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Alta is the largest town in the county of Finnmark, in Northern Norway. Alta is the regional hub and has some 21,000 inhabitants (2022). The town is found at the inner or eastern end of Altafjorden. The town is the centre for Alta municipality (Norwegian: Alta kommune, Sámi: Álttá suohkan), which includes Altafjorden and adjacent fjords, islands and valleys. Alta is an entry point to the great Finnmarksvidda.
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A . Rock art is found in five separate areas in Alta, the largest and the one available to the public at Hjemmeluft/Jiepmaluokta, where Alta Museum is situated. In the summer season, groups are offered guided tours to the rock carvings. In the winter, the carvings are covered with snow, and not available to the public. They were made by hunters and fishers in the Late Stone Age/Early Metal Age, between 6200 and 2000 years ago.
A point on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc, around 250 m ASL, requires a few kilometres of hiking up the hill, at leat a few kilometres more along roads unless you drive to the parking.
Local organizer of Aurora Borealis hunting expeditions. Also offers: cross country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing and mountain biking guided tours.
Norwegian dog sledding company that offers dog sledding tours in northern Norway with Alaskan huskies.
Pizza.
This hostel is about 14 km from Alta, so it is hard to get to without a car. A public bus passes it once in the morning on the way to Alta, and there is one bus back in the afternoon.
Giftshop for the Alta Museum. Great selection of books and homewares from the region, and a decent selection of Sami handicrafts.
Unassuming luggage shop with a good selection of Sami knives and other Sami products inside, with prices slightly cheaper than the museum shop. Also stocks a wide selection of keyrings, magnets, trolls and other trinkets.
By car
Alta sits on E6 (Norway's main road) and E45 from Finland terminates in Alta centre.
By bus
Alta is not a large city, but distances inside it are larger than might be expected. E6 is 12 km long inside the densely populated area.
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Alta · Regional · ALF
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