Kirkenes - Norway

Have you ever heard of Kirkenes, Norway? To be honest, before I started planning this trip, I barely knew where it was on the map. However, after doing a little more research, I discovered that visiting Kirkenes is practically like going to the end of the world — and that was exactly what sparked my irresistible curiosity.

Located in Finnmark County, in a remote and extremely cold region of Arctic Norway, Kirkenes is almost right on the border with Russia and also with Finland. Although it is a small town, with just over 3,500 inhabitants, Kirkenes offers a surprising structure for those who travel in search of different experiences. There are good hotels, cozy cafes, nice restaurants, interesting museums and, of course, the famous Snowhotel Kirkenes.

Unlike the more touristy cities in Norway, Kirkenes completely escapes the obvious. The city combines the culture of the Sami people, the strong Russian influence due to its proximity to the border, and that isolated Arctic climate that, in a way, exerts a great fascination. The landscapes are breathtaking: frozen tundra, silent fjords, snow-covered forests… And, best of all, there are no crowds around.

An adventure just to get there.

Our arrival started out as a true epic. We left Tromsø heading to Kirkenes on a flight that started out somewhat chaotic. At the airport, there was almost no information about boarding and no one was present at the gate. After some waiting, an employee appeared, but she also didn’t have much information. When the small turboprop finally landed, the passengers disembarked and we headed to boarding — walking on the runway, in -10°C — and yes, our bags were left out in the open, on the snow.

However, just when we thought everything was sorted, another setback arose: there was an extra passenger on the plane. That’s right! Since the entire process was done manually, each passenger had to be interviewed individually until they found the “extra”. After almost two hours of delay, we finally took off. Despite the bad weather, the flight went well, and the frozen view from up there was a real visual spectacle.

When we landed in Kirkenes, we found ourselves at an airport that looked more like a country bus station. There was no one at the counters. We had booked a car, but there was no service at the rental counter either. After a call, they told us that the key would be in a password box. So far so good, however, finding the car in the snow-covered parking lot was another challenge in itself.

The city of Kirkenes.

The first impression was of absolute silence. Kirkenes is, yes, a small city, but very welcoming. Its streets are quiet and are surrounded by snow-capped mountains, creating a landscape worthy of a movie. It is the kind of place where you feel completely disconnected from the world — which, in this context, was exactly what we were looking for.

Our main goal was clear: to see the Northern Lights and visit the famous ice hotel. However, we soon realized that Kirkenes had much more to offer than we had initially imagined.

A dive into history: The bunkers of World War II.

To our surprise, Kirkenes was one of the most bombed cities in Norway during World War II. We discovered this during a visit to a small local museum, which tells this little-known part of the country’s history. Although it was a quick visit, it was extremely interesting and gave an unexpected historical context to our journey.