Western Finnmark

Finnmark's wild northern coast is dotted with fishing villages and riven with grand fjords, while the vast interior is dominated by the broad Finnmarksvidda plateau, a stark wilderness. This is the home of Nordkapp, but also so much more, with Alta, Hammerfest and Honningsvåg providing gateways to some really stunning country.

Explore Western Finnmark

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Western Finnmark.

  • Museum

    Alta Museum

    This superb museum is in Hjemmeluft, at the western end of town. It features exhibits and displays on Sami culture, Finnmark military history, the Alta…

  • Church

    Northern Lights Cathedral

    Opened in 2013, the daringly designed Northern Lights Cathedral, next to the Scandic Hotel Alta, is one of the architectural icons of the north, with its…

  • Museum

    Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society

    Dedicated to preserving Hammerfest culture, the Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society (founded in 1963) features exhibits on Arctic hunting and local history…

  • Church

    Hammerfest Kirke

    The design of Hammerfest's contemporary church, consecrated in 1961, was inspired by the racks used for drying fish in the salty sea air all across…

  • National Park

    Stabbursdalen National Park

    No roads cross through the 747 sq km of Stabbursdalen National Park, which offers a spectacular glacial canyon and excellent hiking in the world's most…

  • Museum

    Stabbursnes Naturhus og Museum

    The Stabbursnes Naturhus og Museum serves both the Stabbursdalen National Park and Stabbursnes Nature Reserve. It sells field guides, maps and fishing…

  • Nature Reserve

    Stabbursnes Nature Reserve

    The Stabbursnes Nature Reserve extends over the wetlands and mudflats at the estuary of the Stabburselva. Birdwatchers come to observe the many species of…

  • Visitor Centre

    Nordkapp Visitor Centre

    Presiding over a scene of considerable natural beauty is this visitor centre, a vast bunker of a place, topped by a giant, intrusive golf ball. Within you…

  • Museum

    Gjenreisningsmuseet

    Hammerfest's Reconstruction Museum is a great little museum, with particularly thoughtful and sensitive panels and captions (each section has a synopsis…

  • Viewpoint

    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 Salen Hill (86m), topped by the…

  • Canyon

    Sautso-Alta Canyon

    The Altaelva hydroelectric project has had very little effect on the most scenic stretch of river, which slides through 400m-deep Sautso, northern Europe…

  • Gallery

    Gallery East of the Sun

    Call by the Gallery East of the Sun, which features the sinuous shapes, bright canvases and intriguing collages of German artist Eva Schmutterer.

  • Gallery

    Kulturbanken Galleri

    Local artist Eva Arnesen designed the Nobel Peace Prize diploma that was awarded to Jody Williams and the campaign to ban landmines. Arnesen's paintings…

  • Historic Site

    Meridian Monument

    On the Fuglenes peninsula, just across the harbour, is the Meridianstøtta, a marble column commemorating the first survey (1816–52) by Russian scientist…

  • Museum

    Tirpitz Museum

    Kåfjord's Tirpitz Museum, commemorating the German Tirpitz, once the world's largest battleship, is the achievement of local resident Even Blomkvist, who…

  • Museum

    Nordkapp Museum

    Honningsvåg's Nordkapp Museum, next to the Hurtigruten dock, illustrates the impact of early visitors to the cape, the hard days in the immediate…

  • Cultural Centre

    Arktisk Kulturhuset

    Hammerfest's newly minted Kulturhuset is worth a brief visit, simply to savour its striking architecture. Within, there's a theatre, a couple of cinemas…

  • Church

    Church

    This 19th-century church was the only building in town to survive the Nazis' scorched-earth retreat in 1944. For a time it was a communal dwelling until…

  • Statue

    Polar Bear Carvings

    This handsome pair of carved and silvered polar bears on Rådhus Plass were fashioned by woodcarver Knut Arnesen.

  • Statue

    Statue of Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm

    Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm was a Hammerfest-born cook who accompanied Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen (among others) and ended up travelling on more polar…