Making the most of Jan Mayen
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
Ships moor or anchor at this port, so passengers tender ashore.
Jan Mayen is a small volcanic island in the North Atlantic, 600 miles west of Norway and 350 miles north of Iceland. Mt. Beerenberg, at 7,470 feet, dominates the island and is the world’s northernmost active volcano; it last erupted in 1985. Norwegian territory has no native population. Eighteen residents operate the weather station, LORAN-C transmitter and coastal radio station from Olonkin City on the south-west coast. Supply planes land several times each year on the unpaved airstrip. For many…
Money
Norway uses the Norwegian crown, or norske krone, abbreviated kr. One øre is 1/100th of a krone. 1.00 EUR is about 8 NOK.
Norwegian ATMs are known as Minibank.
Almost every store accepts major cards including Mastercard and Visa. Bring passport/driver’s license, as credit-card use requires identification.
Staying connected
Norway's official language is Norwegian, closely related to and mutually intelligible with the other two Scandinavian languages; English is widely spoken.
Most households have some form of internet, often broadband, so Cybercafés are difficult to find beyond major cities because demand is low. Most public libraries provide free public internet. WiFi is widely available but not free.
Opening Hours and
Norway’s opening hours have improved, but many small shops still shut early on Saturday, typically 1 PM or 3 PM, and almost everything closes Sunday. Door signs often show “9-21 (9-18)”, meaning 9 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 6 PM Saturday.