Sør-Varanger Municipality

A border municipality in Norway's far northeast beside Russia and Finland, known for king crab trips, the northern lights, and Kirkenes, the Hurtigruten terminus.

Sør-Varanger lies at the easternmost tip of Finnmark county, bordering Russia and Finland, a remote frontier deep inside the Arctic Circle. The main town, Kirkenes, is the northern terminus of the Hurtigruten coastal voyage; in winter you can go king crab fishing, dog sledding, stay at a snow hotel and watch the northern lights, while summer brings the midnight sun, the primeval conifer forests of the Pasvik valley, hiking and birdwatching. The aurora season runs roughly Sep–Mar. You can fly to Kirkenes Airport (Kirkenes Lufthavn) from Oslo or Tromsø, or arrive by Hurtigruten ship.

Destinations

• Kirkenes

Itineraries

• Kirkenes Snowhotel & Coastal Cruise to Tromsø – Stay in a snow hotel and catch king crabs in the border town of Kirkenes, then cruise south to Tromsø.