Finnmark’s largest town and aurora capital
Alta is the largest town in Finnmark and a natural hub in West Finnmark, with an airport, hotels and short distances to both coast and plateau. The town is known for the rock carvings at Hjemmeluft, the spiral-shaped Northern Lights Cathedral, the Sautso canyon and the Alta River with its famous salmon.
The World Heritage at Hjemmeluft
At Hjemmeluft just outside the centre lies Alta Museum — the World Heritage Rock Art Centre. Here are several thousand rock carvings and paintings made between 7,000 and 2,000 years ago, along a nature trail down towards the fjord.
The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 and is Norway’s only prehistoric monument on the list — a unique window into the lives of the people who lived here in the Stone Age.
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UNESCO 1985
World Heritage – rock art
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Thousands
Carvings and paintings
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Sautso
Northern Europe’s largest canyon
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Aurora Cathedral
Landmark from 2013
The aurora capital
Alta is often called the aurora town. On Mount Haldde the world’s first permanent northern-lights observatory was built as early as 1899, and the dry inland climate often gives clear skies and good aurora conditions through the winter.
Around Alta there is a wide range of experiences — dog sledding, snowmobile safaris, aurora hunts and the well-known igloo hotel by the Alta River. In summer, river life, hiking and the midnight sun take over.
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Book ahead
Aurora and dog-sledding tours fill up in high season. Book activities and accommodation well in advance, especially around New Year and winter holidays. The igloo hotel is rebuilt every winter and has limited capacity.
Tips
- 🌌Aurora season from September to March.
- 🏛️Set aside time for Alta Museum and the World Heritage trail.
- 🏞️The Sautso canyon is best experienced on a guided tour.
- ☀️In summer: midnight sun, the river and hiking on the plateau.
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