Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Alta, stretching along some 15km of coastline, has a large footprint. Its two main
centres are about 2km apart: hilly Bossekop to the west, and Sentrum in - well, just that,
with its uninspiring blocks and parking lots and a traffic-free central square.
Sights
Alta Museum
MUSEUM
15;
8am-5pm May-mid-Jun, 8am-8pm mid-Jun-Aug, 8am-3pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun Sep-
Apr)
This superb museum is in Hjemmeluft, at the western end of town. It features exhibits and
displays on Sami culture, Finnmark military history, the Alta hydro-electric project and the
aurora borealis (northern lights). The cliffs around it, a Unesco World Heritage Site, are in-
cised with around 6000 late-Stone Age carvings, dating from 6000 to 2000 years ago and
it's these petroglyphs that will live longest in the memory.
As the sea level decreased after the last ice age, carvings were made at progressively
lower heights. Themes include hunting scenes, fertility symbols, bear, moose, reindeer and
crowded boats. The works have been highlighted with red-ochre paint (thought to have
been the original colour) and are connected by 3km of boardwalks that start at the main
building. Although the museum remains open in winter, many of the carvings may be un-
der snow and the entrance fee is reduced as a result.
Northern Lights Cathedral
CHURCH
Opened in 2013, the daringly designed Northern Lights Cathedral, next to the Rica Hotel
Alta, promises to be one of the architectural icons of the north, with its swirling pyramid
structure clad in rippling titanium sheets. The interior is similarly eye-catching, with an ut-
terly modern 4.3m-high bronze
Christ
by Danish artist Peter Brandes - note how the fig-
ure gets lighter as your eyes move up the body.
The cathedral is at its best in winter when aglow in floodlights and with the aurora
borealis in the sky behind. Stunning.
