The Varanger National Tourist route during the harsh Arctic winter weather of Northern Norway.
Road trips through Norway are known to be some of the world’s most beautiful. From the impressive bridges of the Atlantic Ocean Road to the dramatic granite mountains of the Lofoten archipelago, the country isn't short of impressive driving experiences.
The 18 National Scenic Routes provide a starting point for trip planning, but not all are well-known or easy to access. Yet one of the most awkward to access for international visitors is also one of the most rewarding.
The Varanger scenic route
Norway is known for its magnificent fjords and imposing mountains, but take a journey to the extreme north-east and things take on a very different picture. Instead of fjords you’ll see birch woods and marshland, and instead of dramatic mountains there are rugged cliffs and open ocean. The Varanger scenic route leads you through it all.
Reindeer graze on the beach at Kiberg along the Varanger scenic road trip in northern Norway.
“It is difficult to explain other than by saying that this is a place where you feel as if time stands a bit still,” is how the Norwegian Public Road Administration describes the route from Varangerbotn to Hamningberg.
The geography of Finnmark, the northernmost and easternmost part of Norway is hard to comprehend. Due in large part to the curvature of the earth, Vardø is farther east than Saint Petersburg, Kiev, and Istanbul.
Varanger isn't a place to rush through. It’s ideal for wild camping, hiking and birdwatching. The best birding stops are the islands of Ekkerøya and Hornøya, and the Komagdalen bird trail in Varangerhalvøya National Park.
The stark scenery of Northern Norway along the Varanger tourist route.
Here are some of the other highlights along the 100-mile-long route.
Varanger Sami museum
When driving through this remote corner of Scandinavia, it can be hard to believe that anyone lives here at all. Yet Mortensnes is one of the most distinct cultural sites in all of Scandinavia.
It’s home to Sami sacrificial sites and graves that cover more than 10,000 years of continuous settlement. Upgraded cultural trails and improved information facilities are to be opened in 2021 as part of the National Scenic Routes project.
The site is maintained by the Varanger Sami museum, which has a main site 20km away in Varangerbotn. The museum is a must-see to fill in the details of the coastal Sami history stretching back thousands of years. Exhibitions cover religion, fishing and hunting, and some of the Stone Age findings from the region.
The dark history of Vardø
400 years ago, a sudden, violent winter storm sank many fishing boats and drowned 40 men from the remote island community of Vardø.
The Steilneset witch memorial in Vardø, northern Norway, remembers almost 100 people who were burned ... [+]
A group of local women were found guilty of witchcraft following confessions given under torture and burned to death. It was the first of three major witch trials in the 17th-century that resulted in the execution of 91 people, mostly women.
Take a moment to remember the victims and the gruesome events at the Steilneset Memorial, a short walk from the center of Vardø. Spending time at the striking memorial and browsing the adjacent exhibition building is not an enjoyable experience, but it is an important one.
If you travel to the island to see the memorial, then Vardø makes a sensible place to stop for a bite to eat. But while there are a few shops and restaurants, the slightly bigger town of Vadsø farther south offers a little more choice.
Hamningberg
Many of the houses in the abandoned fishing village Hamningberg were some of the few to escape the fiery destruction caused by retreating Nazi forces at the end of the Second World War. Some 19th-century wooden buildings also contribute to the reminder of a lifestyle long gone.
The abandoned fishing village Hamningberg on the Barents Sea coastline is one of the highlights of ... [+]
It marks the literal end of the road in this part of Norway. Driving the last few miles towards Hamningberg, it really does feel as if you’re approaching the end of the earth. Once you're done in Hamningberg you'll need to turn around and retrace your steps, so plan this into your itinerary.
There are small airports in both Vardø and Vadsø from where you can hire a car and start your trip, but both offer only regional connections to Tromsø and Kirkenes.
Alternatively, you can fly directly from Oslo to Kirkenes, but you'll need to add on approximately 78 miles to reach Varangerbotn and the beginning of the Varanger road trip.
