Gamvik
Municipality · Finnmark
About Gamvik
Slettnes, probably the world's northernmost mainland lighthouse, wader-rich tundra, Gamvik's fishing-village museum, and the trek to Kinnarodden, mainland Europe's northern tip.
What to do and where to stay in Gamvik
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Slettnes Lighthouse (Slettnes fyr)Sight
Tour the 39-metre cast-iron tower the Germans blew up in 1944, then eat reindeer soup in the summer café facing the Barents Sea.
Slettnes, about 4 km north of Gamvik village · 1–2 h · summer (café/tours mid-June to mid-August; groups by appointment otherwise)
2Slettnes Nature Reserve – Arctic skua colonyNature
Up to 370 pairs of Arctic skua, Norway's largest colony, nest on this flat coastal tundra, with Temminck's stints around the lighthouse in summer.
Slettnes plain between Gamvik and the lighthouse · 1–3 h · all-year (best: spring migration 10–20 May, breeding June–July, autumn migration Sept–Oct)
3Steinvåg and Hollendervika shore walkHike
Marked paths from the lighthouse follow pebble beaches past Hollendervika, the ruins of Steinvåg, a stone labyrinth and Varnesovnen, a 1944 evacuation cave.
West side of Slettnes, from Slettnes Lighthouse · 2–3 h · summer (June–September)
4The Steadfast People at ElvegårdLocal oddity
About 150 straw figures, each modelled on a real Gamvik resident, stand in a field beside what is called the world's northernmost smallholding.
Elvegård farm, on the road from Gamvik to Slettnes · 15–30 min · all-year
5Gamvik Museum in BrodtkorbbruketHistory & culture
A rare surviving post-war fish factory on the quay tells of Omgang's witch trials, Pomor barter with Russia, whaling and the burning of Finnmark.
Strandveien, Gamvik village harbour · 1–1.5 h · all-year (Mon–Fri 10–16; call outside hours)
6Gamvik Church and the bunker fieldHistory & culture
Mainland Europe's northernmost church, a white 1958 concrete building, stands beside rusting German gun rings and trenches from 1944.
Kirkeveien, Gamvik village · 30–45 min · all-year
7Nissehuset Christmas Museum, MehamnLocal oddity
An old fish depot on Mehamn's dock crammed with over 27,000 Christmas objects, with a dockside pub serving bidos, Finnmark's reindeer stew.
Wilgårdsbruket, Værveien 3, Mehamn harbour · 45 min–1.5 h · summer (daily 12–20, 15 May–15 Sept; by request rest of year)
8Whale Monument on Mehamn squareHistory & culture
Marks 2 June 1903, when well over a thousand fishermen wrecked Svend Foyn's whaling station; whaling off northern Norway was banned months later.
Town square, Mehamn centre · 10–15 min · all-year
9Vevikneset pearl walk, MehamnHike
An easy shoreline walk along the old cart road to Lyka ends at a headland where German guns and lookouts once covered Mehamn harbour.
Start at Hamneset, Mehamn · about 1 h one way, 2.6 km · all-year (ut.no); summer recommended
10Cod tongues at Mehamn Arctic BistroFood & drink
The hotel bistro's specialities are fried cod tongues and boknafisk, semi-dried cod, the fishing-village staples, served with a view over the fjord.
Mehamn Arctic Hotel, Værveien 54, Mehamn · 1 h · all-year
Special places to stay
lighthouse rooms
Slettnes Fyr (Slettnes Lighthouse) ↗
Rooms in a protected lighthouse station, rebuilt in 1945–48 after wartime destruction, inside the Ramsar-listed Slettnes bird reserve on the Barents Sea.
Gamvik Museum / Kystmuseene (owned by the Norwegian Coastal Administration) · Slettnes, near Gamvik village
fishermen's huts / camp
Adventure Camp Mehamn (fishing huts) ↗
Fishermen's cottages on Holmen across the harbour from Mehamn, with boats, a camper area and a king crab restaurant on site.
Nordic Safari · Holmen, Mehamn
Book something local
boat trip + short hike
Boat trip to Cape Nordkyn (Kinnarodden) ↗
A boat trip to mainland Europe's northernmost point, with a short walk ashore to a lookout over the Barents Sea.
Nordic Safari · From Mehamn (Adventure Camp Mehamn) to Kinnarodden, Gamvik municipality
king crab safari
King crab safari in the Barents Sea ↗
Haul crab pots from 20–60 m in a survival suit, then eat the catch at the camp's King Crab restaurant.
Nordic Safari · From Adventure Camp Mehamn
snowmobile expedition
Two-day snowmobile safari around Nordkyn ↗
Two days crossing the treeless Nordkyn plateau by snowmobile, staying overnight in fishermen's cottages in Mehamn.
Nordic Safari · Nordkyn peninsula, based in Mehamn
Nearby, also among the best for midnight sun
- LebesbyFinnmarkMidnight sun (among Norway's best)Quiet & remote (good)
- BerlevågFinnmarkMidnight sun (among Norway's best)Quiet & remote (among Norway's best)
- TanaFinnmarkMidnight sun (among Norway's best)Salmon rivers (among Norway's best)
- BåtsfjordFinnmarkMidnight sun (among Norway's best)Wildlife (among Norway's best)