Varanger

Why this route?

This is Norway as far east as it goes — Vardø lies further east than Istanbul. At the fjord's head, birch woods grow thickly. Further out the land becomes increasingly bare, until only stone, lichen and the Barents Sea remain. Along the way you encounter the Coastal Sámi, the Kvens who arrived from Finland and Tornedalen in the 19th century, and fishing villages facing the open sea.

And then the birds: in summer the coastal cliffs teem with seabirds, and sheltered bird hides stand at several places along the tourist road. If you have visited Nordkapp, this is the continuation. The road ends in an abandoned fishing village with little to do except watch the sea.

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Stops along the route

1. Varangerbotn — the Coastal Sámi at the fjord's head

The tourist route begins where E75 branches off E6. Várjjat Sámi Musea — Varanger Sámi Museum — tells of the Coastal Sámi and ten thousand years of fjord life. Look for Karlebotnmannen, a small reindeer-antler figure over 4,000 years old.

Don't miss: Gornitak rest area, six kilometres east. During the war its stone building stored ammunition. Now restored, it houses the toilet.

Motorhome tip: Fill up at Varangerbotn. If arriving from the west, Tana Familiecamping is beside E6 around 13 km before the junction.

2. Nesseby and Mortensnes — the church that survived

The white church on Nesseby's headland dates from 1858. It was spared when Finnmark was burnt in autumn 1944. A few kilometres east is Mortensnes (Ceavccageađgi), inhabited for ten thousand years. Archaeologists have recorded almost 300 graves in the scree towards the sea; Transteinen, a standing stone with stone circles around it, stands on the headland.

Don't miss: The museum building at Mortensnes, free and open daily from mid-June to early August.

Motorhome tip: Many scree slopes along the road on the fjord's north side are old burial grounds. Do not remove stones or build cairns — both are forbidden.

3. Vadsø — the Kvens and the airships

The town grew in the 19th century, when many Kvens came from Finland and Tornedalen. Vadsø museum – Ruija kvenmuseum presents two properties: the trading house Esbensengården, built from Siberian larch, and Tuomainengården, a Varanger house where people and animals lived under one roof.

Don't miss: Vadsøya kulturpark, open all year. A flat path of just under two kilometres passes medieval building remains on its way to the airship mast, where “Norge” moored in 1926 and “Italia” in 1928.

Motorhome tip: Vestre Jakobselv Camping, just under twenty kilometres west of town, is open all year. Fill up in Vadsø — onwards to Vardø there are around 75 km without a station.

4. Ekkerøy — the bird cliffs beside the village

Drive 15 km east from Vadsø and turn towards the small fishing village on the peninsula. At its tip, the bird cliffs are protected as a nature reserve; in summer kittiwakes crowd the rock ledges.

Don't miss: Kjeldsenbruket down in the village. The fish-processing facility survived the war with its cod-liver-oil plant, warehouse and quay intact — almost no others in Finnmark did. The museum usually opens in summer.

Motorhome tip: The county road out is just under two kilometres, narrow and open to vehicles up to 15 metres. Camping is forbidden in the reserve, and dogs must not be let off the lead from March through September.

5. Kiberg — the partisans and the easternmost headland

In 1992 King Harald came to Kiberg and apologised on behalf of the country. During the war, village men served as partisans for the Soviet Union, watching for German ships; many never returned. After the war many met distrust, and Norwegian authorities watched them for years. A memorial stone in the village centre honours the 25 who died. The fishing village escaped the burning in autumn 1944, and many old houses survive.

Don't miss: Kibergsneset, a couple of kilometres east of the village — mainland Norway's easternmost point, with the remains of a German coastal fort. The gravel road to the lighthouse starts on Domen's south side; walk it.

Motorhome tip: E75's only signed height limit is 4.3 metres on the bridge over Skallelva before Kiberg — plenty of clearance for a motorhome.

6. Domen and Vardøtunnelen — under Bussesundet

A few kilometres before the tunnel, E75 crosses Domen, a flat-topped mountain 164 metres high. In folklore it was the witches' meeting place. From the rest and viewing shelter you see Vardø out at sea. Then the road descends into Vardøtunnelen: 2.9 km long, Norway's first subsea road tunnel, reaching almost 90 metres below sea level.

Motorhome tip: The tunnel slopes 7–9 per cent down and up: change down and use engine braking. Height is not signed, but clearance exceeds four metres. In winter E75 from Kiberg to Vardø may operate in convoy.

7. Vardø — the fortress and Steilneset

Vardøhus fortress, an eight-pointed star built in 1734–1738, is open all year and still has its own commandant. Just south is Steilneset, Vardø's former execution ground. Its memorial honours 91 women and men sentenced to death for witchcraft in Finnmark in the 17th century. Peter Zumthor designed the long memorial hall, with a plaque for each person. In the neighbouring glass building, Louise Bourgeois' chair burns.

Don't miss: Steilneset late in the evening. The memorial is always open and free.

Motorhome tip: We have found no campsite in Vardø. Ask tourist information where motorhomes may stay overnight. There is an automatic fuel pump in town.

8. Hornøya — the easternmost bird cliffs

Hornøya, just off Vardø, is Norway's easternmost point. From mid-March to mid-August, the cliffs beneath the lighthouse teem with puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes. From 15 February to 15 August most of the island is closed to access; bird-cliff visits are only possible with authorised companies, in groups of no more than eleven including the guide.

Motorhome tip: Only small boats go there, so leave the motorhome in Vardø. The regular harbour boat no longer runs: book ahead and check visitvardo.no for operators.

9. Hamningberg — where the road ends

Return through the tunnel and turn off at Svartnes. The county road runs 40 km along the Barents Sea through barren stone and weathered cliffs. Hamningberg had 700 inhabitants in 1940. Today it is abandoned, but the 19th-century houses survive, and many call it the end of Europe.

Don't miss: The bird hide at the village's outer edge, and the silence. In June and July the midnight sun stands above the sea.

Motorhome tip: On almost half the 37 kilometres from Smelror, the asphalt is less than four metres wide; two motorhomes cannot pass without one giving way. The road permits vehicles up to 15 metres. Allow an hour each way from Vardø.

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Practical info for motorhomes

Roads: E75 is at least five metres wide throughout, mostly over six, and permits vehicle combinations of 19.5 metres (the road administration's road database). The challenge is fv. 8100 from Svartnes to Hamningberg — signs still say 341. It is narrow and winding, paved, with a few short slopes up to around 10 per cent. From Smelror it closes for winter: in previous years between early November and around Christmas, reopening between mid-April and late May; in the first weeks after reopening it sometimes closes at night or in bad weather. Check vegvesen.no/trafikk or call 175 before driving.

Parking: Tourist-road rest areas are designed for short stops, including the large space in Hamningberg. On the narrow approach, stop only where you do not obstruct others.

Overnight stays: The right of public access permits tents at least 150 metres from an inhabited house, for no more than two nights in one place without landowner consent. With a motorhome, stop only where parking is allowed and never drive into the terrain. Varangerhalvøya is summer pasture for domesticated reindeer: slow down when animals are beside the road and keep dogs on a lead.

Campsites:

• Tana Familiecamping — by E6 around 13 km west of Varangerbotn
• Vestre Jakobselv Camping — just under twenty kilometres west of Vadsø, open all year, with a dump station

We have found no campsite between Vadsø and Hamningberg. From Vestre Jakobselv, Vardø and Hamningberg make a long day trip, around 265 km return.

Fuel: Varangerbotn, Vestre Jakobselv, Vadsø and an automatic pump in Vardø. No station between Vadsø and Vardø, nor on the Hamningberg road.

Waste disposal: Not in toilets along the tourist road. Statens vegvesen refers visitors to Vadsø, and Vestre Jakobselv Camping also lets non-guests empty for a fee.

Ferries: None. Vardø is connected to the mainland by Vardøtunnelen; only small passenger boats go to Hornøya.

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Combine with

• Nordkapp — from Olderfjord, around 290 km here over Ifjordfjellet (fv. 98), or a little over 330 km on E6 via Karasjok.
• Across Finnmarksvidda — ends in Karasjok. From there the E6 runs east along the Tana river, around 195 km to Varangerbotn, where this route begins.
• Kirkenes and Pasvik — around 125 km east along E6, with Grenselandmuseet and Pasvikdalen along the Russian border. If flying in, Kirkenes airport is around 115 km from Varangerbotn.
• Berlevåg and Båtsfjord — fishing villages on the Barents Sea, 105–135 km from Tana bru on fv. 890 and 891, where mountain crossings may require convoy driving in winter.

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Weather

Summer is cool on the outer coast. Vardø's daily mean is around 10 degrees in July and only 7 in June. Over the year, near-gale winds or stronger blow 20–25 per cent of the time. Further into the fjord it is a little warmer. A warm day can change within an hour when sea fog rolls in. Midnight sun from mid-May to late July, polar night from late November to mid-January. Check yr.no for Vadsø, Vardø and Hamningberg.

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This route is part of Bobilvei's hand-picked motorhome routes in Norway. Every route is quality-checked with a focus on motorhome suitability, parking and local experiences.