Exploring the Arctic Highway (Finnmark, Norway)

For a scenic journey of a lifetime, head to Tromsø in Northern Norway and drive the spectacular E6 highway to Hammerfest, Europe’s Northernmost town. This region is home to spectacular fjords, Native Sami Reindeer Herders and incredible birdlife.

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The awesome E6 highway runs from the very south of Sweden all the way to Finnmark in the north of Norway, and transports those willing to take the challenge 3,140km (1,950 miles) through breathtaking landscape to the polar regions of Europe. By far one of the most intriguing sections of this road runs between Tromsø and Hammerfest in the far north, where you have a great chance to cruise the open highway, meet native Sami people and their reindeers and spot an abundance of birdlife including the giant White Tailed Eagle.

Each summer many independent tourists, particularly from Germany and the Netherlands, embark on an epic road trip in various forms of transport to reach Nord Kapp, the northernmost point of Europe. If the thought of this epic 3,140km journey is a bit much, why not drop in and explore some of the most striking section of this journey by flying into Tromsø and hiring a car. With regular flights to Tromsø from Oslo and Bergen, this route traverses the jagged coast deeply cut by forbidding fjords. In places snow and ice are visible on the jagged cliff faces that rise out of the water even in the summer months.

Although there is not a lot to do along route apart from visit the Stone Age rock carvings in Alta, this section of the E6 passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in the world, and will have you pulling over at every turn. Long stretches of empty beaches along the fjords look out over snowcapped mountains. Wildlife thrives here, particularly during the summer months, and the feeling of space will have you wishing you never had to return to the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

Both Tromsø and Hammerfest have a number of accommodation options available, ranging from top end hotels to budget hostels. Alta is also a great place to spend a few days along route, not only to visit the Stone Age Rock Carvings, but also to explore the 400 metre deep Sautso canyon. A stay in a native Sami Lavvu, which is similar to a Native American tipi can be arranged by tour operaters in Tromsø and Alta.

Car rental companies can be found in both Tromsø and Hammerfest, and there are regular flights between these two intriguing destinations.

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Trip Sideways (Nord Kapp): Chris Raven, travel writer and photographer, grabs his umbrella and heads to the island of Magerøya in Finnmark Norway to walk the Knivskjellodden, Europe’s northernmost hiking trail.

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Check out more photographs of the E6 from Tromsø to Hammerfest below: