Finnmark

Finnmark is Norway's coldest area, but temperatures vary over the county. The interior has a continental climate with winter temperatures down to -40°C/F (record -50°C), while summers can be warm. Karasjok for instance has an annual average at −2 °C (28 °F). The coast has chilly summers, and winters that are not so cold but windy (the open sea is ice free in winter). The town of Vardø has an Arctic climate, as even July has a monthly average at 9°C, like most of the outer coastline of Finnmark.

During summer there is a long period of midnight sun (24 hour sun) and vice versa there is a long period in winter during which the sun is below the horizon (polar night, skábma or mørketid, "dark period"). In Alta the polar night lasts from November 25 to January 17.

Finnmark was for centuries Norway's frontier. The very northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia was largely a common area without clear boundaries until 1826. Along with the Sami people and Norwegians there are also Kven people of Finnish origin in Finnmark. There have been close connections across the border to Finland and Russia. Trade with the Pomors of Russia even resulted in a local pidgin language that mixed elements of Russian and Norwegian, as well as words from English, French, Sami and other languages.

Finnmark was largely destroyed during World War II. The eastern part of Finnmark was on the front between Soviet Union and Germany; fierce fighting took place east of the small town of Kirkenes, which was subjected to more than 300 bombing raids. When the occupying forces retreated to Troms, they applied a scorched earth strategy, where virtually every home, church, factory, bridge and telegraph pole was destroyed. The population was relocated by force to Tromsø and further south. The result was a vast no-man's land about twice the size of Belgium (similar tactics were applied across the border in Northern Finland). Kirkenes and eastern Finnmark was liberated by the Soviet army 1944, the Soviets retreated in 1945. Some 20,000 residents refused to relocate and endured the winter in tunnels, caves and makeshift lodgings. The scorching and forced evacuation was the most traumatic event in Norway during the war and is widely regarded as a war crime. The burning is the most important single event in the history of Finnmark. The county was quickly rebuilt after the war; virtually no building older than 1945 exists.

Eastern Finnmark was liberated by Soviet troops in October 1944, the only part of Norway liberated by allied troops. During the cold war, Eastern Finnmark was NATO's frontier with the Soviet Union and the border line was strictly guarded by military border troops on both sides.

There are direct flights from Oslo to Alta (ALF ^IATA) and Kirkenes (KKN ^IATA) and in summertime also to Lakselv (LKL ^IATA), served by SAS or Norwegian.

Other airports are Båtsfjord (BJF ^IATA), Berlevåg, Hammerfest, Hasvik, Honningsvåg, Lakselv, Mehamn, Vadsø, Vardø. They are served by local flights from either Alta, Kirkenes or Tromsø (TOS ^IATA), operated by Widerøe.

There are (per 2015) no international flights.

• Eskelisen Lapin Linjat offers bus rides from Finland to Tana, Vadsø, Alta, and Nordkapp.
• Regional express buses from Tromsø to Alta, about 7 hours.

• Hurtigruten coastal ships, daily departures

• From Norway: The E6, from South Norway this is a longer but more scenic road than E4.
• From South Norway through Sweden and Finland
  • E4 is fastest also from Oslo. A suggestion is to drive E6, 3, 25, 311 past Trysil and Särna, then 314, 83 and E14 past Sveg and Ånge to Sundsvall and the E4. A longer but better road is E16 to Gävle.
• From Sweden and through Finland
  • Fastest from south Sweden to Alta: E4 to Luleå, then E10 and 392 and 403 past Pajala to the border to Finland, then E8 and road 93.
  • Fastest from south Sweden to Kirkenes: E4 to Kemi (in Finland), then E75 and road 971.
• Finnish highway 4 (E75) stretches from Helsinki up to the "head" of Finland from where you can continue to west to Karasjok, north-west to Lakselv, north to Tana or east to Kirkenes. Helsinki itself is connected by ferry from Tallinn, Travemünde and Stockholm. E8 runs along the west coast, joining E4 for a short stretch and continues to Troms. E8 is useful for getting to Finnmarksvidda via Hetta.
• European route 105 (E105) enters from Russia at Storskog border crossing 15 km east of Kirkenes. This is the only overland crossing between Norway and Russia. Crossing by vehicle only, no pedestrians nor cyclists (as of January 2016). Note: The Russian border is an outer border of Schengen.

Airports are Alta, Båtsfjord, Berlevåg, Hammerfest, Hasvik, Honningsvåg, Kirkenes, Lakselv, Mehamn, Vadsø, Vardø. Check widerøe.no. Most flights go from Alta, Hammerfest, Kirkenes and Vadsø, but it is possible to fly between other airports as most flights make middle landings.

Search snelandia.no for bus connections. Route planner is available. Distances are fairly long so they take long time, and the schedule is sparse.

• Hurtigruten
  • Most of the Hurtigruten ships allow a limited number of cars, which should be pre-booked. This allows visiting two peninsulas without driving the same way back.
• At some locations there are local express passenger boats. Search 177finnmark.no

For more information on driving, see the Driving in Norway article.

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. Weather can be rough, and in the interior extremely cold in winter – driving in winter is not for beginners.

Wide vehicles such as buses and motor homes might find several main roads narrow. Many fishing settlements are located on peninsulas with only one road connection there and back. Minor roads are often narrow and curvy.