Things to do in Hammerfest
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Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society
Dedicated to preserving Hammerfest culture, the Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society features exhibits on Arctic hunting and local history and shares premises with the tourist office. The place is, it must be said, a bit of a come-on (the Norwegian name, Isbjørklubben, simply Polar Bear Club, lacks the portentousness of the English but is nearer the mark). For around NOK160, you can become a life member and get a certificate, ID card, sticker and pin.
For around NOK200, you also receive a schnapps glass and, as the demure young receptionist will explain without blanching, get dubbed with the bone from a walrus's penis. It's well worth that extra around NOK35 for the conve…
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Gallery
Local artist Eva Arnesen designed the Nobel Peace Prize diploma that was awarded to Jody Williams and the campaign to ban land mines. Her gallery is about 4km south of town, opposite the Statoil petrol station. Arnesen’s paintings evoke the colours of the region from the northern lights to the bright palette of summer. The handsome pair of carved and silvered polar bears on Rådhus Plass was fashioned by her husband, woodcarver Knut Arnesen.
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Church
Behind the altar of Hammerfest’s contemporary church, consecrated in 1961, the glorious stained-glass window positively glows in the summer sun. The wooden frieze along the organ gallery depicts highlights of the town’s history. The chapel in the cemetery across the street is the only building in town to have survived WWII.
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Hammerfest Kirke
Behind the altar of Hammerfest's contemporary Hammerfest Kirke, consecrated in 1961, the glorious stained-glass window positively glows in the summer sun. The wooden frieze along the organ gallery depicts highlights of the town's history. The chapel in the cemetery across the street is the only building in town to have survived WWII.
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Qa Spiseri
Run by a young team, this welcome recent addition to Hammerfest’s limited dining options offers reliable cuisine with a great price-to-quality ratio, whether you opt for a main course or one of its lunchtime snacks (Nkr90 to Nkr110). Whichever, save a cranny for a hunk of one of its mouthwatering homemade cakes.
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Kaikanten
An appealing café that serves light meals by day, the Quayside becomes a popular evening pub serving pizzas. Nautically themed (the backdrop to the bar represents old Hammerfest’s dockside, and sail canvases billow beneath the ceiling), it has a pool table and comfy sofas into which you sink deep.
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Energy House
The Energy House, a new interactive centre, explains natural gas extraction, which is bringing increasing wealth to Hammerfest, and also alternative energy sources such as wind and tidal power. Coincidentally, it’s on the site of northern Europe’s first hydropower station.
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Odd’s Mat & Vinhus
Drop downstairs to one of the finest restaurants in all Norway, offering dishes such as grouse steak, fillet of hare and salmon marinated in gin. Hanks of plaited rope are festooned from ceiling and windows, and there’s plenty of attractive dark woodwork. Reservations are all but essential.
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Salen Hill
For panoramic views over the town, coast and mountains (there's a free pair of binoculars for you to sweep the bay), climb 86m Salen Hill, topped by the Turistua restaurant, a couple of Sami turf huts and a lookout point. The 15-minute uphill trail begins at the small park behind the Rådhus.
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Reconstruction Museum
Hammerfest’s Reconstruction Museum recounts the forced evacuation and decimation of the town during the Nazi retreat in 1944; the hardships that its citizens endured through the following winter; and Hammerfest’s post-war reconstruction and regeneration.
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St Michaels Catholic Church
With a strong claim to be the world's most northerly catholic church, St Michaels Catholic Church, serving a congregation of barely 90 souls, is immediately recognisable by the striking mosaic of the eponymous saint that extends the length of its facade.
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Turistua
From atop Salen Hill, Turistua offers great views over the town and sound. The off-putting name is for a lady named Turi, though ‘turist’ buses often stop here too.
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Kafé RettVest
This bustling café sits a block from the coastal streamer's dock and serves lasagne, tortellini, reindeer and omelettes. It isn't pretty, but the crowds lend it a good feel.
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Redrum
Redrum, with its attractive contemporary décor, saves its energy for weekend wildness, when there’s regularly live music.
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Gjenreisningsmuseet
The small, well-done Gjenreisningsmuseet details the rebuilding of Hammerfest after WWII.
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Sandberg Bakery
Serving painfully good pastries and coffee, this town favourite will give you reason to return.
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Coop Supermarket
Self-caterers can find a big Coop supermarket just east of the town hall.
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Ellens Café
Upstairs from the Coop Supermarket, this is an unpretentious, inexpensive cafeteria.
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Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet, for wine and hooch, is within the Nissen Senter shopping complex.
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