from $275 Summer king crab safari by RIB with crab meal
Speed out on the fjord in a RIB, help haul the pots and sit down to as much freshly steamed king crab as you can eat.
Kirkenes: tours & tickets
King crab, huskies, the Snowhotel and the borderlands — most trips fit a coastal-ship call.
Our picks
Kirkenes: top tours & tickets
Kirkenes has a decent GetYourGuide range for a small town, most of it built around the Snowhotel site and the daily ship call. Review numbers are modest. King crab safaris are the signature experience and run all year, by snowmobile sled across the frozen fjord in winter and by boat in summer. Tours along the frontier are the sensible way to see it: guides know exactly where you may and may not walk and photograph.
from $275 from $364 Winter king crab fishing and crab meal
Travel by snowmobile-drawn sled on to the frozen fjord, pull crab pots up through a hole in the ice and eat the catch in a lakeside restaurant.
from $131 Sightseeing tour at the Norwegian–Russian border
A guided drive to viewpoints over the frontier and the Storskog crossing, with the history of the borderland explained. Very highly rated.
from $31 Snowhotel entrance ticket
Day admission to the Snowhotel’s ice-sculpted rooms and ice bar, with the husky yard and reindeer on the same site.
from $124 Guided Snowhotel 365 tour
A guided look inside the year-round snow hotel, with transport from town and time to meet the huskies.
from $361 Husky sledding tour
A ride behind a team of Alaskan huskies through the forest and across frozen lakes near the fjord.
from $246 Pasvik valley and national park visitor centre
A drive south into the narrow wedge of Norway between Russia and Finland, with a visit to the Øvre Pasvik National Park centre.
from $165 Vardø: whales and seabirds by RIB
A RIB trip from Vardø along the outer Varanger coast and round the bird island of Hornøya. Departs from Vardø, not Kirkenes.
Prices are indicative “from” prices in US dollars and ratings are as shown on GetYourGuide when we last checked; both change often.
GetYourGuide
Live availability in Kirkenes
Real-time tours and tickets from GetYourGuide for Kirkenes and its gateways.
Booking tips
- If you arrive on the coastal ship, check the tour’s start time against your port call; operators usually schedule around it.
- King crab portions are generous. Skip lunch beforehand.
- Winter temperatures here are colder than on the west coast of Finnmark — minus 15 to minus 25°C is common. Thermal suits are supplied on most tours.
- Carry your passport on border tours, and follow the guide’s instructions about photography.
- The Vardø seabird trip is three and a half hours’ drive from Kirkenes; book it only if you are travelling up the Varanger coast.
Destinations
Combine it with
Norway & Svalbard North Cape
A 307-metre cliff at 71° north where Europe’s road network ends and the Barents Sea begins — reached from the fishing port of Honningsvåg.
Norway & Svalbard Alta & Hammerfest
Finnmark’s two western towns: Alta for stable aurora weather, rock art and an ice hotel; Hammerfest for a harbour on the edge of the Barents Sea.
The Pole & Russia Russian Arctic
Half of the Arctic Ocean’s coastline, from Murmansk to Wrangel Island — described here for understanding, not as a recommendation: most Western governments currently advise against travel to Russia.
Plan your trip
Book tours in Kirkenes
Compare real-time prices and availability on GetYourGuide. Most tours can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.