The Hammerfest area stretches from Måsøy, near the North Cape, to Loppa in the south. The wide region includes the rugged coasts along the Arctic Sea. The regional capital, Hammerfest, often serves as a base for exploring the North Cape. Hammerfest was awarded town status already in 1789 making it the oldest town in northern Norway. It is now a modern coastal town with a compact centre and an urbane and continental atmosphere offering clean and wild nature, exciting history, coastal and inland heritage, open landscapes and not least open people!
Hammerfest also offers a varied and exciting range of adventures, sights and activities including sport and commercial fishing, both sea and freshwater, as well as scuba diving. The northernmost glacier on the Norwegian mainland is a popular hiking destination. The town is a popular starting point for northern tours. There is a daily boat to the spectacular North Cape (Nordkapp), northernmost point on the continent of Europe.
Things to See & Do
* Salen hill and tower
* Hammerfest Kirke (Church),
* Gjenreisningsmuseet museum
* Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society centre
General information
Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - Norwegian Krone (NOK)
Language - Norwegian
Land Area – Norway 324,220 sq km
Population – 10,000
Electricity – 2 pin Round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – +47
Port Location – The port of Hammerfest is located in the heart of Hammerfest.
Transport Links. During the summer there are three buses a week from Oslo to Hammerfest. Travel time is 29 hours. SAS has daily flights from Oslo and Bergen to Alta, where you can catch a bus to Hammerfest (Apr-Sept only). Hammerfest is connected to the main road network by route 94 which branches off from European route E6. The town is a port of call for the Hurtigruten ship route. Hammerfest also has Finnmark's third largest airport, Hammerfest Airport.