Norway-North Cape September 1-17, 2025 September 11

Today we will look at Honningsvåg and take a trip to Nordvågen.

In Honningsvåg, we watch the arrival of the Havila ship, look at the ship, and enjoy coffee with cinnamon rolls.

You can also ask for a guest card at the Hurtigruten ships to visit the ship, have coffee, just don't forget to leave the ship before departure time.

Honningsvåg has 2,255 inhabitants and is located in a bay on the southeast side of the large island Magerøya, while the famous North Cape and its visitor center are on the north side of the island. Honningsvåg is a port of call for the Hurtigruten Coastal Express and cruise ships, especially during the summer months. The ice-free sea (the southwestern part of the Barents Sea) offers rich fishing grounds, and tourism is also important for the town. Even at 71°N, there are many private gardens in Honningsvåg with trees, albeit rarely growing higher than 3 to 4 meters.

The famous dog Bamse, who became the mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during World War II, originated from Honningsvåg.

Nordvågen or Nordvaagen is a settlement in the municipality North Cape on the Norwegian island Magerøya in the province of Finnmark with an area of 0.22 km² and around 422 inhabitants. The settlement is located just like the North Cape and the main town of the island Honningsvåg, about 3 km to the west, at 71° North. Nordvågen has the largest fishing port on the island. The road connection between Honningsvåg and Nordvågen is now secured against avalanches and is passable year-round. To the south, the island Nordvågholmen lies in front of the place.

Numerous reindeer have their summer pastures above the settlement.

The ski lift located at the edge of the village in Lilledalen is considered the northernmost in Europe.

At the end of World War II, on November 11, 1944, this settlement, like all places on the island of Magerøya, was completely destroyed by the German Wehrmacht due to the scorched earth policy ordered by Adolf Hitler during Operation Northlight.

After the reconstruction of the village, a shrimp factory was operated in Nordvågen, employing up to 100 people, which was closed at the end of the 20th century.

We are also fortunate to observe the northern lights this evening.