Finnmark · Norway
Where to stay in Kirkenes
Kirkenes is a city in Finnmark, Norway, home to about 3,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Kirkenes.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Nearest airport
- KKN6 km · Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
- Currency
- NOKNorwegian krone
- Time zone
- Europe/Oslo
- Language
- Bokmål, Norwegian, Nynorsk
About
About Kirkenes
Kirkenes, known as Girkonjárga in Northern Sami and Kirkkoniemi in Kven, is a town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøkfjorden, an arm of the large Varangerfjorden, and is located just a few kilometres from the Norway–Russia border.
Kirkenes is known as a mining town, and mining for iron ore has been taken up again after a hiatus. Kirkenes has some 3,500 inhabitants. The region was Germany's staging ground for its northern front against the Soviet Union during World War II, and this has left marks in the area. The town of Kirkenes was totally destroyed by almost 350 Soviet air raids, and holds the record as the most bombed-out town in Europe during the war. Upon an imminent Soviet advance the population was forced by the Germans to relocate to Tromsø and further south.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Kirkenes
See
- spot
- three-borders-mark
- Skafferhullet
- Grenselandmuseet
- Ä´vv Skolt Sámi museum
Do
- Kirkenes Snow Hotel
- Øvre Pasvik National Park
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Kirkenes
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Thon Hotel Kirkenes hotel |
When to go
The best time to visit Kirkenes
Kirkenes has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 16 °C; July is the wettest, with about 70 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Kirkenes: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen (KKN), about 5.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vadsø Airport (VDS, 38 km) and Vardø Airport, Svartnes (VAW, 80 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Note the time zone difference if coming from Finland (1 hour) or Russia (varies according to daylight saving). Check what timezone is used in timetables for international services.
Getting around
Local buses. Long distance buses leave outside the main shopping center in the middle of town. Some buses only take cash, however there is an ATM inside the shopping center.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
KKN · Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
VDS · Vadsø Airport
VAW · Vardø Airport, Svartnes
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Kirkenes
Eat
Being a small settlement dining opportunities are not abundant. There are however a few restaurants.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Kirkenes: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Kirkenes?
Kirkenes has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 16 °C; July is the wettest, with about 70 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Kirkenes?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen (KKN), about 5.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vadsø Airport (VDS, 38 km) and Vardø Airport, Svartnes (VAW, 80 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Kirkenes?
Norwegian krone (NOK).
Nearby
Destinations near Kirkenes
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.