Nordkapp

🌍 Nordkapp is promoted as the northernmost point of mainland Europe, which is not exactly true. Nordkapp is on an island, Magerøya, and the neighbouring point 🌍 Knivskjellodden is actually 1,457 m (4780 ft) further north (on the same island). Nordkapp is however the northernmost point in Europe reachable by the international road network. Islands farther north, such as Novaya Zemlya, are far from the mainland. The northernmost point on the actual mainland (islands like Magerøya not included) is 🌍 Kinnarodden some 65 km to the east from Nordkapp (some 300 km by road), 25 km from the nearest village, Mehamn.

The midnight sun may be enjoyed 14 May–29 July, unless the night is cloudy.

Nordkapp – The North Cape, the North Cape Horn – has always been a well-known and important point of orientation for all boats and ships navigating the area. The rock has had a great variety of names and it was only in the mid 16th century that it was given the present name.

In 1553 an English commander, Richard Chancellor passed Nordkapp and named the cliff Nordkapp, the North Cape. From that time, it has been called Nordkapp. At that time it wasn't exactly the centre of interest. But only 100 years later, the first "tourist" was reported to have climbed up to the plateau. He was an Italian priest named Francesco Negri. It took him more than two years to go from Italy on foot, by boat, on horseback, on sleighs and on skis. In 1664, finally having reached his destination, he noted in his travel log: "Here I am now on the North cape, at the extreme tip of Finnmark, really at the end of the world"

In the 18th and 19th centuries, a journey to Nordkapp was still an adventure – and an expensive one at that. One needed to get a ship with crew or to arrange an expedition through hundreds of kilometres of wilderness. This is why there were quite a few high-ranking people among the first tourists: Prince Louise Phillippe of Orleans, Oscar the second, King of Norway and Sweden, King Chualalonkorn of Thailand. He got his name and date carved into a rock on the top of the plateau. This rock can be seen in the Panorama hall in front of the souvenir shop. And Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was here also.

In 1875, London Travel agent Thomas Cook organized the first group travel to Nordkapp for 24 participants. At that time travelling to Nordkapp was very different compared to how it is now. There was no road leading across the island to the plateau. Travellers were taken by rowing boat from Skarsvåg or Gjesvær to Hornvika, just below the north cape. From there they had to climb up the steep and rocky ravine, to reach heigh of plateau. The first modest wooden buildings started to appear on the plateau. One of those was the hut "Stoppenbrink's Champagne Pavilion.

In winter, the Nordkapp road is not open to ordinary traffic. Nordkapp is accessible only via a daily convoy headed by a snow plough. The day's convoy can be cancelled if there is severe weather. The visitor centre is open for approximately one and a half hours between the arrival of the convoy and its departure. Visitors have to return with the convoy.

In Honningsvåg city centre and in the North Cape area itself one can get around by foot. Practically all traffic from and to the North Cape goes through Honningsvåg, 34 km or half an hour to the south by car or bus. Travelers from Northern Europe usually arrive with their own cars or camper, and many travellers from countries further away buy a package which includes the transport to and from the North Cape.

If you've simply bought a flight ticket to Honningsvåg airport, or using public buses, the only way to get to the North Cape itself aside from hitchhiking or hiking (only for the most adventurous, and bring your own tent as there is no accommodation whatsoever on the cape itself) is taking a taxi, or the local bus 330 (www.177finnmark.no), which runs a few times per day in the summer and not at all in the winter.

Hurtigruten charters special buses going to North Cape. Tickets are bought onboard. The ship stays several hours in Honningsvåg so there is time for such a trip.

• Kirkeporten (Church gate) (A short walk from E69). A cliff with a hole trough, where the view towards Nordkapp can be enjoyed. 
• Nordkapphallen. 1 May-17 May: 11:00-15:00, 18 May-31 Aug: 11:00-01:00. A big hall carved out in the plateau, where the view can be enjoyed, acting as a visitor’s centre. Circular restaurant block with roof crowned with a white spherical telecommunications installation. At the centre there is a small ecumenical chapel dedicated to St. John. There are three large niches with displays by the Norwegian artist, puppeteer and film maker Ivo Caprino. Special North Cape Film is shown on a high definition panoramic screen, regularly. Adults: kr 235, students: kr 150, children: kr 80. 
• Nordkappmuseet, ☏ +47 48060465, nordkappmuseet@kystmuseene.no. 16 Aug-31 May: M-F 11:00-14:30. Telling the aspects of fishieries and everyday life, in the far north. Adults: kr 70, Seniors(65yrs): kr 60, Students: kr 50, Children(up to 17yrs): Free. (updated Feb 2022)

• Birdsafari, Gjesvær (21 km (13 mi) from the junction at E69). See seabirds like puffins, and the birds' mountain. 
• 🌍 Knivsjellodden (Starting point: at the parking space 7 km south of Nordkapp). Hike to Knivskjellodden, the northernmost point of mainland Norway: 1.5 km more to the north than Nordkapp and with a good view to there. The track is marked with red T's. The distance one way is 8 km (5 mi), and the hike takes an estimated two and a half hours, each way. The trail may be wet, bring good footgear. Since the weather is unstable at this high latitude, you should always tell somebody where you were going and what time they should start a search if you haven't returned. For safety, bring a GPS and mark a waypoint at the parking place and at other critical places, such as passages over wetland and brooks, and up steep hillsides. 

• Nordkapp Jul og Vinterhus, Skarsvåg, ☏ +47 78-47-52-89, fax: +47 78-47-36-48, post@julehuset.no. Christmas decoration and the Nordkapp Santa. 
• 🌍 Gallery West Of The Moon (Evart), Storgata 4A (2 min from the harbour, on the main street), ☏ +47 41-84-10-30, westofthemoon@evart.no. 10:30–16:00 daily for Hurtigruten in the winter. This gallery situated in the centre of Honningsvåg displays the work of Eva Schmutterer, an artist established in nearby Kamoyvaer. Her pictures of the North Cape island under every angle and every seasonal light make for a perfect souvenir of a trip to the North Cape. Many other decoratives available. (updated Jul 2018)

• Corner Café, ☏ +47 78476340, fax: +47 78476349, post@corner.no. 
• 🌍 NOR Food and Drinks (NOR Mat og Drikke), Holmen 6B, 9750 Honningsvåg, Norway (near roundabout on the harbor), ☏ +47 948 18 373. M–Sa 11:00–24:00 Su 15:00–21:00. Features wheelchair ramp for access. Owner: Kooperativet Nordkapp AS. (updated Oct 2021)

• 🌍 Sjøgata pub (Perleporten Kulturhus), Sjøgata 20 (in walking distance to the hotels in Honningsvåg.). In order to access the pub you have to use a stair leading up from street, or slightly less inclined stairs from the street above. This could pose accessibility issues. (updated Oct 2021)

You can get out the same way you got in; by road, boat or plane. If you've arrived by car you can continue with the Hurtigruten ship if you want some break from the driving. This allows you to visit another peninsula or island without driving the long way around the fjords.