Havøysund on the Norwegian Scenic Route

The Norwegian Scenic Route, trails on Havøya and museums with different historical focuses shape a stay in Havøysund. Seasonal natural phenomena on the Barents Sea are another part of the experience. Road and boat connections, activities on foot and cultural history each offer their own starting points for planning your trip.

Havøysund and its connections

The 67-kilometre Norwegian Scenic Route Havøysund runs from Kokelv to Havøysund. The coastal express Hurtigruten also calls at Havøysund daily. Check the timetable for your travel dates if you plan to take this service. The Måsøyekspressen fast boat lets you extend your trip from Havøysund to Rolvsøy, with its landing stage at Gunnarnes, or to Ingøya or Måsøya.

For cycling trips, the scenic route can be combined with National Cycle Route 1. It also shares its route with EuroVelo 1, the Atlantic Coast Route, but is not signposted as a cycling route. If you plan to cycle the route, check current road conditions. This distinguishes the cycling route connections from dedicated cycle-route signposting.

Trails, views and seasons

A walk of about half an hour can take you from Havøysund to Havøygavlen, the island’s highest point. From there, you can see the Arctic Ocean and nearby islands. Another easy hike leads from Havøysund to Storvika, where cliffs and skerries meet the weather-shaped landscape in the southwest of Havøya.

The season also changes the natural experience of your trip: on the edge of the Barents Sea near Havøysund, you can experience the midnight sun in summer and the Northern Lights in winter. These are different seasonal experiences, not a forecast for specific travel dates. Havøygavlen offers views of the sea and islands; Storvika is known for its cliffs and skerries. This lets you choose between a viewpoint and coastal scenery when planning your time outdoors.

Museums and local history

The Ishavsfronten military history museum is located in Havøysund. Its focus spans from the Viking Age to the present day and is devoted to the military history of the North. You can explore a different perspective on the region at the Måsøy Museum in Havøysund, which focuses on coastal culture, particularly the development of fishing vessels and technologies for the fishing industry. The history of life in far northern Finnmark is also represented there through fishing, post-war reconstruction and everyday life in a coastal society shaped by the coastal climate.

The Måsøy Museum is housed in the old vicarage, one of the first reconstruction homes in Måsøy after Finnmark was burned down during the Second World War. Another cultural landmark in Havøysund is the Havøysund Artwork installation at Ørahaugen. It consists of two glass objects in an architecturally designed wooden hut. Together, these places offer different perspectives: the military history of the North, coastal and fishing history, and a contemporary art installation.

Måsøy in a broader context

The wider destination of Måsøy consists of five larger islands and almost 400 smaller islands, islets and skerries. Regional cultural themes include the cultural heritage sites and settlement remains in Selvika, dating from the Neolithic period and Sámi culture. A nature trail also runs there along the “Fotefar mot nord” route.

On Måsøya, settlement remains from the Stone Age can be found in Østervågen and Vestervågen. The island is also associated with hymn writer Magnus Brostrup Landstad, had its own church as early as 1668, and was once the administrative centre of the municipality. This island history adds a distinct regional perspective on settlement, the church and former administration to the themes found in Havøysund.

Discover more destinations: Måsøy, Snefjord.

Return to the main travel overview: Måsøy.