Municipality · Finnmark
About Kautokeino
Sámi Easter with reindeer racing and the Sámi Grand Prix, Juhls' Silver Gallery, and Beaivváš, the Sámi national theatre, on Finnmarksvidda.
What to do and where to stay in Kautokeino
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Juhls' Silver Gallery (Juhls' Sølvsmie)History & culture
Frank and Regine Juhls built this hillside home, workshop and gallery room by room from the 1950s; entry and a guided tour are free.
Galaniittuluodda 238, on the hillside about 5 km from Kautokeino centre · 45 min–1.5 h · all-year (closed 24 Dec–3 Jan, 1 May, 17 May)
2Čoarvemátta – home of Beaivváš Sámi National TheatreHistory & culture
Snøhetta, 70°N arkitektur and artist Joar Nango put the Sámi national theatre and the reindeer-herding school under one sloping wooden roof, completed in 2024.
Kautokeino centre · 15 min outside; 2–3 h for a performance · all-year (performances on Beaivváš's own schedule)
3Guovdageainnu gilišillju (Kautokeino Bygdetun)History & culture
A riverside open-air museum of old Sámi houses and storehouses, with exhibitions on Lars Hætta and the Kautokeino–Alta case in the old boarding school.
Boaronjárga 23, Kautokeino · 1 h · summer and Easter (guided); outdoor area viewable otherwise
4Kautokeino Church (Guovdageainnu girku)History & culture
A red wooden long church by Finn Bryn, consecrated in 1958 to replace the 1701 church that German troops burned in 1944; it seats about 272.
Kautokeino centre · 20–30 min · all-year (interior when open or at services)
5Máze (Masi) church and villageHistory & culture
The Sámi village the 1970s Alta dam plan would have flooded; its wooden church dates from 1965, and Masi's first chapel was built in 1729.
Máze/Masi, about 60 km north of Kautokeino, short detour off Rv93 · 30–45 min · all-year
6Nordkalottleden from KautokeinoHike
The Nordkalottleden long-distance trail (part of E1) leaves the village across open plateau; walk the first few kilometres and turn back.
Starts in Kautokeino village; stage to Čunovuohppi is 19.4 km · 2–3 h (out and back, own choice) · late June–September
7Restaurant Duottar (Thon Hotel Kautokeino)Food & drink
The hotel restaurant is the village's main place for a sit-down meal of Sámi dishes such as reindeer.
Biedjovaggeluodda 2, Kautokeino · 1 h · all-year
8PikefossenNature
The only waterfall on the Kautokeino–Alta river, about 8 m high, with a picnic area and toilets; the name comes from a Sámi legend about a herding girl.
Kautokeino–Alta river, on the road north of Kautokeino towards Máze/Alta · 20–40 min · May–October (hard to see and park in winter snow)
9Láhpoluoppal ChapelHistory & culture
A 1967 stone-and-timber mountain chapel by Nils Henrik Eggen, square with a pyramid roof and few narrow windows, in the reindeer herders' winter grazing land.
Láhpoluoppal village, at the south end of lake Láhpojávri, roughly halfway between Kautokeino and Máze · 15 min · all-year outside
10Kautokeino Cultural Centre (Kautokeino kulturbygg)History & culture
A 1979–81 building with a tent-like sloping roof around a central post, home to the library and cinema; it won the Northern Norway architecture prize in 1987.
Bredbuktnesveien 50, Kautokeino · 20–40 min · all-year (library hours)
Book something local
reindeer / Sámi culture
Reindeer herding and Sámi food with Arctic Urbi / Ž Taste of Sápmi ↗
Reindeer herders show how they work with reindeer today at their camp near Kautokeino, which has a small shop for their own food and local handicraft.
Arctic Urbi (with Ž Taste of Sápmi) · Gartnetvadda 1, Kautokeino
riverboat / reindeer / Sámi meal
Riverboat trips and reindeer visits in Máze ↗
A Máze family takes you by long riverboat up to the Sautso canyon, and in winter out to their reindeer, with meals in a lávvu.
Čávžo Safari · Máze/Masi, Kautokeino