Where to base yourself
Alta sentrum. The modern centre around the Northern Lights Cathedral, with the main hotels, a shopping street and restaurants. The best all-round base.
Bossekop and Hjemmeluft. The older western part of Alta, near the museum and the fjord, with smaller guesthouses.
The Alta valley. Lodges, glass igloos and the Igloo Hotel along the river south of town, set in dark forest that is ideal for aurora.
Hammerfest. A couple of harbour-front hotels a few minutes’ walk from the coastal-ship quay — convenient for one night.
Food & drink
Alta is salmon country: the river is famous among anglers, and smoked and cured salmon is on most menus, alongside reindeer from the plateau, cloudberries and king crab from the coast. Hammerfest lives on fish, and its harbour restaurants serve cod, halibut and stockfish. Sami dishes such as bidos, a reindeer stew, are served at camps and festivals. Expect Norwegian prices and limited late-evening options.
Money-saving and safety tips
- Stay in or near the valley if aurora is your priority; you can step outside your cabin instead of joining a tour every night.
- Inland cold is dry and deep. Cover your face, keep spare batteries warm and wear mittens rather than gloves.
- Winter admission to the Alta Museum is cheaper because the outdoor carvings are snowed under; the rock art itself is a summer sight.
- Combine travel: fly into Alta, continue by road or ship to Hammerfest and Honningsvåg, and fly out from there.
- Give reindeer on the road time and space, and never drive between a herd and its herders.
- The Finnmarksløpet sled-dog race fills Alta’s hotels in early March; book ahead or avoid that week.
Sample plans
Two winter days in Alta
- Alta Museum and the Northern Lights Cathedral by day
- Northern lights tour in the evening
- Dog sledding in the morning
- Dinner and the ice bar at the Igloo Hotel
A day in Hammerfest
- Museum of Reconstruction
- Polar Bear Society and the harbour
- Walk to the Meridian Column
- Zigzag path to the Salen viewpoint
Summer loop
- Rock art on the boardwalks in the morning
- Hike or boat towards Sautso canyon
- Drive to Hammerfest for the midnight sun
- Continue to North Cape
Alta & Hammerfest: where to stay
Alta’s main hotels stand in the modern centre near the cathedral; for aurora from the doorstep, look at lodges in the river valley. In Hammerfest, stay by the harbour.
