Making the most of Kirkenes
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 town is within walking distance of the dock, approximately 1.5 km away.
Kirkenes is Hurtigruten's turnaround port, only 10 km from the Russian border and 35 km from Finland.
Carry the printable map ashore.
Bøkfjorden's excellent harbour has attracted several major companies. Visitor sights include Grenselandsmuseet (The Border Country Museum), which presents the story of war and peace on the Norwegian-Russian frontier, Sami art by John Savio and the area's mining history. Kirkenes also marks one end of the Hurtigruten route, whose ships regularly follow Norway's coast to Bergen.
Andersgrotta is a vast underground bunker within Kirkenes. Built during WWII, it sheltered the town's 9,000 residents and can now be visited on a tour.
Money
Norway uses the Norwegian crown, or norske krone, abbreviated kr. An øre is 1/100th of a krone, and 1.00 EUR equals about 8 NOK.
Norwegian ATMs are known as Minibank.
Nearly every shop takes major cards such as Mastercard and Visa. Bring a passport or driver's licence because identification is required when paying by credit card.
Staying connected
Norwegian is Norway's official language and is closely related to, and mutually intelligible with, the two other Scandinavian languages. English is spoken widely.
Most Norwegian homes have some form of internet access, often broadband, so a limited market makes cybercafés difficult to find beyond major cities. Public libraries usually provide free internet access, while WiFi is available in many places but is not free.
Opening Hours and
Norwegian opening hours have improved, although many small shops still close early on Saturday, typically at 1 PM or 3 PM, and almost everything shuts on Sunday. Door signs often show "9-21 (9-18)", meaning 9 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday.