Vardø History Tour

This short, easy bike ride starts from the Hurtigruten dock in Vardø. The route winds through small streets, with the first stop being the Drakkar-Leviathan sculpture. This large piece of artwork resembles a blend of a Viking ship, a dinosaur, and a whale, visible from a distance. Part of the route includes gravel roads.

The most famous tourist attraction in Vardø is the Vardøhus Fortress, built in the 1300s as a defense against the east. This northernmost fortress in the world – shaped as a star – has in periods played a significant historical part. Today it´s a national cultural heritage. The fortress fires a salute to celebrate the sun’s return at the end of January, after two months of darkness, a day marked with school holidays.

Next to the fortress you´ll find the Steilneset Memorial – built for the 91 victims of the extensive witch trials that occurred in Finnmark during the 1600s. Visiting this landmark is a really powerful experience of this dark chapter in the region’s history. This indoor/outdoor installation consists of two builings. The Flame House – with art from the french-american artist Louise Bourgeois, and the Memory Hall where each victim has their own light and their story told.

Hornøya is located just outside Vardø and is a popular destination during the summer season. It is home to 80,000 nesting seabirds. The island is a protected nature reserve, with over 100 bird species recorded here. You can reach Hornøya by boat from the harbor, which takes about 10 minutes. Hornøya Lighthouse offers fantastic views of the Barents Sea, and it is possible to stay overnight in the lighthouse keeper’s residence at certain times of the year.

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