A day in Kirkenes built around the king crab safari
The crab safari takes about 3 hours, which leaves the rest of the day free in a small town with a surprising amount to see. Kirkenes has a wartime past, a hotel made of snow and a border with Russia a short drive away. This plan fits them around the crab.
A town rebuilt at the far end of Norway
Kirkenes sits on the Bøkfjord, an arm of the Varangerfjord, in Finnmark. Russia is a few kilometers away, and the fjord opens to the Barents Sea.
The town was one of the most bombed places in Europe during the Second World War. It was almost entirely destroyed and rebuilt after 1944, which is why most buildings look postwar and plain.
That history shows up on the crab safari too. The summer boat passes wartime battle stations in the fjord, and the guide tells their stories on the way to the crab pots.
The crab safari as the anchor
Book the safari first and plan the rest around it. Both trips cover the hotel transfer in Kirkenes and the crab meal with an English-speaking guide. A visit to the Snow Park is part of the fare too.
Summer guests who skip the transfer meet at the King Crab pier at 1:15 pm, per GetYourGuide. That leaves the morning free in town. In winter, check the start times in the booking calendar.
The meal is filling, so skip a big lunch on safari day. Our guide to the crab meal explains how much you eat and how it is served.
The Snowhotel and the Snow Park
The Snow Resort at Bjørnevatn, about 15 minutes' drive from town, is home to the Snowhotel Kirkenes. Its ice suites are carved anew each winter, and the Snow Park around it has reindeer and a dog yard with huskies.
Park entry comes with both crab trips. On the winter trip you start and finish at the resort, so you can walk round the reindeer and the dog yard before or after the meal at Teina.
A separate guided Snowhotel tour is listed on GetYourGuide for visitors who want to see the ice rooms properly. A husky ride from the same yard is also sold as its own trip.
Andersgrotta and the wartime story
Andersgrotta is a bomb shelter blasted into the rock under the town. It sheltered townspeople through the air raids of the Second World War, and today visitors can go down into it.
It sits in the town itself, so it fits a free morning before a summer safari or a gap between other plans. It also adds context to the battle stations you pass on the boat.
Read up on the crab before you go as well. Our story of how king crab reached Kirkenes covers the Soviet release and the species' spread west along the coast.
The border and the Pasvik Valley
Kirkenes is one of the few places where Norway meets Russia. A border sightseeing tour is listed on GetYourGuide, with stops at viewpoints that look across the frontier.
South of town, the Pasvik Valley runs along the border through pine forest and lakes. It is a different landscape from the bare fjord, and a good half-day drive if you have a car or join a tour.
Do not try to cross the border or step over the markers for a photo. The tours know the rules and where you may stand.
Road signs in Kirkenes are written in Norwegian and Russian, a small sign of how close the neighbor is. The border tour guides explain how the two sides have lived next to each other.
Winter day, crab first?
The ice safari starts and ends at the Snow Resort, which puts the Snow Park with its reindeer in the same visit. Check the calendar for start times.
A winter evening under the northern lights
This far north, a clear night in the dark months can bring the northern lights. Nothing guarantees them. Cloud can cancel the show, and so can a quiet sun.
Northern lights tours run from town in winter. A crab safari by day and a lights trip after dark is a common pairing, though a long cold day calls for the layers in our clothing guide.
The ice trip can run in twilight or darkness in the deepest part of winter, during the polar night. On a clear evening the lights are sometimes possible during the safari itself, a bonus rather than a plan.
In summer the problem reverses. Around the midnight sun there is no darkness at all, so no aurora, but the long light lets you stretch a summer day well into the evening with a late walk along the fjord.
Getting around between the stops
Kirkenes is compact, so you can walk between the town center and the pier or down to Andersgrotta. The Snow Resort and the Pasvik Valley are a drive away, so the transfers included with the tours do much of the work.
Kirkenes airport has flights from Oslo, and it lies a short drive from town. If you fly in on safari day, leave a wide margin, since a delayed flight cannot be fixed by the free cancellation that ends 24 hours before the start.
In a town this size, arrange a ride back from any outlying sight before you go rather than hoping to find a taxi waiting.
Two sample days
| Part of the day | Summer day | Winter day |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Andersgrotta and a walk in town | Snowhotel tour or husky ride |
| Crab safari | RIB from the King Crab pier, meal in a boathouse | Sled on the frozen fjord, meal at Teina |
| Later | Border sightseeing or Pasvik Valley | Northern lights chase after dark |
| Price from | ~$284 | ~$376 |
Book the summer boat safari or the winter ice safari, then fill in the rest. The safari price guide shows what you pay on top for drinks.
Arriving by ship rather than staying the night? Our guide to a crab safari on a ship call covers the timing. To choose a season first, see when to book a crab safari.