Making the most of Harstad
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The main cruise quay of 215 m length and 7,8 m draught is right in the city centre within easy walking distance to all the community can offer. Cruise quay no. 2 is 400 m south of the main quay with a length 270 m and draught 7,5 m. Cruise quay of 120 m (250 m ship length) with a draught of 11 m is 5 km (6 minutes by shuttle bus) South of city centre.
Map to take along.
Harstad is the culture capital of north Norway. With its population of 23,000, it is situated on the largest island in Norway, Hinnøya, in one of the most beautiful coastal areas with skerries and islands. Commercial and shipping industries are economically important, and the borough is also a base for the oil industry of the north.
Harstad is a communication center in a densely populated region with Lofoten to the west, Narvik to the east. Tromsø to the North and Bodø to the south. Harstad never sleeps when lit up in the sunshine of midsummer nights. During summer, the town is teeming with people along the quayside. Around midsummer eve, with the Festival of Northern Norway, there is music in the streets, in the square, in pubs, in the concert hall and churches.
Leisure time activities are many and varied, and boating is a favorite past time. The new marina can harbor 25-30 boats. Central to the harbor is also one of the country's biggest and most modern concert halls, with up to 1000 seats.
Getting around
The world's largest land-based gun, built by the German military power during WW II. The batteries at Trondenes were built in 1943 by the German occupiers. The Adolf Gun stands today as the only completely restored fortification in the world and thus has great historical value. The bunkers are set up for an historical tour with exhibitions depicting the history and planned use of the gun. The Adolf Gun is on military property and can only be visited in the company of an authorised guide.
Money
The Norwegian currency is the Norwegian crown (norske krone), abbreviated kr. A 1/100th krone is called øre. 1.00 EUR = about 8 NOK
ATMs in Norway are called Minibank.
Nearly all stores accept major credit cards such as Mastercard and Visa (Bring your passport/driver's license, as you are required to identify yourself when using a credit card).
Staying connected
Norwegian is the official language of Norway. The language is very close and mutually intelligible with the two other Scandinavian languages, English widely spoken.
Most Norwegian households are connected to the internet in some way (often broadband), making Cybercafés hard to find outside major cities, due to a relatively small market. Most public libraries have free public access to the internet. WiFi is in many spots (not free).
Internet café Harstad Turistkontor, open 16. june– 15. august, every day kl 10.00 – 18.00.
Opening Hours and
Opening hours in Norway are better than they used to be, but many smaller stores still close early on Saturday (1 PM or 3 PM is typical) and nearly everything is closed on Sundays. You'll often see opening hours written as "9-21 (9-18)" on doors, meaning 9 AM to 9 PM weekdays, 9 AM to 6 PM Saturday.