Making the most of Vardo
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 dock is within walking distance of town.
Printable map to take along.
Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, and it is actually east of Saint Petersburg, Kiev and Istanbul. The eastern part of Finnmark is in the same time zone as the rest of the country, even if it is more than an hour at odds with daylight hours.
The island is connected to the mainland via an undersea tunnel (Norway's first such structure); the town's airport, Vardø Airport, Svartnes, and the settlement of Svartnes are located on the mainland opposite the tunnel entrance. Vardø is a Cruise Port on Norway's Hurtigruten ferry service.
Vardø's tourist attractions include Vardøhus Festning, a fortress dating back to the late 13th century, although the present structure dates from 1734, several sea bird colonies,, two museums: one about the Pomor trade and the other about local history and bird life, and remnants of German fortifications from World War II. The Yukigassen competition in Vardø is unique in Norway.
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).
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.