RegionOutline guide

Finnmark

County in Northern Norway

Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Finnmark (Sami: Finnmárkku fylka) is Norway's northernmost county, well within the Arctic circle. It is the largest county in Norway by area (48,637 km²) but the smallest by number of inhabitants (75,540 in 2019). Finnmark is the northernmost part of mainland Europe, as well as the easternmost part of Norway.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By plane
There are direct flights from Oslo to Alta (ALF) and Kirkenes (KKN) and in summertime also to Lakselv (LKL), served by SAS or Norwegian.
By bus
By boat
By car

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Getting around

By bus
Search snelandia.no for bus connections. Route planner is available. Distances are fairly long so they take long time, and the schedule is sparse.
By boat
By car
The distances are fairly long but the main roads are generally of fairly good quality, and traffic is light. Do fill the tank in time, as the distance between tank stations might be long.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Lakselv Airport, Banak

Lakselv · Regional · LKL

Search stays near LKL

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Cities

E69

the world's northernmost highway and European route

Nordkapp

the northernmost point of Europe accessible by road

Varangerhalvøya National Park

the northernmost park of Norway proper

Read before you go to Finnmark

Articles and travel topics about Finnmark and Norway.

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Full travel guide

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Towns

UnderstandFinnmark covers an area about the size of countries like Slovakia, Switzerland or Denmark. From west to east it is almost 1,000 km, comparable to the distance from London to Edinburgh.

TalkNorwegian is spoken by all, but in parts of Finnmark Northern Sámi is the majority language and there is a Kven/Finnish speaking minority as well.

Get inFinnmark is located on the very north of the Fenno-Scandinavian landmass, just north of Finland. Overland transport is thus very time consuming from most places, including southern Scandinavia.

Get aroundAirports are Alta, Båtsfjord, Berlevåg, Hammerfest, Hasvik, Honningsvåg, Kirkenes, Lakselv, Mehamn, Vadsø, Vardø.no.

See

Stay safeThe distances are great and the climate is harsh, especially wintertime in the inland. Do not venture out in the wilderness without preparation and enough experience in your company.

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Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Finnmark" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Finnmark", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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