December 14-29, 2025 December 21

In the early morning, we arrive in Vadsø before heading to Kirkenes before noon.

Vadsø offers numerous opportunities for fishing, hunting, and hiking in an unspoiled, beautiful natural landscape. The town itself covers a small area, so the sights are not hard to find: The Vadsø Museum showcases the history of Finnish immigration and celebrates Finnish language and culture. Exhibits include remnants of fishing gear and two old townhouses that survived the almost total destruction of the town during the war. In the town center, there is the immigration monument by the Finnish sculptor Ensio Seppänen. The anchor mast of the airship “Norge,” which Roald Amundsen used in 1926 and Umberto Nobile in 1928 as part of their polar expeditions, is also located here.

The traditional main source of income is fishing. As early as the 16th century, Vadsø was a prominent fishing village. Today, Vadsø is the administrative center and capital of the province of Finnmark. The service industry is now more important than the primary industry. In the 16th century, the settlement of Vadsø consisted of a small fishing village and the old church of Vadsø, both located on the island of Vadsøya. Later, resettlement occurred to the mainland. Due to the Pomor trade, Vadsø developed into a major trading center and was granted town status in 1833. From 1866 to 1868, there was a famine in Finland and Northern Sweden. Soon after, settlers from both countries arrived in Vadsø. Finnish quickly became the language of the majority. Even today, Finnish is spoken in some households in Vadsø. Unlike most places in Finnmark, a number of old wooden houses survived the attacks in World War II. You can still see these in the town center.

We explore Kirkenes, admiring the beautifully decorated houses in the lovely snowfall. Kirkenes is the turning point of the Hurtigruten route, so after noon, we head back. In Vardø, we can already admire the Northern Lights in the early afternoon. Then we continue towards Batsfjord and Berlevåg, where we will enjoy another stunning display of Northern Lights into the night.