The Route to the North Cape - Norway - page 434

VISITOR INFORMATION The North Cape Tourist Office, in the Nord-
kapphuset ( & 78-47-68-60; www.northcape.no), can give you information on
sightseeing boat trips, museums, walks, and deep-sea fishing. The office is open
June to August, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday
noon to 8pm; September to May, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm.
A SPECIAL EVENT The North Cape Festival, held for 1 week in mid-June
each year, presents a wide display of local culture. During the festival, partici-
pants in the North Cape March trek from Honningsvåg to the North Cape and
back, a total of around 70km (44 miles).
SEEING THE SIGHTS
Check at the tourist office (see above) about organized tours of the area. In the
summer organized tours visit the splendid bird colony off the shore on the little
island of Gjesvaerstappan. All sorts of arctic seabirds, including kittiwakes,
skuas, razorbills, gannets, puffins, and cormorants, can be seen on the cliffs,
along with seals. The details of each tour will vary according to the molting and
breeding seasons of the birds, so for further information about tours that might
happen to be available at the time of your visit, contact the local tourist office
(see above), and expect to pay around 450NOK ($64) for a 6-hour excursion,
by boat and Land Rover, to see the birds. Know in advance that tours are erratic
and hastily arranged on an as-needed basis, so it's wise to remain as flexible as
possible in your bird-watching aspirations.
Nordkapphallen This visitor center has a video presentation and museum
exhibits. Downstairs you'll find an excellent videograph and a cave with a
panoramic window facing the Arctic Ocean. On the way to the cave, you'll see
several scenes from the history of the North Cape. A monument commemorates
the visit of King Oscar (king of Norway and Sweden) to the Cape in 1873, and
another exhibit commemorates the arrival of King Chulalongkorn of Siam (now
Thailand) who came for a look at the Cape in 1907; Chulalongkorn was the son
of the king in the musical The King and I. There's also a monument marking the
terminus of the “Midnight Sun Road.” You might be dismayed at the steep
entrance price, but the exhibits and the views from within manage to artfully
and effectively evoke the meteorological and geological drama of the far North.
Call before you visit, since even in high season, open hours and days are subject
to change without notice, and it's locked up like a drum between October and
March.
Nordkapp. & 78-47-22-33. Admission 190NOK ($27) adults, 75NOK ($11) children, 360NOK ($51) family.
Apr 1-May 17 daily 2-5pm; May 18-June 5 daily noon-1am; June 6-Aug 11 daily 9am-2am; Aug 12-20
daily 9am-1am; Aug 21-Sept daily noon-5pm. Closed Oct-Mar.
Nordkappmuseet This museum displays the cultural history of the North
Cape, including fishery artifacts and an exhibit that details the effects of World
War II on the North Cape. The museum lies at the harbor and town center, a
3-minute walk from the coastal steamer and the North Cape Hotel.
In the Nordkapphuset, Fergeveien 4. & 78-47-28-33. Admission 30NOK ($4.25) adults, 5NOK (70¢) children
6-16, free for children under 6. June 1-Aug 15 Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun noon-7pm; Aug 16-May 31
Mon-Fri noon-4pm.
WHERE TO STAY
Arctic Hotell Nordkapp This well-run, relatively small hotel is a favorite
with North Cape aficionados who use it as a base for exploring the area. The
hotel opened in the 1960s and was last renovated in the 1990s. A vision of white