Visitors to the town of Honningsvåg, which has a population of around 2, certainly do not visit the municipality north of the 300th parallel for its pleasant climate. Nor do they travel to the far north of Norway for its treeless landscape or its remarkable fishing port. They come because they want to see the North Cape, Europe's official northernmost point. Only 70 kilometers by road separate Honningsvåg from the Cape.
Honningsvåg - Panorama
Honningsvåg - the gateway to the North Cape
There is no getting around Honningsvåg, as the municipality is the gateway to the North Cape. The small town on the island of Magerøya was and is primarily a fishing port. In Honningsvåg, people make their living from fishing, fish processing, trading in fish products and tourism. The town has piers for the Havila and Hurtigruten ships and for the approximately 70 cruise ships that call at the port mainly in the summer months. Next to the cruise ship pier, a large bus parking lot has been set up for the North Cape bus tours. There is also a tourist information office, a church and a few shops and bars. The journey to the cape leads from the port along a well-developed road through barren landscape up to a height of 307 meters.
Honningsvåg fishing port
There, at the position 71'10'21 north latitude, lies the North Cape. In front of the Cape stretches the vastness of the Barents Sea. In terms of symbolic power, the travel destination, located 2 kilometers south of the North Pole, is comparable to Africa's Cape of Good Hope and South America Cape HornMore than 200 people visit the North Cape every year, mainly in the summer months
The North Cape – Europe's supposedly northernmost point
The coordinate position 71'10'21 was determined to be Europe's northernmost point, although the location is definitely not Europe's northernmost point. In addition to the North Cape, the Knivskjellodden peninsula extends even further into the Barents Sea. And the islands of Spitsbergen, which also belong to Norway, are a good 800 kilometers further north as the crow flies.
coastline at the North Cape
Apart from that, the North Cape, marked with the iconic globe, is one of Norway's top tourist destinations. However, visitors cannot be sure of seeing the sun in this inhospitable area, as most days are characterised by bad weather.
The discovery of the North Cape
The North Cape was discovered by the British sailor Richard Chancellor. In search of a northeast passage leading to China, he circumnavigated the rock plateau for the first time in 1553. He gave the conspicuous rock protruding from the sea the name North Cape. His journey did not end in the north of Asia, but in Archangelsk, Russia. He discovered that there is no northeast passage to Asia. Later, in 1664, the Italian explorer and clergyman Francesco Negri traveled to and described the North Cape.
The North Cape - As sailors see it
North Cape tourism
Towards the end of the 19th century, well-off travelers from Great Britain, France and Germany visited the Northern Cape region. There were no road connections, but the “gentlemen” were helped: They first traveled in 1875 with passenger ships. The anchored in the Hornvika Bay below the rock. There the passengers were disembarked; then they climbed the way to the top of the cape. It was the responsibility of the ships' kitchen staff to haul certain staple foods such as lobster and champagne to a height of 300 meters. After all, the guests should have an authentic experience and feel comfortable with it.
To protect these "explorers", a pavilion was built in 1892, but it was not able to withstand the weather conditions. It was not until 1959 that a permanent shelter was created in the form of a stone shelter. Over the years, this facility, known as the North Cape Hall, underwent several changes and extensions. A road to the North Cape was built in 1965.
The North Cape Halls
North Cape - how to get there
The European route E69 connects the North Cape to Europe's road network. A stone marker points to the 7-kilometer-long European long-distance hiking trail E000, which begins at the Cape. Honningsvåg Valan Airport is about 1 kilometers away.
The Nordkappveien - European route 69
Cruise ships and scheduled ships from Havila and Hurtigruten call at the port of Honingsvåg. The ship's passengers are transported to the North Cape by charter or scheduled buses. Rental cars are available and helicopter flights to the North Cape are also available.
North Cape - the sights
Nordkaphallen - the adventure center
Visitors only have to walk a few steps from the spacious parking spaces to the modern North Cape Hall. Visitors feel at home in the spacious above- and below-ground experience center. On the upper floor of the hall are the "Kompasset Restaurant", a coffee bar and a large shop with North Cape souvenirs. In the lower area there is a tunnel that leads to the "Grotten". The Grottoes are an underground event space with 350 seats. Adjacent to the tunnel are a simple, interdenominational chapel and historical and scientific exhibitions. A panoramic film is shown in a cinema hall. It takes guests on a journey through time through the four seasons of the Cape region.
The Globo
A steel globe called a “globo” stands on a pedestal near the cape. The construction presents the longitude and latitude and shows the natural inclination of the earth's axis. The globe dates from 1978.
Barn av Jorden
The “Barn av Jorden” (“Children of the Earth”) monument is a little bit offset from the hall. In June 1988, seven children from different parts of the world worked together to design a memorial. It shows seven large, circular reliefs arranged in a semicircle and a mother with a boy. The child points to the reliefs with one hand. The memorial symbolizes the terms friendship, hope, cooperation and joy.
Gjesværstappan bird colony and Kirkeporten rock gate
Hundreds of thousands of birds live on small islands off Gjesvær in the west of the island of Magerøya in the nature reserve Gjesværstappan: including puffins, gannets, razorbills and guillemots. Bird safaris to the bird cliffs are offered. In Kirkeporten near the fishing village of Skarsvåg there is a natural rock gate through which you can see the North Cape.
Useful & worth knowing
Access to the North Cape is free. There are no parking fees and access to the outdoor plateau and the famous globe is also free. Only a visit to the North Cape Hall is subject to a fee. In 2024, adults will pay NOK 330 for entry to the North Cape Hall. When booking package North Cape tours, the entrance fee is usually included in the ticket price.
The North Cape can also be reached by local bus. Buses on line 110 leave from the tourist information office in Honningsvåg and make several trips to the Cape every day. Please note that the bus timetables may not coincide with the docking times of the ships.
The tourist information of Honningsvåg
Next to Honningsvåg Tourist Information is the life-size monument of the St. Bernard dog Bamse. He grew up in Honningsvåg. Its owner was captain of an in Tromsø stationed naval vessel. The dog served there as an official crew member during World War II. It is said that he earned much merit among his human comrades.
Monument to the ship's dog Bamse
About 15 kilometers from the North Cape is Skarsvåg, the northernmost fishing port in the world.
Photo impressions of a trip to the North Cape
A weather forecast for the North Cape region offers: https://www.yr.no/nb/v%C3%A6rvarsel/daglig-tabell/1-2403657/Norge/Troms%20og%20Finnmark/Nordkapp/Nordkapp
Update October 2024