North Cape (Nordkapp) is a flat-topped headland on the island of Magerøya, at 71°10′ north, dropping 307 metres straight into the sea. Since the first tourists were rowed ashore in the nineteenth century it has stood as the symbolic northern end of Europe, and standing at the railing, with nothing but the Barents Sea between you and Svalbard, is the simplest way there is to look out over the Arctic Ocean.
The base for a visit is Honningsvåg, a fishing port of about 2,500 people 34 km to the south, where the coastal ships and summer cruise liners dock. The road to the Cape is open all year, in winter partly in convoy behind a snowplough. Around the headland are fishing villages, seabird islands and empty tundra where Sami families graze reindeer in summer.
Highlights
- The midnight sun from the cliff edge between mid-May and late July
- The globe monument, the most photographed object in Arctic Norway
- Puffins, gannets and sea eagles on a boat safari to Gjesværstappan
- Winter at the Cape: polar night, storm light and northern lights
- King crab straight from the Barents Sea
- The walk to Knivskjellodden, the true northernmost point
North Cape: planning your time
A single night in Honningsvåg is enough for the Cape itself, and passengers on the coastal ship see it on a half-day excursion. Two nights lets you choose the clearest evening for the midnight sun — fog is common — and add a bird safari or a fishing village. In winter, treat the trip as an expedition: the last stretch of road may only open at fixed convoy times, or not at all in a storm.
