Search hotels in Kirkenes

Kirkenes is a small pleasant town with few sights but the Grenselandmuseet is well worth a visit. The location is recommended for viewing the Northern Lights but it was too cloudy during our visit (Nov). There are a few restaurants in the centre, the most popular being the Ritz with very good pizzas.

It is the area around Kirkenes that is the main attraction. We travelled to Grensa Jacobselv beach which was beautiful and sunny on the day we visited, same for Ovre Pasvik National Park which was breathtakinlgy beautiful. Both are quite a drive from Kirkenes though and we chose the town to learn about the history from WWII, the hotel had a pool (although it was not operational!!) and as the airport was there. Next time we would definitely go for a cabin in the woods and see the reindeer up close. In town we ate at Surf n Turf which was decent, waiter had a sense of humour and good was quite good. Nothing spectacular but good enough, depends what you like. The other place we ate in town was Ritz, which was an excellent pizza and we would recommend it for the food but was pricey compared to other towns in Norway; little other choice though. Most other places were closed we assumed due to no tourists, so not worth it or maybe worse closed down following Covid downturn. The central part of town had the feeling of needing a boost from its Covid slumber. We loved the area though and will come back, armed with better knowledge than first-timers.

We stayed 5 days, much longer than most visitors because we wanted to maximize the chance to see the northern lights. As it turned out, 4 nights were cloudy and on the last night, the skies cleared a little and being at Sollia and having trekked into the countryside up the hill from the lodge, gave us the best chance to view the lights, just a 10 minute walk from our room. There were enough activities in kirkenes to keep us amused for 5 days - dog sledding with Birk's (here you're the driver of the sleds), king crab expedition and you drive yourself there on the frozen Barents Sea, the Andersgrotta the underground bunker was very interesting, hiking in the Taiga, and we had to have our daily coffee at Johnny's Lunch Cafe in Kirkenes. Johnny is an Italian and makes coffee the only acceptable way with an Italian Expresso machine. Thank heavens for Johnny's! Coffee in Kirkenes mostly comes out of cafeteria type/press the button coffee.

If you plan to visit the north of Norway in the winter, a stay in Kirkenes will give you the full experience. Area is save, people are friendly and all services like transport ext. works as clockwork. Also a lot to do in the short winters day.

Sollia was a quaint lodge with a good breakfast included. Very peaceful area if your looking for a peaceful wilderness outing. The staff were helpful when needed. We took the 4 hour excursion to the Aurora camp and had dinner in the teepee like tent cooked on an open fire. Terje Sandness was an excellent guide who really enjoys the wilderness and is very friendly and knowledgeable. They also provide all warm clothing needed. The wifi was excellent. I would be nice if the restaurant was also open for dinner as there is not much around. Unfortunately it was cloudy the nights we were there so we missed the northern lights.

We stayed in the middle of winter ahead of the Hutigruten boat trip to Bergen. It is actually lighter than one would think. The fact that the sun doesn't rise doesn't mean you're in pitch darkness all day. Dawn and dusk have merged into a pleasant period of glow. There is enough to do - especially if one plans ahead: dog sled tours, king crab feasts and if one is lucky: the Northern Lights.