Where to stay in Finnmark
Finnmark is the emptiest county in Norway. Beds in this Arctic fylke are scattered thinly across an enormous expanse of the far north, and the choice suits travellers set on a base in the deep Nord-Norge region rather than a busy hub. Distances are immense here.
Because the county runs from the Troms border in the west to the Russia frontier in the east, along the Barents Sea, decide which corner of Finnmark you mean to reach before settling. Plan hard for Arctic distances.
Browse all areas in Finnmark
About Finnmark
What is Finnmark known for?
Finnmark is the top of Norway. It is known as the country's northernmost county and the northernmost part of mainland Europe, the largest fylke by area yet the smallest in people, reaching across the far north of the Nord-Norge region toward the Barents Sea. The county also marks the easternmost part of Norway, bordering Finland and Russia.
North, east, and Arctic.
Where is Finnmark?
Finnmark is Norway's northernmost and largest county by area, a vast Arctic fylke set within the Arctic Circle in the far north of the Nord-Norge region. The far north shapes all of it. The county stretches from the Troms border in the west to the frontier with Russia in the east, fronting the Norwegian Sea to the north-west and the Barents Sea to the north and north-east, a huge expanse of Arctic coast and tundra above the rest of the continent.
Biggest fylke, fewest people. It is the easternmost part of Norway. Finnmark borders Finland's Lapland to the south and reaches the northernmost point of mainland Europe, where the land of the Nord-Norge region runs out into the Barents Sea.
Known in Sámi as Finnmárkku fylka, the county spreads across an enormous Arctic interior of plateau and coast. The reach of this far-northern land is its defining trait. Arctic coast, vast tundra, and immense distance: that is the geography of Finnmark.
What is Finnmark like?
Finnmark carries the culture of the high Arctic. The county belongs to the far north of the Nord-Norge region, and its Sámi name, Finnmárkku fylka, marks the deep Sámi heritage that runs through this northernmost part of Norway alongside its Norwegian communities. Two peoples, one Arctic land.
The far north shapes the way of life. Its small communities are spread across an immense Arctic expanse between the Troms border and the frontier with Russia, giving Finnmark a remote northern character unlike anywhere further south. A deep Sámi presence is woven through the fylke, reflected in the very name Finnmárkku fylka, and the bordering reach of Finland to the south colours the cultural edges of the region.
Between Norwegian, Sámi, and Arctic frontier, Finnmark holds the layered culture of Norway's far north.
What is the history of Finnmark?
Finnmark took shape as a county in 1919. The northernmost fylke of Norway has held its name through the shifts of the country's administrative map, anchoring the far north-eastern corner of the Nord-Norge region. Its Sámi roots reach back much further.
The name Finnmárkku fylka reflects the long Sámi presence across this Arctic land between the Troms border and the frontier with Russia. The county endures as Norway's far-northern frontier.
What is the climate of Finnmark?
Finnmark lies within the Arctic Circle. Its far-northern position drives long and bitter winters and brief, bright summers across the Nord-Norge region, with the open water of the Barents Sea tempering the coast while the inland plateau turns sharply colder. Winter owns the dark months.
The Arctic reach that makes this the northernmost part of mainland Europe, known in Sámi as Finnmárkku fylka, sets a climate far harsher than the south of Norway. Polar nights run long here.
How do you get to Finnmark?
Finnmark lies at the top of Norway. Reaching the county means a long journey into the far north of the Nord-Norge region, past the Troms border and well above the rest of mainland Europe. The far north takes real effort.
Because Finnmark spreads from the Barents Sea coast to the frontiers with Finland and Russia, the way in depends on which corner of the county you are bound for. Plan the long approach to the Arctic.