily the most popular of which are the fishing trips and the summertime sea cruises to local bird cliffs, which seethe and squawk with guillemots, gannets and kittiwakes, among many other types of sea birds.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: HAMMERFEST

By bus Hammerfest is some 60km from the E6 along Highway 94. Buses pull into Hammerfest bus station at the foot of Sjøgata. Boreal ( 177,  boreal.no) run services to: Alta (1–3 daily, mid-Dec to late Feb no Sat service; 2hr 30min); Honningsvåg (1–2 Mon–Fri & Sun; 1 Sat early June to late Aug only; 3hr 30min); Karasjok (1–2 daily except Sat; 4hr); Kirkenes (4–5 weekly; 10hr–12hr 40min); and Skaidi (1–3 daily, no Sat service mid-Dec to late Feb; 1hr).

By boat The Hurtigruten coastal boat quay is adjacent to the bus station. The boat spends 1hr 30min at Hammerfest, arriving at an unsociable 5.15am on its way north, and at a more palatable 11.15am heading south. Services sail north daily from Hammerfest at 6.45am, reaching Honningsvåg at 11.45am, where it pauses for 3hr 30min, plenty enough time for special connecting buses to make the return trip to Nordkapp. Southbound it departs at 12.45pm for Tromsø (11hr).

By car For those looking to reach Nordkapp, Hammerfest has several car rental companies that frequently offer attractive short-term deals from around 700kr a day unlimited mileage. Try Europcar ( 93 00 44 55) or Hertz ( 78 41 71 66). Comparable rental deals may be available at Honningsvåg, 180km north.

Tourist office Hamnegata 3 (June & July Mon–Fri 6am–6pm, Sat & Sun 6am–4pm; Aug–May Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat & Sun 10am–2pm;  78 41 21 85,  hammerfest-turist.no). In the same building as the Isbjørnklubben, the tourist office issues free town maps and has details of local trips (see Seiland).

ACCOMMODATION

 Rica Hotel Hammerfest Sørøygata 15  78 42 57 00,  rica.no. This attractive and well-maintained modern place sits on a grassy knoll a couple of minutes’ walk west of the main quay and has excellent sea views, making it the choice stay in town. The spiffy rooms do tend towards the small, but ask for one with views of the harbour and you’ll not mind as much. Sprawling breakfast buffet. 1595kr

Storvannet Camping Storvannsveien 103  78 41 10 10,  nafcamp.com. Your best camping option in town, this quiet lakeside site is set a 15min walk from the harbour. Offers a handful of very simple one-room cabins that get booked up in advance in the summer. June–Sept. Cabins 400kr, tent pitch for two people 200kr

Thon Hotel Hammerfest Strandgata 2–4  78 42 96 00,  thonhotels.no. Occupying a prime spot just metres from the old town quay, this cosy spot, overhauled in 2011, is housed in a routine modern block but has a handsome, old-fashioned air about it. Smallish rooms are equipped with chunky wooden fittings that (mostly) predate the chipboard mania of today. Those facing the street can get noisy, and not just at weekends. Holds three very lively bars. 895kr

EATING AND DRINKING

Oppe og Nede Strandgata 22  90 59 29 30,  onhammerfest.blogspot.com. Also known as ON, this continental restaurant serves salads, soups, pasta and larger mains (from 115kr). It is better known, however, as the town’s hottest nightspot from Tues to Sat, with multiple dancefloors – downstairs for teens (weekends only), upstairs for everyone else. Mon & Fri 10.30am–3pm, Tues–Thurs 10.30am–1am, Sat 11am–3am, Sun 3–10pm.

Skansen Rica Hotel Hammerfest, Sørøygata 15  78 42 57 00,  rica.no. This à la carte hotel restaurant is the best the town has, offering ocean views and delicious seafood. Main courses start at around 220kr. Daily 4–10.30pm.

< Back to North Norway

Nordkapp and around

At the northern tip of Norway, the treeless and windswept island of Magerøya is mainly of interest to travellers as the location of the Nordkapp (North Cape), generally regarded as Europe’s northernmost point, though it is in fact nothing of the kind (see True north?). The development of the Nordkapp as a tourist spot has not been without its critics, who argue that the large and lavish visitor centre – Nordkapphallen – is crass and soulless and grossly overpriced; their opponents simply point to the huge number of people who visit. Whichever side you’re on, nearly everyone who comes this far north does so to visit Nordkapp, though Magerøya island has other charms too, notably a bleak, rugged beauty that’s readily seen from the E69 as it threads across the mountainous interior from Honningsvåg, on the south coast, to Nordkapp, a distance of 34km.

  The obvious base for a visit to Nordkapp is the island’s main settlement, Honningsvåg, an extremely quaint fishing village with an unexpected clutch of chain hotels. More appealing, however, is the tiny hamlet of Kamøyvær, nestling beside a narrow fjord just off the E69 between Honningsvåg and Nordkapp, and with a couple of family-run guesthouses. Bear in mind also that Nordkapp is within easy striking distance of other places back on the mainland – certainly the picturesque fishing-station-cum-hotel at Repvåg, and maybe even Hammerfest and Alta, respectively 210km and 240km away.

TRUE NORTH?

While umpteen marketing brochures gladly refer to Nordkapp at Europe’s northernmost point, in fact the neighbouring Knivskjellodden peninsula actually lies 1457m further north. And if it’s mainland Europe we’re talking about, the distinction belongs to Kinnarodden, a remote headland about 80km further to the east. Nonetheless, everyone seems to have conspired to ignore this simple latitudinal fact and now, while Nordkapp has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, there isn’t even a road to Kinnarodden, which can only be reached on a long and difficult 25km hike from the Hurtigruten port of Mehamn.

Repvåg

Set about 20 miles down the north shore of the Porsangerfjord, a deep and wide inlet flanked by bare, low-lying hills whose stone has been fractured and made flaky by the biting cold of winter, rests the old timber fishing station of REPVÅG. The E69 scuttles north along massive monoliths interrupting the coast, but for the most part the scenery in these parts is unusually tame and the shoreline accommodates a string of fishermen’s houses – plus the wooden racks used to air-dry their catch. Repvåg makes an ideal base – certainly more quaint than Honningsvåg – from which to reach Nordkapp, though once you’re ensconced here, you may settle instead for a fishing tour or, quite possibly, a few days in real solitude.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: REPVÅG

 Repvåg Fjordhotell og Rorbusenter Repvåg harbour  78 47 54 40,  repvag-fjordhotell.no. A rare and particularly picturesque survivor from prewar days – it was once a thriving fish packing factory – this year-round complex, painted in traditional red, is perched on stilts on the water’s edge, with public areas decked out with authentic nautical tackle and cosy furniture. The main building features simple, unassuming rooms, while the cluster of eight old fishermen’s rorbuer (shacks) are very charming places to stay – solitary and scenic in equal proportions. The hotel also offers boat and fishing trips out on the Porsangerfjord, and its restaurant, which specializes in seafood, is very good too. Half- and full-board available. Cabins 900kr, doubles 753kr

Honningsvåg

You’ll spy the island of Magerøya, a hunk of brown rock looking like an inverted blancmange, long before you get there. It’s the site of minor fishing and sea port of HONNINGSVÅG, which straggles along the seashore for about 1km. Honningsvåg’s jumble of well-worn modern buildings is sheltered from the blizzards of winter by the surrounding crags – though, given the conditions, sheltered is a comparative term. Honningsvåg is officially classified as a city – claiming to be the most northerly in the world – thus maintaining a long-running rivalry with Hammerfest, some 80km southwest, which takes great pains to rob the settlement of this title (it is perhaps incidental that both places actually lose out to Longyearbyen as “northernmost” settlement) – hard luck considering neither is any smaller nor less hardy in the face of adversity than the neighbouring rival.

  Honningsvåg has accumulated several chain hotels, which make a steady living from the tourists who stream through bound for the Nordkapp, and is at its prettiest at the head of the harbour, where an assortment of timber warehouses, dating back to the days when the village was entirely reliant on fish, makes an attractive ensemble. Draped with fishing nets and tackle, these handsome buildings perch on crusty timber stilts that jut out into the water. They have wide eaves to protect against the snow, and each has its own jetty where fishing smacks are roped in tight against the wind.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: HONNINGSVÅG

By air Widerøe ( wideroe.no) operates flights from Tromsø, Mehamn and Hammerfest to Honningsvåg airport ( 67 03 51 19), a 5min drive due north of town. A taxi ( 78 47 22 34) to town costs around 120kr.

By bus Buses from the mainland, including the long-distance Nord-Norgeekspressen, pull into the bus station at the southern end of the village. Arriving from Alta and Skaidi (for Hammerfest), Boreal (1–3 daily;  boreal.no) stops at Honningsvåg, where passengers change for services onto Nordkapp (mid-May to mid-Aug 3 daily; mid-Aug to mid-Sept 2 daily; 45min). Outside of these dates, buses to Nordkapp run on reservation only, to be made by 3pm the day before travel ( 78 47 70 30 or  92 68 10 86). The schedule is such that if you take the first bus from Honningsvåg to Nordkapp, you can spend between 1hr 30min and 2hr there before catching the first bus back. If you take the second bus (which does not run between mid-Aug and mid-May), you’ll arrive at Nordkapp at 10.15pm with the return bus departing over 2hr later at 12.30am, which means, of course, that you can view the midnight sun.

By boat Hurtigruten coastal boats dock at the adjacent jetty, with northbound boats arriving at 11.45am and departing 3.15pm; southbound, the boats don’t overlay here, arriving at 6am and departing 15min later; the northbound service is met by special Nordkapp excursion buses – details on board.

By car Buses apart, the best way of proceeding from Honningsvåg to Nordkapp is to rent a car or take a taxi. Cars can be rented from Nordkapp Bilservice ( 78 47 60 60,  nordkappbilservice.no) from 800kr/day, or slightly less expensive for 4hr – plenty of time to head up to North Cape and back. Bear in mind that the last stretch of the Honningsvåg–Nordkapp road is closed by snow in winter, roughly from Nov to early April.

By taxi The taxi fare to Nordkapp from the centre of Honningsvåg, including an hour’s waiting time after you get there, is about 900kr return, 500kr one-way; contact Nordkapp Taxisentral ( 78 47 22 34).

Tourist office Nordkaphallen (mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 8.30am–8pm, Sat & Sun noon–8pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 8.30am–4pm;  78 47 70 30,  nordkapp.no).

BOAT TOURS FROM HONNINGSVÅG

Of the tours offered from Honningsvåg’s harbour, Destinasjon 71° Nord’s three-and-a-half-hour king crab safari ( 47 28 93 20,  71-nord.no; 995kr), departing several times daily in the summertime, is the most engaging. The Zodiac-based excursion explores the traps in the Sarnesfjorden – the crabs in this region can measure up to 2m in length and weigh some 10kg – before heading to land to prepare what you’ve caught. Another option is a bird safari to the Gjesværstappan Nature Reserve located on the opposite side of Magerøya island. The two-hour tour ( 41 61 39 83,  birdsafari.com) departs Honningsvåg for the ten-minute boat ride, from which you’ll be able to view one of the country’s largest collections of puffins, kittiwakes and other migratory birds who nest up here between April and September. There are between one and three departures daily from May to August.

ACCOMMODATION

Honningsvåg Brygge Hotel Vågen 1  78 47 64 64,  hvg-brygge.no. This tasteful and intelligent conversion of a set of wooden warehouses is perched on one of the old jetties at the harbour’s southern cove. The two-dozen-odd rooms are neat and cosy, with lots of exposed wood. Breakfast is included. Advance reservations are strongly advised. 1400kr

Nordkapp Camping Skipsfjorden  78 47 33 77,  nordkappcamping.no. This campsite, set roughly halfway between Honningsvåg and Kamøyvær on the road to Nordkapp, is a good bet for camping out in the middle of nowhere. Some small wooden cottages offer 3 or 4 beds, as well as kitchenettes (but no baths), while the larger en-suite bungalows have full kitchens and separate living rooms. Free wi-fi. Open May to mid-Sept. Cabins 585kr, bungalows 1090kr, tents 140kr

Nordkapp Vandrerhjem Kobbhullveien 10  91 82 41 56,  hihostels.no/nordkapp. The town’s HI hostel is a 20min walk north of Honningsvåg – and just 1km from the end of the tunnel from the mainland. There are self-catering facilities here, but no café or restaurant. Open May–Dec. Dorms 330kr, doubles 760kr

Rica Bryggen Vågen 1  78 47 72 50,  rica.no. This boxy but smart concrete hotel at the head of the harbour has bright, modern and comfortable rooms, though it’s hardly inspiring. Open Feb, March, June to mid-Aug & Oct to mid-Dec. 1595kr

Rica Hotel Honningsvåg Nordkappgata 4  78 47 72 20,  rica.no. A few metres south of the bus station is this routine modern block with nearly 200 acceptable rooms, though some of them have seen better days. The public spaces, which have been through a recent renovation, are slightly more promising. Be wary of the rooms with a “view”, most of which consist of a panorama of old warehouse buildings. Open May–Sept. 1595kr

EATING AND DRINKING

Arctico Icebar Sjøgata 1  78 47 15 00,  articoicebar.com. Opened a decade ago by two transplanted Spaniards, this large storage freezer offers a wintertime Arctic experience in the spring- and summertime ice bar. 135kr entrance, which includes two (non-alcoholic) drinks. April to mid-Oct 9am–9pm.

Corner Fiskeriveien 2  78 47 63 40,  corner.no. As you’d expect, this modern bistro serves fresh seafood – try the sautéed cod tongue with remoulade and chilli sauce or the herb-baked king crab symphony (125kr), served on a bed of salad with bread – but also does good burgers and stews. If you’re prepared to go out on a limb in terms of political correctness, you might try their whale steak, served with red wine sauce, cranberries and roasted potatoes (229kr). Occasionally puts on theme evenings, such as the well-attended crab nights, and once a week the place turns into the local disco. Daily 10am–11pm (kitchen closes at 9pm).

Sjøhuset Honningsvåg Brygge Hotel  99 44 97 50,  hvg-brygge.no. Not your average hotel restaurant, this independently run rustic spot dishes up delicious seafood plates from a weekly changing menu, making it the best place to dine in town. Seafood mains such as crab and other shellfish cost from 155kr, while meat-based mains such as locally herded reindeer fillet can run as high as 300kr. Reservations are strongly advised. June to early Aug daily 4–11pm; rest of year every other Fri & Sat for dinner, during which it is only open to hotel guests.

Kamøyvær

Just 9km from Honningsvåg, 2km off the E69 – accessed by a turning just beyond the conspicuous Rica Hotel Nordkapp – KAMØYVÆR is a pretty little village of 140 hardy folk tucked in tight between the sea and the hills,. The laconic settlement itself doesn’t have much more to offer than its remote, quaint character.

East of the Sun Gallery

Mid-May to mid-Aug 3–10pm •  78 47 51 37,  evart.no

At the small art gallery at the harbour, resident German artist Eva Schmutterer exhibits a collection of intriguing, Arctic-inspired paintings and handicrafts. Originals of her multicoloured canvases start from around 1500kr, and there are also several of her illustrated books on sale.

ACCOMMODATION: KAMØYVÆR

Hotel Árran Nordkapp Kamøyvær harbour  78 47 51 29,  arran.as. Pleasant, family-run hotel, whose fifty guest rooms are distributed among several brightly painted and well-tended houses. They serve seafood dinners here too, though it’s best to book ahead. Open mid-May to mid-Sept. 1100kr

Knivskjellodden and Nordkapp

North of Honningsvåg, the E69 twists a solitary course up through the hills to cross a high-tundra plateau, the mountains stretching away on either side. It’s a fine run, with snow and ice lingering well into the summer and impressive views over the treeless and elemental Arctic terrain. From June to October this is pastureland for herds of reindeer, who graze right up to the road, paying little heed to the passing vehicles unless they wander too close. The Sámi, who bring them here by boat, combine herding with souvenir selling, setting up camp at the roadside in full costume to peddle clothes, jewellery and sets of antlers, which some motorists are daft enough to attach to the front of their vehicles.

Knivskjellodden

About 29km from Honningsvåg, the E69 passes the start of the well-marked hiking trail that leads to the headland of Knivskjellodden, stretching about 1500m further north than its famous neighbour. The 18km hike – there and back – takes between two and three hours each way, but though the terrain isn’t too severe, the climate is too unpredictable for the novice or poorly equipped hiker.

Nordkapp

When they finally reach Nordkapp (North Cape), many visitors feel desperately disappointed – it is, after all, only a cliff and, at 307m, it isn’t even all that high. But for others there’s something about this greyish-black hunk of slate, stuck at the end of a bare, wind-battered promontory, that exhilarates the senses. Some such feeling must have inspired the prehistoric Sámi to establish a sacrificial site here, and the Nordkapp certainly stirred the romantic notions of earlier generations of tourists, often inspiring them to metaphysical ruminations. In 1802, the Italian naturalist, Giuseppe Acerbi, author of Travels through Sweden, Finland and Lapland, exclaimed: “The northern sun, creeping at midnight along the horizon, and the immeasurable ocean in apparent contact with the skies, form the grand outlines in the sublime picture presented to the astonished spectator”. Quite – though the seventeenth-century traveller Francesco Negri wasn’t far behind: “Here, where the world comes to an end, my curiosity does as well, and now I can return home content.”

NORTHERN NAVIGATIONS

While the first “official” tourist to visit North Cape was a Franciscan friar, Francesco Negri, who arrived in 1664, the point was named by the English explorer Richard Chancellor in 1553, as he drifted along the Norwegian coast in an attempt to find the Northeast Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Chancellor failed, but managed to reach the White Sea, from where he and his crew travelled overland to Moscow, thereby opening a new, northern trade route to Russia. Chancellor’s account, published in the geographer Richard Hakluyt’s Navigations, brought his exploits to the attention of seamen across Europe, but it was to be another three hundred years before the Northeast Passage was finally negotiated by the Swede, Nils Nordenskjøld, in 1879. In the meantime, just a trickle of visitors ventured to the Nordkapp. Among them, in 1795, was the exiled Louis Philippe of Orleans (subsequently king of France), and King Chulalongkorn of Thailand, who had his name carved into a nearby rock. But it was the visit of the Norwegian king Oscar II in 1873 that opened the tourist floodgates. Two years later, Thomas Cook sent a tour group of 24 to visit. There were no island roads to the plateau, so the tourists had to be ferried by rowing boat from Gjesvær to Hornvika, at the base of the cliffs, before being instructed to climb the steep crags up to the top. The globe monument that now stands in for the actual cape – famous in postcards all over the country – was erected in 1978.

Nordkapphallen

Daily: mid-May to mid-Aug 11am–1am; mid-Aug to Sept 11am–10pm; Oct to mid-May 11am–3pm • 235kr for 48hr, including parking •  visitnordkapp.net

The lavish Nordkapphallen (North Cape Hall), cut into the rock of the Cape, entertains hundreds of visitors every day. Fronted by a statue of King Oscar II, the main building contains a new restaurant, café, a post office where you get your letters specially stamped, and a panoramic cinema showing – you guessed it – films about the Cape and the island it lies on. There’s a viewing area too, but there’s not much to see except the sea – and, weather permitting, the midnight sun from May 12 to July 29.

  A tunnel runs from the main building to the cliff face. It’s flanked by a couple of little side-chambers, in one of which is a chapel where you can get married should you have the inclination, and by a series of displays detailing past events and visitors, including the unlikely appearance of the king of Siam in 1907, who was so ill that he had to be carried up here from his boat on a stretcher. At the far end, the cavernous Grotten Bar offers caviar and champagne, long views out to sea through the massive glass wall and (of all things) a mock bird-cliff. Alternatively, to escape the hurly-burly, you may decide to walk out on to the surrounding headland, though this is too bleak a spot to be much fun. The closest place to here to stay is Honningsvåg.

< Back to North Norway

East to Kirkenes

Southeast of Nordkapp the landscape is a relentless expanse of barren plateaux, mountains and ocean. Occasionally a determined village relieves the monotony with commanding views over the fjords that slice deep into the mainland, but generally there is little for the eyes of most visitors. Nor is there much of anything to actually do in what are predominantly fishing and industrial settlements, and there are few tangible attractions beyond the sheer impossibility of the chill wilderness.

  The E6 weaves a circuitous course across this vast territory, hugging the Finnish border for much of its length. The only obvious target is the Sámi centre of Karasjok, 270km from Nordkapp and 220km from Hammerfest and easily the region’s most interesting town. Frankly, there’s not much reason to push on further east unless you’re intent on picking up the Hurtigruten coastal boat as it bobs along the remote and spectacular shores of the Barents Sea. Among the Hurtigruten’s several ports of call, perhaps the most diverting is Kirkenes, 320km to the east of Karasjok at the end of the E6 and near the Russian frontier: if any European town comes close to defining remoteness then this surely must be it.

  Finally, accommodation is very thin on the ground, being confined to a handful of the larger communities. Reservations, therefore, are strongly advised. Campsites are more frequent and usually have cabins for rent, but they are mostly stuck in the middle of nowhere.

South from Nordkapp: Stabbursnes and Tana Bru

Beyond its junction with the E69 Nordkapp road, the E6 bangs along the western shore of the Porsangerfjord, a wide inlet that slowly shelves up into the sticky marshes and mud flats at its head. After about 45km, the road reaches Stabbursnes.

Stabbursnes

The hamlet of STABBURSNES lies on the E6 along the western shore of the Porsangerfjord, some 178km south of Nordkapp (and 90km north of Karasjok).

Stabbursnes Naturhus og Museum

Early June daily 11am–6pm; mid-June to mid-Aug daily 9am–8pm; late Aug daily 11am–6pm; Sept–May Tues & Thurs noon–3pm, Wed noon–6pm • 50kr •  stabbursnes.no

The small but enjoyable Stabbursnes Naturhus og Museum (Stabbursnes Nature House and Museum) provides an overview of the region’s flora and fauna. There are diagrams of the elaborate heat-exchanger in the reindeer’s nose that helps stop the animal from freezing to death in winter, for example, and blow-ups of the warble fly which torments it in summer and various examples of half-hearted taxidermy. There are also examples of traditional Sámi handicrafts and a good section on Finnmark’s topography, examining, for example, how and why some of the region’s rivers are slow and sluggish, while others have cut deep gashes in the landscape. The museum stands on the eastern periphery of Stabbursdalen Nasjonalpark.

Stabbursdalen Nasjonalpark

The Stabbursnes Museum is the area’s information centre, and sells small guides with some detail on hiking in the park

A large slab of wilderness that contains the world’s most northerly pine forest, the Stabbursdalen Nasjonalpark covers the slopes of the Stabbursdalen river valley, which runs down from the Finnmarksvidda plateau to the Porsangerfjord. The lower end of the park’s valley is broad and marshy, but beyond lie precipitous canyons and chasms – challenging terrain, with a couple of marked hiking trails. If that sounds too much like hard work, opt instead for the easy 2.8km stroll east from the museum along the clearly marked nature trail that traverses the thick gravel banks of the Stabbursdalen River where it trickles into the Porsangerfjord. It’s an eerily chill landscape and there’s a good chance of spotting several species of wetland bird in spring and summer: ducks, geese and waders like the lapwing, the curlew and the arctic knot are common. Indeed, these salt marshes and mud flats are such an important resting and feeding area for migratory wetland birds that they have been protected as the Stabbursnes nature reserve.

Tana Bru

Tourist office  78 92 95 05,  visittana.no • Buses running between Karasjok and Kirkenes transit at Tana Bru

Some 180km northeast from Karasjok on the E6/E75 along the Finnish border is TANA BRU, a Sámi settlement clustered around a suspension bridge over the River Tana. Some 300km long, the Tana, which rattles down to the Tanafjord, an inlet of the Barents Sea, is one of Europe’s best salmon rivers – there are regularly catches of up to 250 tons annually. Still, while the fishing is outstanding, it’s hedged with restrictions about what you can catch and when; the tourist office will advise.

Southeast from Nordkapp: Gamvik and Berlevåg

Beyond Nordkapp, the Hurtigruten steers a fine route round the very top of the country, nudging its way between tiny islets and craggy bluffs, and stopping at a series of solitary fishing villages. First stop on the Nordkinn Peninsula (Nordkinnhalvøya in Norwegian; Čorgašnjárga in Sámi) after the quiet Kjøllefjord is the flatlining town of Mehamn, though you should skip whatever little life you find here for the 20km drive east to even more remote Gamvik.

Gamvik

GAMVIK is a small settlement with a gorgeous little guesthouse (see Gamvik Museum), Europe’s most northerly lighthouse and some excellent outdoor activities on offer. The regional route 888 connects the main towns of Mehamn and Gamvik with the E6, which skirts the base of the peninsula.

Gamvik Museum

Strandveien 93 • Mid-June to Aug daily 9.30am–4.30pm; Sept to mid-June Mon–Fri 10am–4pm • 50kr •  78 49 79 49,  kystmuseene.no

Covering the history and lives of the people (mostly Sámi) from this area, with a focus on coastal culture and the history of the region’s fishing industry, the Gamvik Museum is the primary site to visit in town. The several collections cover, for example, the role of women in Finnmark daily life, and also lend themselves to interesting (if small) displays on hunting, trapping, whaling and the Pomor trade.

Slettnes Fyr

Access by guided tour only; contact Gamvik Museum ( 78 49 79 49,  kystmuseene.no)

The Gamvik Museum is in charge of mainland Europe’s northernmost lighthouse, the red, cast-iron Slettnes Fyr, set at the very end of Strandveien. Built in 1905, the lighthouse has since been automated but the museum offers regular guided tours in the summertime. Slettnes also comprises a small nature reserve where you can find sizeable populations of breeding arctic terns, skuas and white-billed divers in the warmer months.

Berlevåg

Next port of call for the Hurtigruten after Gamvik (or eight hours by land), BERLEVÅG, is similarly picturesque, sitting amid a landscape of eerie greenish-grey rock, splashes of colour in a land otherwise stripped by the elements. It’s a tiny village, with a population of just 1200, but its cultural traditions and tight community spirit were deftly explored in Knut Jensen’s documentary Heftig og Begeistret (Cool & Crazy), released in 2001. The film received rave reviews both in Norway and across Europe, a welcome fillip to Berlevåg in general and the subject matter of the film – the local men’s choir, the Berlevåg Mannsangforening – in particular.

Berlevåg Harbour Museum

Mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 1–6pm; mid-Aug to mid-June Mon–Fri 10am–3pm • Free •  78 98 13 66,  kystmuseene.no

Set within an 1950s retrofitted stockhouse, the Berlevåg Harbour Museum is the village’s main draw. Exhibits here include an old shuttle boat and a display on the less-than-scintillating Berlevåg’s concrete breakwaters, used to dissipate the extreme force of coastal waves. The museum is also focuses on the history and lives of local fisherfolk.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SOUTHEAST FROM NORDKAPP: GAMVIK AND BERLEVÅG

By bus Buses to Gamvik and Berlevåg arrive in the centre of both towns. Boreal Transport ( boreal.no) run the following services: Gamvik to Berlevåg (1–2 daily except Sat; 2hr 30min); Berlevåg to Kirkenes (1–2 daily except Sat; 2hr 30min); and Berlevåg to Vadsø (2–5 weekly except Sat, change at Tana Bru; 1hr 10min).

By boat On its way north, the Hurtigruten ( hurtigruten.com) arrives at 10.30pm; southbound, it docks at 10.15pm. Both boats dock in the harbour for a mere 15min.

ACCOMMODATION

Berlevåg Pensjonat og Camping Havnegata 8, Berlevåg  78 98 16 10,  berlevag-pensjonat.no. This place offers tent pitches and four simple, straightforward guest rooms. Reservations recommended. Pitches 150kr, doubles 750kr

 End of the World Guesthouse Strandveien 43, Gamvik  90 28 00 38 or  94 86 85 87,  worldendinn.webs.com. Once an overnight spot for sojourning fisherfolk, this clapboard structure has been converted into a small guesthouse by a charming Finnish-Sámi couple. The four simple, rustic, colourful rooms, all with shared bath, look as though a frugal Nordic Martha Stewart has had her way here. Horseriding, ice-hole fishing and king crab safaris are all on offer, and they also rent out skis and cycles. Located on Gamvik’s remote coastal road, this is about as back-of-beyond a place to overnight in Norway as you’re ever going to find. 600kr

Vardø and around

Just over five hours on the Hurtigruten from Berlevåg, VARDØ is Norway’s most easterly town and a busy fishing port of 2500 souls. Like everywhere else in Finnmark, it was savaged in World War II and the modern town that grew up in the 1950s could hardly be described as beautiful, though its geography at least is unusual: Vardø spreads out over two little islets connected by a narrow causeway, which in turn forms the apex of the town’s harbour; a tunnel connects Vardø with the mainland, just a couple of kilometres away.

Vardøhus Festning

Daily: mid-April to mid-Sept 10am–9pm; mid-Sept to mid-April 10am–6pm • 30kr

One primary reason for a visit to Vardø is the Vardøhus Festning (Vardø fortress), a tiny star-shaped fortification located about 600m southwest of the Hurtigruten quay. The site was first built up in 1300, but the present structure dates from the 1730s, built at the behest of King Christian VI. When this singularly unprepossessing monarch toured Finnmark he was greeted, according to one of his courtiers, with “expressions of abject flattery in atrocious verse” – and the king loved it. Christian had the fortress built to guard the northeastern approaches to his kingdom, but it has never seen active service – hence its excellent state of preservation. A small museum gives further details of the fort’s history.

Steilneset

Open access • Free

Vardø’s newest attraction is the Steilneset monument, christened in 2011 by Queen Sonja and commemorating the witches put to death in this region (see Dark times: witchfinding in Finnmark). Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and the late artist Louise Bourgeois, the monument consists of two structures: a narrow 125m-long building lined with windows – one for each victim of the witch hunts – and a glass building holding a chair with gas flames rising eternally out of it. The memorial is located on the land thought to be the execution site of the witches. During the summer months, an on-site guide provides relevant historical information.

Vardøhus museum

Mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat & Sun 11am–6pm; mid-Aug to mid-June Mon–Fri 9am–3pm • 40kr •  78 94 04 44

Likely to be housed in a new location by the time you read this, this interesting museum houses a series of well-presented displays covering Vardø’s history, with sections devoted to explorers such as Willem Barents and Fridtjof Nansen, plus others examining local flora and fauna. Most interesting of all is the section on the witch-hunting fever that gripped Finnmark in the seventeenth century.

DARK TIMES: WITCHFINDING IN FINNMARK

Finnmark was long known to medieval Christians as Ultima Thule – the end of the world – and legend has it that the road to hell was a small, unpaved one set out towards the Varanger peninsula, presided over by devils and dark knights. After paganism was outlawed and the Black Death decimated local populations in the late 1300s, the Scandinavian kingdoms exhibited marked intolerance towards anyone harbouring anti-Christian tendencies. Although the Church had long regarded the extremes of Finnmark as the realm of the devil, witchfinding only took a hold in the 1620s – half a century or so later than the rest of Europe – when, it was alleged, a coven set up shop in a cave on the edge of Vardø. Over the next sixty years, Norway indicted 135 “witches” found in and around the town, and burned 91 of them alive at the stake – a huge number considering the size of the population.

Hornøya

Boat trips April to mid-Oct daily; 175kr per person; advance bookings are essential (contact the tourist office)

Of Vardø’s outdoor attractions, top of the list is the boat trip that leaves Vardø harbour to cruise round nearby Hornøya, a rocky islet that is the country’s easternmost protected nature reserve, where thousands of Atlantic puffins, European shags, razorbills, guillemots and great black-backed gulls nest each summer.

Hamningberg

A byroad threads its way northwest from Vardø along the coast, passing through a lunar-like landscape to reach the (largely) abandoned fishing village of Hamningberg after 45km. It’s a picturesque spot and scores of locals walk here during Vardø’s main festival – Pomordagene (Pomor Days), in early July.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: VARDØ AND AROUND

By bus Boreal buses ( 177,  boreal.no) run the 75km from Vadsø to Vardø (1–2 daily; 1hr 35min); sometimes these connect with the service from Varangerbotn, on the Varangerfjord east of Tana Bru, to Vadsø service, sometimes they don’t – check before you set out.

By boat The northbound Hurtigruten reaches Vardø at 4am and leaves just 15min later; southbound it docks at 4pm and leaves 1hr later.

Tourist office Havnepromenaden, metres from the Hurtigruten quay (mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 9am–5.30pm, Sat & Sun 11am–5.30pm;  78 98 69 07,  varanger.com).

ACCOMMODATION

Ekkerøy Feriehus  90 89 15 58,  ekkeroy.net. Run by an ecotourism company, these three newly refurbished, freestanding homes outside of town have washing machines and DVD players, as well as access to a wood sauna by the sea, and excellent views out to the Varangerfjord from the rooms. Especially good for birders, who can catch glimpse of sparrows, redshanks, red-breasted snipes and sanderlings. Located on pretty Ekkerøy peninsula, 20km from Vadsø towards Vardø. Minimum 2 nights. 1300kr

Vardo Hotell Kaigata 8  78 98 77 61,  vardohotel.no. Nothing to write home about, this is effectively the only hotel in town and is appropriately functional. Located a few minutes’ walk from the tourist office. 1170kr

Vadsø

Four hours by Hurtigruten from Vardø (northbound only) lies the Varangerfjord, a bleak, weather-beaten inlet with all its colour and vegetation confined to the northern shore, strewn about with weathered, worn farms and faded fishing boats. The only settlement to speak of hereabouts is VADSØ, a once Finnish-speaking town – even now over half the population of 5500 claims Finnish descent. Vadsø’s main claim to fame is as the administrative centre of Finnmark, which – to be blunt – isn’t a whole heck of a lot to get excited about. Russian bombers and German soldiers between them destroyed a good amount of the town centre during World War II, but there do remain a number of fetching nineteenth-century houses in the northern part of town that comprise the town’s museum and are open for visits. If you’re arriving by boat, keep an eye out for the airship mast used by Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile during their North Pole expedition in 1926, placed right where the Hurtigruten docks. Further on, in the centre of town, is the Innvandrermonumentet (Immigration Monument), which commemorates the many Finns who migrated here in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Vadsø Museum-Ruija Kven Museum

50kr covers all four sites •  78 94 28 90,  varangermuseum.no

The Vadsø Museum-Ruija Kven Museum documents the culture of the Kven people, ethnic Finns who settled in Norway centuries ago. The museum’s “collection” actually comprises the structures and contents of a handful of individual nineteenth-century farmstead buildings.

Esbensengården and Tuomainen farm

Esbensengården Hvistendahlsgata 31 Tuomainen farm Slettengata 21 • Both sites mid-June to mid-Aug Mon-Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; rest of the year Mon–Fri 10am–3pm

The main building is the Esbensengården (Esbensen estate), a late-nineteenth-century home of a well-to-do merchant family that has been decked out with period furnishings. A block away from here is the Tuomainen farm, an 1840s-era structure in which the house and barn were combined under the same roof to conserve heat.

Bietilæ farmhouse

Havnegata 83 • Sun noon–3pm

Roughly 2km west of town is the newly restored Bietilæ farmhouse, a coastal Kven immigrant estate used for farming and fishing. The complex consists of a main house, three barns, a jetty and a slipway. A thorough renovation of the project was completed in 2011, returning the complex to near-original condition.

Kjeldsen fishing factory

Ekkerøy • Daily noon–6pm

Finally, some 15km east on Ekkerøy is the Kjeldsenbruket (Kjeldsen fishing factory), one of the few prewar fishing establishments still intact in Finnmark. Dating from 1911, the complex comprises a jetty, packing house, a grim cod-liver oil steamer, as well as small shacks for baiting the lines and cleaning the fish.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: VADSØ

By bus Boreal buses ( 177,  boreal.no) from Kirkenes/Varangerbotn (1–2 daily except Sat; 3hr 30min/50min) as well as Vardø pull into Vadsø bus station on Strandgata, located on a stumpy promontory in the centre of town. From here, it’s about 1km to the Hurtigruten dock, over the bridge on Vadsøya island.

By boat The northbound Hurtigruten reaches Vadsø at 7.30am and leaves 30min later; the southbound boat does not dock here. From Vadsø, the ship takes nearly 2hr to cross the deep blue-black waters of the Varangerfjord on the last stage of its journey to Kirkenes. There’s snow on the mainland here even in July, which makes for a picturesque chug across the fjord, the odd fishing boat the only sign of life. Note that as the town centre is located 1km across a bridge from the harbour, you’re best off catching a taxi over here if you have very limited time.

Tourist office At the quay (mid-June to mid-Aug Mon–Fri 9am–5.30pm, Sat & Sun 11am–5.30pm;  78 98 69 07,  varanger.com).

ACCOMMODATION

Rica Hotel Vadsø Oscars gate 4  78 95 52 50,  rica.no. A large, modern and really rather pleasant affair in the town centre, with lots of exposed wood in the rooms. Definitely Vadsø’s best place to stay, and also holds the town’s best restaurant, Oscar Mat og Vinhus, which features daily specials. 1045kr

Vadsø Apartments Tibergveien 2  78 95 44 00,  akloghhe@online.no. These eight modern en-suite single and double rooms have a kitchenette, plus access to a washer/dryer. Set a few minutes from the quay. 500kr

Kirkenes

Used by the Nazis to ship out iron ore from its ice-free port, the mining town of KIRKENES was bombed more heavily during World War II than any other place in Europe apart from Malta. The retreating German army torched what was left as they fled in the face of liberating Soviet soldiers, who found 3500 locals hiding in the nearby iron-ore mines. The mines finally closed in 1996, threatening the future of this 4000-strong community, which is now trying hard to kindle trade with Russia to keep itself afloat. The sterling part Kirkenes played in the war is recalled in the Sør-Varanger museum and also by a couple of monuments – one dedicated to the town’s wartime women in the main square, and a second to the Red Army, plonked on Roald Amundsens gate, just to the east.

  Thanks to the bombs, Kirkenes is now almost entirely modern, with long rows of uniform houses spreading out along the Bøkfjord, a narrow arm of the Barents Sea. If that sounds dull, it’s not to slight the town, which makes the most of its inhospitable surroundings with some pleasant public gardens, lakes and residential areas – it’s just that it seems an awfully long way to come for not very much.

Sør-Varanger museum

Early June to mid-Aug daily 10am–6pm; mid-Aug to early June Mon–Fri 10am–2pm, Sat & Sun 10am–3.30pm • 50kr •  varangermuseum.no • The museum is about 1.5km south of the main harbourfront

Set at the end of Solheimsveien (the E6) beside one of the town’s several little lakes, is the Sør-Varanger museum, one of whose sections – the Grenselandmuseet (Frontier Museum) – focuses on the history of the region and its people, and includes a detailed account of the events of World War II, illustrated by some fascinating old photos. In the same building is a display of the work of John Savio (1902–38), a local Sámi artist whose life was brief and tragic. Orphaned at the age of three, Savio was ill from childhood onwards and died in poverty of tuberculosis at the age of 36. This lends poignancy to his woodcuts and paintings, with their lonely evocations of the Sámi way of life and the overbearing power of nature.

Andersgrotta Cave

Presteveien 19–21 • Mid-June to mid-Aug daily 10am–3pm • 100kr •  andersgrotta.no

In the face of successive waves of Soviet bombing, the Andersgrotta air-raid shelter was commissioned by the occupying Germans and blasted out in 1941. After the war, the bunker was strengthened with concrete and continued to be used as a nuclear shelter throughout the Cold War. Stairs lead down to the extensive (but rather cold) space, where you can amble the corridors and catch a very short English-language film about Kirkenes’s role during the war.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: KIRKENES

By plane Widerøe ( wideroe.no) flies to Kirkenes from a hatful of north Norwegian towns, including Alta, Hammerfest and Tromsø; a one-way ticket from Kirkenes to Alta can go for as little as 550kr, though 750kr is a more usual fare. SAS ( flysas.com) and Norwegian ( norwegian.com) also offer direct flights several times daily. The airport is located 13km west of town just off the E6; Flybussen (2–5 daily; 20min; 85kr one-way) connects the airport with the centre. A taxi ( 78 99 13 97) will run in excess of 250kr.

By bus The bus station is at the west end of the main harbourfront. Boreal services ( boreal.no) run to: Alta (1–2 daily except Sat; 11–13hr); Hammerfest (4 weekly; 10hr–12hr 30min); Karasjok (4 weekly; 5hr 20min–5hr 40min); and Vadsø (1–2 daily except Sat; 4hr 40min).

By boat Kirkenes is the northern terminus of the Hurtigruten, which arrives here at 10am and departs for points south at 12.45pm. Taking the boat also means that you can avoid the long haul back the way you came – and by the time you reach Kirkenes you’ll certainly be heartily sick of the E6. The Hurtigruten uses the quay just over 1km east of the town centre; a local bus shuttles between the two.

Tourist office Presteveien 1, roughly 400m east along Kirkegata from the bus station (June–Aug Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 10am–4pm; Sept–May Mon–Fri 10am–4pm;  78 99 80 11,  kirkenesinfo.no).

ACCOMMODATION

Kirkenes Snowhotel Andrevann  78 97 05 40,  kirkenessnowhotel.com. The adventurous set will jump at the chance to experience a night in this unique cosy overnight spot. Rooms, built out of ice and snow, are kept at –5°C and for shuteye, guests jump into expedition-strength, subzero Ajungilak sleeping bags, then lie down on a furry cut of reindeer hide. Set in the Gabba Reindeer Park a few kilometres south of town, so Rudolf is just steps away. Also an excellent place to catch the northern lights. Open mid-Dec to mid-April. Price includes transfer and half-board. 4700kr

Rica Arctic Kongensgate 1  78 99 59 00,  rica.no. It’s a chain all right, but all the way up here who can afford to be picky? The eighty well-appointed rooms occupy a smart modern block in the centre near the town square. Swimming pool and sauna to boot. The restaurant is one of the best in town. 1125kr

Thon Hotel Kirkenes Johan Knudtzens gate 11  78 97 10 50,  thonhotels.com. Opened in 2010, this 144-room spot is set on the fjord in the centre of town. Rooms are thankfully very modern, with some real class and flair to them, making it the best – as well as largest – place to stay in town. Free wi-fi. 995kr

EATING

Gapahuken Sollia Gjestegård  78 99 08 20,  storskog.no. Set about 10km from town close to the Russian border, this excellent rustic Norwegian restaurant actually looks right into Mother Russia. The whale steak and king crab come highly recommended. They also rent out cabins (from 1050kr) and double rooms (from 900kr). Outside of summer you must reserve a table one day in advance. Mid-June to Aug Tues–Sat 3–10pm, Sun 3–7pm, closed Mon.

Thon Hotel Kirkenes Johan Knudtzens gate 11  78 97 10 50,  thonhotels.com. The town’s newest restaurant addition, often going by the name of 69 North, is this competent take on Nordic cuisine. The menu is dominated by local fish and shellfish, with dishes priced at around 200kr/main. In the warmer months, get a seat on the terrace right by the fjord’s waterfront. Mon–Sat 11am–4pm & 5–10pm, Sun 4–10pm.

CROSSING INTO RUSSIA

From Kirkenes, it’s just 16km southeast along the E105 to Storskog, Norway’s only official border crossing point with Russia. You can take photographs of the frontier, provided you don’t snap any Russian personnel or military installations – which rather limits the options as there’s little else to see. The crossing is busy for much of the year, but it’s not open for casual day-trippers; in any case, the only convenient settlement nearby is the ugly and heavily sullied Russian mining town of Nikel, around 40km further to the south, from where you can – extraordinarily enough – travel by train all the way to Vladivostok. Several Kirkenes travel agents organize day- and weekend tours into Russia, the most worthwhile being those to the Arctic port of Murmansk. The trips include both a visa and the fee for the invitation you need to acquire said visa (500kr for one day, 675kr for three), which the agents can arrange in a few hours once they have your passport, a completed visa application form, an extra passport photo and the money; if you do it on your own, reckon on at least one week, possibly two or three. Among these travel agents, Pasvikturist, in the centre at Dr. Wesselsgate 9 ( 78 99 50 80,  pasvikturist.no), is as good as any. They have details of trips to Murmansk, both one-night (2900kr per person) and weekend (3200kr) excursions – a return bus trip alone will run you 600kr (or 1750kr in a taxi, which seats three passengers). Incidentally, there is a Russian consulate in Kirkenes, at Arbeidergata 6 ( 78 99 37 37,  www.kirkenes.mid.ru), but they will not shortcut the visa process, which costs 315kr (excluding invitation) and can take between 5 and 10 days. If a Russian jaunt proves impossible, you’ll have to be content with the reflection that if you have made it to Kirkenes and the border, you are further east than Istanbul and as far north as Alaska.

Øvre Pasvik Nasjonalpark

Hidden away some 120km south of Kirkenes, where the borders of Norway, Finland and Russia intersect, is a ten-by-nine-kilometre parcel of wilderness that comprises the Øvre Pasvik Nasjonalpark, a western offshoot of the Siberian taiga. The park’s subarctic pine forest covers a series of low-lying hills that make up about half the total area, and below lie swamps, marshes and lakes. Wolverines and bears live in the forest, and there are also traces of the prehistoric Komsa culture, notably the vague remains of pit-traps beside Lake Ødevatn. The Kirkenes tourist office has details of guided tours to the park, which are useful as you have to be something of a wilderness-hiker-cum-survivalist expert to delve into the park under your own steam. The absence of natural landmarks makes it easy to get lost, especially as there are no marked footpaths, nor is there any map that can be relied upon.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ØVRE PASVIK NASJONALPARK

By car If you have your own vehicle (there’s no public transport), then drive south from Kirkenes for about 100km along Highway 885 through the pine forests of the Pasvik river valley as far as Vaggatem. Turn off the main road 1.5km or so further on and then follow the 9km rough forest road south to a lake, Sortbrysttjern (Sortabaetluobbal), from where a footpath takes you into the park at another lake, Ellenvatnet.

ACCOMMODATION

Øvre Pasvik Café and Camping  78 99 55 30,  pasvik-cafe.no. Located in Vaggatem along the eastern side of Highway 885, this year-round spot offers ten simple wooden huts. All have fridge and cooking facilities, and they also rent out bicycles and small boats. Cabins 500kr

< Back to North Norway

Svalbard

The 62,500-square-kilometre Svalbard archipelago is one of the most hostile places on earth. Some 836km north of the Norwegian mainland – and just 1308km from the North Pole – two-thirds of its surface is covered by glaciers, the soil frozen to a depth of up to 500m. Despite the hardships such topography engenders, there are convincing reasons to make a trip. For one, Svalbard’s hinterlands make it a devastatingly gorgeous place to visit – whether in summer, autumn or spring when a magical light engulfs a Bergmanesque landscape and the Arctic opens itself up to curious visitors (during winter Svalbard is unconscionably dark). Experiences up here can be otherworldly: hiking a permafrost landscape strewn with antlers and whalebones; donning a massive orange drysuit to float around in icy waters; and dining at a snowy beach on campfire-cooked ox gruel and fjord-chilled champagne. It’s not your average place to visit – this is a land where there are double as many polar bears as people – and is a once-in-a-lifetime destination if ever there was one.

  Weather-wise, things are actually much better than you might expect. The warming Gulf Stream helps keep the coastal waters of this Arctic desert largely ice-free and navigable for much of the year – though the main fjords do tend to freeze over for several months of the winter – and the land is oddly fertile. Between late April and late August there’s continuous daylight and, with temperatures bobbing up into the high teens, the snow has all but disappeared by July, leaving the valleys covered in wild flowers. And then there’s the wildlife, an abundance of Arctic fauna, including over a hundred species of migratory birds, arctic foxes, polar bears and reindeer on land, and seals, walruses and whales offshore. In winter, it’s a slighly different story: the polar night, during which the sun remains a full 8° below the horizon, lasts from late October to mid-February. The average temperature in February, Svalbard’s coldest month, is -16.2°C, though this has plummeted to a staggering record low of -46°C – and that’s not counting wind-chill.

Brief history

Though the landscape of Svalbard is mentioned in a twelfth-century Icelandic saga, suggesting that the Vikings made it up here several centuries previously, the first recorded discovery of Svalbard’s ice shards was by Dutch explorer Willem Barents on June 17, 1596. It was the third year in a row that Barents had come in search of the Northeast Passage, and when his Dutch crew saw the icy peaks of Svalbard (whose modern name for which derives from the Old Norse for “land with the cold coast”, they actually believed they had arrived at part of Greenland. After a protracted maritime battle with a polar bear, Barents was forced to winter at Bjørnøya just south of the main island, and later died sailing towards the Russian Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya. A decade later, an English ship landed to hunt walrus, followed by French and Danish whalers, Russian polar bear and fox trappers and, at the beginning of the twentieth century, coal miners from all over the place.

  Even today, the mythology of early European exploration informs everyday life here, with place names that read like an encyclopedia of imperial Arctic discoverers and explorers. Aside from the Barents Sea, there is Taylorfjellet, a mountain recalling the Victorian editor of The Scottish Geographical Magazine, W.A. Taylor; Murraypynten, a cape named after Scottish oceanographer Sir John Murray; and a group of islands named after sixteenth-century merchant and adventurer Thomas Smythe.

  After rich coal deposits were discovered in 1899 – the geological residue of a prehistoric tropical forest – the first coal mine was opened by an American seven years later and passed into Norwegian hands in 1916. Meanwhile, other countries, particularly Russia and Sweden, were getting into the coal-mining act, and when, in 1920, Norway’s sovereignty over the archipelago was ratified by international treaty, it was on condition that those other countries who were operating mines could continue to do so. It was also agreed that the islands would be a demilitarized zone, which made them, incidentally, sitting ducks for a German squadron, which arrived here to bombard the Norwegian coal mines during World War II. Today though, only two of the collieries are still in operation – generating enough energy to run Longyearbyen’s power station – and Svalbard’s role is now primarily as an outpost for Arctic research and a place where tourists come to experience life at the end of the world.

GLOBAL SEED VAULT

Svalbard is home to the Global Seed Vault, a “doomsday” bank built in 2008 that stores seeds from thousands of crop varieties and their botanical wild relatives from all over the world. The current total number of seed samples numbers some 250 million (representing 500,000 different varieties), including members of one-third of the world’s most important varieties of food crops. The vault is most commonly used in the event that any of the world’s thousand-plus collections of diverse crops accidentally lose or destroy samples – not an infrequent occurrence. The structure is about as impervious to an end-of-the-world catastrophe as possible, constructed some 120m inside a sandstone mountain and 130m above sea level, which ensures the site will stay dry even in the event that all the icecaps melt. Seeds are kept in specially constructed four-ply packets and heat-sealed to exclude moisture. For obvious reasons, the vault is closed to visitors unable to prove some specific scientific purpose.

Spitsbergen

The main island of the Svalbard archipelago, Spitsbergen, is the only one with the facilities that make it possible to visit. It is also the only island that is permanently inhabited, with five settlements in total – three Norwegian, one Russian and one Polish – and a total population of roughly 2000. Spitsbergen (“pointed mountains”) was named by Willem Barents in 1596, though the appellation was first applied to both the main island and the archipelago as a whole – and in fact Svalbard continues to be known as Spitsbergen in most countries around the world.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SPITSBERGEN

By air The simplest way by a long shot to reach Svalbard is to fly to the archipelago’s airport at Longyearbyen, on Spitsbergen. SAS operates direct services there from Tromsø and Oslo Gardermoen. A return ticket on the Tromsø–Longyearbyen flight (1hr 40min) without restrictions is a steep 4500kr, though special deals are commonplace, reducing this to 2500–3500kr. Don’t count on any of the budget airlines getting a toehold on the Svalbard routes though. Before you book your flight, you’ll need to reserve accommodation in Longyearbyen and – unless you’re happy to be stuck in your lodgings – you’d be well advised to pre-book any guided excursions you fancy too.

GETTING AROUND

There are no road connections between any of Svalbard’s settlements – snowmobiles, boats and aircraft are the only modes of transport – though there are 43km of road in and around Longyearbyen. Public transport is limited to the airport bus, occasional cargo ships from Longyearbyen to both Barentsburg and Ny Ålesund, and a light-aircraft service from Longyearbyen to Ny Ålesund, though government employees and researchers take priority on these flights.

Longyearbyen

With just over two thousand year-round inhabitants, the only Norwegian settlement of any size up here is LONGYEARBYEN, a comparatively desolate spot that huddles on the narrow coastal plain below the mountains and beside the Adventfjorden, a small bay on the southern side of the Isfjorden, roughly in the middle of the island. It was founded in 1906, when John Munroe Longyear, an American mine-owner, established the Arctic Coal Company here.

  From most angles, Longyearbyen is an altogether ramshackle sort of place hunkered and bunkered down against the blast of winter. Strewn about with large containers, transport vehicles and building machinery, it resembles something of a junkyard construction site. The few buildings that pass for the town centre are located about 500m in from the fjord just to the east of the Longyearelva River. Longyearbyen is, however, well equipped with services, including shops, cafés, a post office, bank, swimming pool, several tour companies, a campsite, a couple of guesthouses and half a dozen hotels, though advance reservations are essential for all accommodation.

Svalbard Museum

Daily: March–Sept 10am–5pm; Oct–Feb noon–5pm • 75kr •  svalbardmuseum.no

This vast, newly created space in the town centre is one of northern Norway’s best museums. A massive polar bear looms over displays of ethnographic artefacts, documents and dioramas, while there are several multimedia presentations on the history of the region – and some of the issues it is currently facing. It’s definitely worth at least an hour of your time before or after exploring the back of beyond outside of town, and has a great gift shop too selling maps and a large selection of Arctic-related books.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: LONGYEARBYEN

Longyearbyen airport The airport is 5km west of the town centre and the airport bus links the two, its schedule coinciding with flight arrivals and departures.

Tourist office Inside the Svalbard Museum (Daily: May–Sept 10am–5pm; Oct–April noon–5pm;  79 02 55 50,  svalbard.net). The tourist office has information on a wide range of day-long and multi-day excursions available, as well as cultural events such as concerts, art exhibitions and films on in town.

Listings Icepeople ( icepeople.net) is a weekly printed and online English-language news and society publication produced every Tues in Longyearbyen.

Internet You can get free internet access at the Lompensentret (book on  79 02 23 70).

SVALBARD TOURS

Guided tours are big business on Svalbard and you can choose anything from hiking and snowmobiling through to kayaking, ice-caving, dog-sledging, Zodiac boat trips and wildlife safaris, not to mention trips into a former coal mine and stays on a converted Dutch schooner moored in the polar ice. The winter season runs from December to late May, while June to November is the season for “summer” activities. Your first point of contact should be Longyearbyen’s official tourist office, Svalbard Tourism, which presents a fairly thorough overview of everything you can do on the island. Next, select a tour operator – some of the best ones are listed here; prices tend to not vary too much. Note that in addition to the tours mentioned here, most of the operators run day-trips to Barentsburg by snowmobile or Zodiac, and some do overnight trips as well, with a stay in the hotel.

  You can, of course, book a whole holiday with an operator back home or even take pot luck when you get there, but be warned that wilderness excursions are often fully booked weeks in advance. And finally, note that if you are determined to strike out into the wilderness independently, you first have to seek permission from, and log your itinerary with, the governor’s office, Sysselmannen på Svalbard, Postboks 633, N-9171 Longyearbyen ( 79 02 43 00,  sysselmannen.no) – and they will certainly require you to carry some form of weapon.

LOCAL TOUR OPERATORS

Basecamp Spitsbergen  79 02 46 00,  basecampspitsbergen.com. Svalbard’s most innovative adventure company, whose offerings include an evening snowshoe trip to see the northern lights (590kr), a three-day dog-sledding trip out to a century-old Dutch schooner (now an atmospheric floating hotel) moored in the ice (15,900kr) and five-day skiing expedition to the glacial peaks of Oscar II Land (12,900kr). Also operates the boutique Isfjord Radio guesthouse several hours southwest of Longyearbyen.

Poli Arctici  79 02 17 05,  poliarctici.com. Run by an affable Italian outdoorsman, this smallish specialist operator is one of the best in town, offering snowmobiling, boating and hiking tours from 690kr. They also rent out small apartments in Longyearbyen, and have a cottage out at Van Mijenfjorden, some 65km away, that’s available for stays during the winter.

Spitsbergen Travel  79 02 61 00,  spitsbergentravel.no. One of Svalbard’s largest outfitters, they run hotels, restaurants, safaris and can even rent out weapons and clothing. Their amazing four-day summer cross-country ski expedition (9700kr) heads out to the north of Spitsbergen, passing through Ny Ålesund.

Svalbard Husky  98 87 16 21,  svalbardhusky.no. A solid dog-sledding group with around 50 huskies based about 10min outside of Longyearbyen in Adventdalen. A 4hr winter husky tour costs from 1090kr. In the warmer months, the dogs pull sledges outfitted with wheels (790kr).

Svalbard Maxi Taxi  79 02 13 05,  taxiguiden.no. This local taxi company offers informative guided tours twice daily of Longyearbyen (275kr per person), which take in the Global Seed Vault, Adventdalen coal mine and Longyearbyen church, among other sights.

Svalbard Snøscooterutleie  79 02 46 61,  scooterutleie.net. Manned by a gang of consummate Norwegian adventurers and maintaining scores of vehicles, this is one of your best options for snowmobiling adventures. A 3hr journey through the polar night starts at 1350kr; an 8hr day-trip to Barentsburg costs from 2050kr.

Terra Polaris  79 02 10 68,  www.terrapolaris.com. One of the most hard-core of Svalbard’s adventure companies, this place specializes in extended journeys out to some of the archipelago’s more remote spots. Pick from a skiing expedition to Newtontoppen and Atomfjella (15 days; 22,500kr), a tour of Spitsbergen and eastern Greenland (13 days; €4500), or a visit to Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya by Russian ice breaker (12 days; 45,000kr), among many other journeys. Owned by Svalbard expert and guidebook author Andreas Umbreit.

ACCOMMODATION

 Basecamp Trapper’s Hotel  79 02 46 00,  basecampspitsbergen.com. Possibly the most classically “Arctic” of Longyearbyen’s places to stay is this sort of enlarged mock-up of a trapper’s cabin, complete with sealskins and a sauna and mostly made from old, recycled lumber; it all feels vaguely kitsch and put-on but great fun all the same – and very convivial. Be sure to visit the upstairs “Cognac attic”, where you can sip on an ultra-pricey drink as you gaze out to the mountains from the glass roof. 1050kr

Longyearbyen Camping  79 02 14 44,  www.longyearbyen-camping.com. While probably not your first choice as a camping destination – for one thing, it’s about an hour’s walk from town – this 30,000-square-metre tundra coastal plain out by the airport is likely to be the most remote spot you’ve ever pitched a tent. And if you’re brave you can get an official campsite-issued “Longyearbyen Camping Arctic Naked-bathing Certificate”, provided someone has seen you do the dirty deed. Open March–Sept. Tents 100kr, doubles 300kr

Mary Ann’s Polarrigg  79 02 37 02,  polarriggen.com. Set a few minutes drive from town and looking right onto the Hjorthfjellet mountain face, “The Rig” opened its doors several decades ago as a small wooden barracks for local labourers. The three buildings have since been converted and done up in Arctic ephemera that is vaguely evocative of what Svalbard was probably like for the miners and trappers who came here a century ago – give or take the restorative on-site Thai spa. The 41 atmospheric rooms feature exposed beams and rustic amenities, there’s a comfy lounge filled with books and curiosities, and the great Thai-inspired restaurant also serves cod tongue, whale tartare and steak of seal – though the beef stew is a real winner too. 895kr

Radisson BLU Polar Hotel  79 02 34 50,  radissonblu.com. This modern chalet-like affair has nearly a hundred rooms decorated in fairly standard Nordic chain style, the pick of which have views over to the Isfjorden. The hotel is a few minutes’ walk from the tourist office. 1610kr

Svalbard Hotel  79 02 46 60,  svalbardbooking.com. Longyearbyen’s newest hotel, opened in 2011, is this sleek, modern and surprisingly soulful wall-to-wall carpeted spot just at the top of the town’s main road. The seventeen rooms here have bright and spiffy modern decor, and many feature wall-sized Arctic photographs (of a polar bear, for instance). 1190kr

 Spitsbergen Hotel  79 02 62 00,  spitsbergentravel.no. Once housing the CEOs and technical engineers of local mining companies and also known as “Funken”, this is the settlement’s best mid-level hotel. The 88 rooms offer some classical, nauticalesque atmosphere – rich exposed wood floors, gold-plated fixtures – and it holds a small library, a sauna and an excellent on-site restaurant, Funktionærmessen. Located a 10min walk from the town centre on a small ridge. Excellent bargain. 790kr

EATING AND DRINKING

CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS

Brasseri Nansen Radisson BLU Polar Hotel  79 02 34 50,  radissonblu.com. A good bet for a proper sit-down meal, serving all manner of Arctic specialities from char to reindeer, seal and (like it or not) whale. Burgers and salads start at 113kr, though more local dishes such as the Barents Sea spotted catfish with garlic bok choy, cassava root and king crab wonton of shellfish sauce (247kr), are better. Go for a window table, with great views out to the fjord. The attached, often rowdy bar, Barentz, is the place to head in town for a last-ditch pull at 2am. Daily noon–10.30pm.

Classic Pizza Sentrum Lompensentret. This simple snack spot serves good burgers (79kr) and better kebabs (99kr). It tends to get the most activity well after midnight, especially when the town’s three bars let out. Sun–Thurs 3pm–3am, Fri & Sat 3pm–5am.

Fruene Kaffe & Vinbar Lompensentret  79 02 76 40. This buzzy café has friendly staff and tends to really pack out for lunch. In addition to soups, sandwiches (around 150kr) and great cinnamon buns (25kr), they serve twelve flavours of ice cream in case you happen to need a shot of cold. Daily 10am–5pm.

 Huset  79 02 25 00,  huset.com. Located on the west side of the river at the southern end of town, this outstanding white-tablecloth restaurant specializes in Arctic dishes with main courses at around 250kr, much less if you eat at the attached bar. The difference is the management, the head of whom trained with Gordon Ramsay and it shows: staff have never been more deferential. After hours the place turns into Svalbard’s closest approximation to a disco – though the dancing here tends to be pretty low-key. Restaurant daily 7pm–midnight; bar Sun–Fri 4pm–midnight, Sat 2pm–midnight; nightclub 11pm–3am.

Kroa  79 02 13 00,  kroa-svalbard.no. Built out of the remains of a dilapidated Russian coal mine, this rivals Huset in terms of food quality and choice, and the decor is unbeatable for end-of-the-world rustic charm. The sizeable dishes tend towards the ”continental” – the seal and whale being two of the few exceptions. Daily 11.30am–2am.

BARS

 Karls-Berger Pub Lompensentret  79 02 25 11. Set into a cosy (and often cramped) wooded room, this is Longyearbyen’s most atmospheric place to get sauced and chat up a local. While they don’t serve draught beers, what they do offer is an astounding 1000 bottles of different whiskies and other top- and bottom-shelf spirits – a 1908 Armagnac, for example, or a Cognac from 1802 (you don’t even want to know how much). Six shots of whatever the drink of the day is – more often Jägermeister or something of equal shelf weight – will cost you 219kr. Sun–Fri 5pm–2am, Sat 3pm–2am.

Svalbar  79 02 50 00,  svalbar.no. With a Les Paul signed by four members of Mõtley Crüe and enough Drakkar Noir-wearing Norwegians to film a school reunion reality show, this spacious bar, filled with large vinyl couches, is your best bet for authentic local colour after hours. Also the place to play pool or darts, or catch the football. Carlsberg on draught (44kr), and great burgers too. Mon–Fri 10am–2am, Sat & Sun noon–2am.

SHOPPING

Lompensentret The local indoor mall features a dozen-odd shops and cafés, including Gullgruva, which sells various gold and silver jewellery, silverware and souvenirs. You’ll also find a pharmacy and the local library here, the latter offering a great selection of polar-related titles. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm; library Mon–Thurs 9am–9pm, Fri 9am–6.30pm, Sat 9.45am–5.30pm.

Norwegian Polar Institute  79 02 26 00,  npolar.no. Inside the same building as the museum and the governor’s office, this place sells a very good collection of topographical and touring maps, as well as handbooks on the Arctic. Mon–Fri 8.30am–4pm.

Svalbardbutikken  svalbardbutikken.no. Also known as Coop Svalbard, this large modern supermarket in the centre of town sells almost any food product you’d find elsewhere in Norway – including freshly baked goods – as well as a good selection of souvenirs. More crucially, though, it contains the only liquor store in town – a popular stop given Svalbard’s exemption from Norway’s exceedingly high taxes on alcohol. Be sure to bring your airline ticket to prove that you’re a visitor. Supermarket Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 3–6pm; liquor store Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm.

TO BEAR ARMS

As the world’s most northerly settled land, Svalbard easily lends itself to notching up your bedpost with geographic superlatives: most northerly kebab; most northerly naff souvenir shop; most northerly place in the world where you can walk around in a hoodie and carry a gun without ever getting a second look from your neighbour. Island law requires everyone of age to carry a firearm anywhere outside of Longyearbyen – most residents travel with a Ruger .30 rifle – as well as a “shocking device”, a signal pistol or suchlike, to ward off polar bears. Firearms can be rented from, among other places, Ingeniør G. Paulsen ( 79 02 32 00) in town, though you’ll need to either show documentation that you have permission to possess a firearm in your home country or apply for a licence with the governor (see Svalbard tours).

  These regulations are a constant reminder that somewhere out there lurks Ursus maritimus, the common, hungry polar bear. Polar bear attacks up here, while not commonplace, tend to get plenty of press in the international media, which often serves to tarnish Svalbard’s good name for a while and result in a few cancelled holiday plans. In 2011, a British teenager was tragically mauled to death and four others injured when a polar bear entered their tent during an expedition sponsored in part by the Royal Geographical Society. Though there have been just five fatal bear attacks on humans since 1971, thirteen bears were shot to death between 2001 and 2011. The root cause of all these deaths – both human and ursine – isn’t carelessness, though: it’s global warming. As the sea ice retreats, the bears, who more commonly hunt seals, are forced to unaccustomedly look inland for sustenance, even targeting such unlikely food sources as the eggs of barnacle geese. As food and proper hunting grounds dwindle, interactions between polar bears and humans are likely to increase, particularly as out of the estimated 3500 polar bears that comprise the Barents Sea population roughly half live on or around Spitsbergen.

Around the island

Outside of Longyearbyen you will need your own transport and guide – in almost all cases this will need to be organized by a local operator. Of the areas covered here, Isfjorden, Barentsberg and to a lesser extent, Pyramiden are the only places with any accommodation to speak of for travellers.

Isfjorden

Extending west from Longyearbyen into the Arctic Sea, the Isfjorden is Svalbard’s second longest fjord, and is one of the most common places to head out on organized overland (or water-based) excursions not least as a large chunk is preserved in the Nordre Isfjorden Nasjonalpark. Visits include crossings to Trygghamna, a quiet, snowy pocket of the fjord that attracted Basque and English whalers during the sixteenth century. Another option is out to the bird cliffs of Alkhornet, where the umber land undulates in tussocky patches of arctic poppy, polar willow and saxifrage – flora that take advantage of the long periods of midnight sun to compensate for the polar nights. Here you’ll encounter thousands of squawking Brünnich guillemots, fulmars and petrels breaking the Arctic silence high above. The best spot to base yourself for any of these excursions is Basecamp Spitsbergen’s Isfjord Radio.

ARCTIC POSH: ISFJORD RADIO

At Cape Linne on the Isfjord’s southernmost tip is a tiny settlement that has been retrofitted over the past several years into one of Svalbard’s premier adventure destinations, Loomed over today by a massive radio tower and a dilapidated satellite dish, the cape’s Isfjord Radio Station was established in 1933 as the sole telecommunications link between Svalbard and the Norwegian mainland. When underwater fibre optics laid seventy years later outmoded the station overnight, Norwegian adventure company Basecamp Spitsbergen ( 79 02 46 00,  basecampspitsbergen.com; inclusive stays from 7300kr per person) stepped in and re-envisioned the settlement’s half-dozen buildings as a remote, rustic-chic base for explorations into the Arctic wilderness. The 23 swish, blue-grey rooms are done up with exposed wood, large comfy beds, goatskin blankets and driftwood sculptures, with high-powered binoculars that await you at the window sills (the station looks out onto a protected bird area).

Barentsburg

The only Russian settlement is the flatlining coal-mining township of Barentsburg, a community sold by Norway to Russia in 1932. Today, some 300 Russian and Ukrainian residents eke out a living in coal-mining and cling onto the (not entirely unfounded) hope that one day oil will be found up here. It can be a dire and bleak place, with street lamps lit by coal fire, no small amount of rusty scrap iron and the odd sauced Russian staggering down the street at midday. There isn’t a whole heck of a lot to do in town, beyond visiting the ageing Soviet sports hall and its filthy swimming pool, or the chapel just opposite, built following a tragic 1996 plane crash in Longyearbyen in which 141 Russians were killed – but the staff at the Barentsburg Hotel will walk visitors around town on an English-language tour (80kr per person) for an hour or so.

  For logistical and transport reasons, visits to Barentsburg should always be arranged as part of an excursion (see Svalbard tours). Note that Norwegian kroner, US dollars and euros are accepted for payment on Barentsburg, but not UK pound sterling.

ACCOMMODATION: BARENTSBURG

Barentsburg Hotel  79 02 18 14 or  95 30 68 86. The die-hard can stay overnight in a simple, wood-panelled room at this Soviet-era hotel, which has just come out of a thorough renovation, bringing most of the place up to “modern” European standard. There is a large restaurant serving, in addition to traditional Russian meat-and-potatoes meals, Russian vodka. A small gift shop on the first floor sells not-overpriced Russian and Soviet-era paraphernalia such as matryoshka dolls and military hats. 600kr

Pyramiden

A second Russian mining settlement, Pyramiden, to the north of Longyearbyen, was abandoned in 2001 when the coal seams ran out – it has the distinct feel of a ghost town where everyone one day just up and left mid-sentence. Since then, there have been lengthy debates as to what to do with it – the establishment of an international science station seems the most popular option. A small handful of Russians are resident here, though this seems to be mostly so that the Russian state avoids forfeiting its claim on the land, which according to legislation must be returned to Norway if it goes uninhabited for ten years.

  In recent years, attempts have been made to stimulate tourism to Pyramiden – the Pyramiden Hotel, closed in 2000, may well reopen one day, but for now three containers have been set up as very basic accommodation. Excursions to Pyramiden can be combined with a visit to the impressive Nordenskiöld glacier.

Other settlements

Of Svalbard’s other Norwegian settlements, Ny Ålesund (25–120 inhabitants, depending on the season), located to the northwest of Longyearbyen, functioned as a mining town until an explosion in the 1960 resulted in its closure and reopening as a polar research centre. Sveagruva (or simply “Svea”), home to 300 shift workers, is 44km to the southeast, and comprises the largest of Svalbard’s two active mining centres, producing a whopping three million tonnes of mined coal every year. Hornsund, the Polish settlement, is the smallest of the five, comprising a research station with just a dozen or so scientists based there.

< Back to North Norway