Lyngen Alps

  • European Highways, Lyngen Alps, Road-trips, Tromsø

    Drive it Yourself: From the Lyngen Alps to Tromsø on the E6

    Drive it Yourself: From the Lyngen Alps to Tromsø on the E6

    The Lyngen Alps are described as the ‘Mecca’ for skiiers and hikers all over the world, with many dreaming of coming here just to make the most of the incredible downhill slopes. For those of us who aren’t here to ski, Lyngen is a gorgeous region perfect for a short vacation.

    We spent the night in the Lyngen region towards the end of our North Norwegian road-trip. For us, we chose it simply because it was roughly halfway between where we were (Hammerfest) and where we had to be (Tromsø). We found an adorable AirBNB overlooking the Alps and had a nice rest before finishing the drive.

    Most of this drive takes place on the E6, which also has the nickname ‘the Northern Lights Highway’ up here because of all the roadside stops perfect for viewing the lights. The E6 is the main highway running through Norway and while it is not the most scenic, it is the only way to get between places when you are this far north.

    Here’s an overview of what you can see along the way. 

    In this article...

    Downloadable Version of This Guide

    We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store. 

    View at the Store

    Online Guide

    • Information about points of interest
    • Images of each point of interest
    • Historic overview of the neighbourhood
    • Directions between points
    • Historic photos
    • Information about facilities along the way

    Downloadable Guide

    • Information about points of interest
    • Images of each point of interest
    • Historic overview of the region & towns
    • Directions between points
    • Historic photos
    • Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.

    Watch on Youtube

    All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like. 

    Visit Our YouTube Channel

    The drive: From the Lyngen Alps to Tromsø on the E6

    The Lyngen Alps

    The Lyngen Alps are a scenic mountain range that stretch 90km (56 mi) along the Lyngen Peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and the Ullsfjorden to the west.

    The mountains are popular among extreme skiers, with the highest summit being 1,833m (6,014ft) tall. The mountains are also popular with climbers.

    Olderdalen

    Olderdalen is the main centre for the Kåfjord Municipality we are in. The population is around 301 and the town looks out to the Lyngen Alps. If you use ferries, it is only a 70km drive. However, if you follow the E6 it is around 180km. Agriculture and fishing are the main industries.

    Birtavarre

    Birtavarre is a small village with a population of around 215. The village was a former mining town with smelters. It was during the mining period that it took the name Birtavarre; before then, it was known as ‘Kåfjordbotn’ after the fjord. The name Birtavarre comes from the nearby mountain Pirttivaara, which is a Kven language name.

    Manndalen

    Manndalen is a small village with a population of just under 1000. Historically, Manndalen was where the ‘three tribes’ (Kven, Sami, Norwegian) all settled. People began to arrive from Finland in the 1700s and many locals today consider themselves descendants of these people. The area was also used as the summer grazing area for the reindeer herding Sami. Today Manndalen is a centre for the revitalisation of Sea Sami culture and language and now there is a Sami department in the kindergarten and a Sami language centre. The Riddu Riđđu festival is an annual Sami music and culture festival that takes place here.

    The town was destroyed during World War II, and the town was rebuilt with temporary houses. At Sandeng Cemetery near Løkvell is the urn of Jan Baalsrud, a famous World War II resistance hero. He became fond of Manndalen after all the help he received in his escape from the Germans on the way to Sweden. Many locals were active in hiding him, giving him good, and getting him across the border into Sweden.  

    Storfjord

    Storfjord is a municipality in the Troms County of Northern Norway. The name comes from the Storfjorden that runs through the area, while the coat-of-arms shows three poppies that are rotated around a meeting point which represents the meeting point of the three countries Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

    The first peoples to live here were the Sami people. In the 19th century settlers from Finland and Southern Norway began to establish themselves. Sami culture has survived in parts of the municipality. In the 19th century the Laestadianism religious movement obtained a strong position, and Skibotn is still a stronghold for this movement.

    The landscape of Storfjord is characterised by alpine mountains, and the highest mountain is Vassdalsfjellet (1587m), while the most ‘famous’ mountain is Otertind.

    Skibotn

    Skibotn is a small village with a population of 538 located at the end of the Lyngen fjord and close to Kilpisjarvi in Finland. The residents of the village are either descendants of the Sami and Kven people or the Norwegian immigrants who came in the 19th century.

    Historically, Skibotn was a meeting point and market for the different ethnic groups in the area. The market still takes place today and is named ‘Skibotn markedsplass’ if you want to visit.

    Skibotn is the place in Norway that has registered the clearest days and it is one of the driest places in Norway. Because of the lack of clouds, there is an astrophysical observatory located in Skibotn.

    Kilpisjarvi

    In Skibotn you’ll pass the E8, which takes you into Finland and the town of Kilpisjarvi. Kilpisjarvi is one of the best places to see the northern lights because of its clear skies. We cover Kilpisjarvi and that drive in a separate article. 

    Kilpisjarvi Travel Guide

    Balsfjord Municipality

    Balsfjord is a municipality in the Troms County of Northern Norway. The coat-of-arms depicts a yellow plough on a red background, symbolising the importance of agriculture in the municipality. The plough also symbolises that the municipality is at the northernmost border on which grain can be grown in Norway. No other area in Troms has so much cultivated land. Agriculture is mostly based on milk and meat production and Balsfjord has the highest number of cattle, sheep, and goats among the municipalities in Troms. One of the dairies is the country’s largest goat cheese producer.

    The Sami people were the first people to inhabit the area, but around 1800 new settlers came from Finland and Southern Norway. Today, very few traces of Sami culture survive. From the 18th until the 20th century, trappers from Balsfjord were active in the Arctic, hunting in the areas around Greenland and Svalbard.

    The municipality was home to a religious group of ‘mindekirken’ or ‘freechurch dissenters’ who split from the state church in Tromsø. They were led by a seminary student, Johannes Andreas Johannessen and they established their own church, the Free Apostolic Christian Church, in Balsfjord. Bomstad and his followers were said to have protested against the Tromsø state church minister and Troms Bishop’s religious rulings, eventually leading to a riot in Tromsø. The state church members yelled at Bomstad and his dissenters to “go back to Kautokieno!”. In 1862, Bomstad led a group of colonists to America, arriving into Chicago. After that they went to the area of St. Peter, Minnesota, where they remained. Bomstad left St. Peter and became the founding father of Lake Lillian in Minnesota. After staking his original claim, Bomstad and the rest of the colonists arrived at Lake Lillian and built dugout shelters to live. Eventually they all had log cabins to live in.

    Close to Balsfjord Church are 6000-year-old rock carvings at Tennes.

    Tromsø Municipality

    Tromsø Municipality is a major centre in Northern Norway. The municipality is milder than most settlements on the same latitude dur to the effect of the westerlies reaching this far north as well as the North Atlantic Drift, a branch of the Guld Stream. The population of the entire municipality is around 71,000. A detailed overview of the city of Tromsø can be found on our travel guide. 

    Tromsø

    The final stop is in Tromsø, the largest city in Northern Norway. You can find a detailed guide to Tromsø on our travel guide page. 

    Tromsø Travel Guide

    Where to Go From Here

    From Tromsø you can continue your drive south to Narvik or you can head into Finland towards Kilpisjarvi. 

    Tromsø to Narvik on the E6
    Kilpisjarvi to Kautokeino

    This drive is part of the multi-day series “From Tromsø to North Cape and back again”. You can view the entire drive via the link below. 

    From Tromsø to North Cape & Back Again Multi-Day Series

    If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!

  • Alta, European Highways, Hammerfest, Lyngen Alps, Road-trips

    Drive it Yourself: Hammerfest to the Lyngen Alps

    Drive it Yourself: Hammerfest to the Lyngen Alps

    In this article...

    Downloadable Version of This Guide

    We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store. 

    View at the Store

    Online Guide

    • Information about points of interest
    • Images of each point of interest
    • Historic overview of the neighbourhood
    • Directions between points
    • Historic photos
    • Information about facilities along the way

    Downloadable Guide

    • Information about points of interest
    • Images of each point of interest
    • Historic overview of the region & towns
    • Directions between points
    • Historic photos
    • Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.

    Watch on Youtube

    All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like. 

    Visit Our YouTube Channel

    The Drive: Hammerfest to the Lyngen Alps

    Hammerfest

    This drive begins in Hammerfest, the northernmost city in the world. You can find a detailed overview to Honningsvåg via the link below. 

    Hammerfest Travel Guide

    Rypefjord

    Village

    Rypefjord is a village just outside Hammerfest. The village is considered more of a suburb of Hammerfest because of its proximity to the city. You’ll find a lot of industry here related to the LNG plant just off Hammerfest but also the fishing industry.

    Kvalsund Bridge

    Bridge

    The Kvalsund Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Kvalsundet strait, linking the mainland to the island of Kvaløya. The bridge is 741 metres (2,431 ft) long and has 11 spans. It is the northernmost suspension bridge in the world.

    Kvalsund

    Village

    Kvalsund is a small village and former municipality in Finnmark. It was its own municipality until 2020, when it was merged with Hammerfest. The name directly translates to the whale strait, refering to the whaling that used to take place in the area. The name of the island Kvaløya means ‘whale island’.

    The village used to be known as “Finnbyen”, referring to the Coastal Sami settlement in the area. Until a few hundred years ago, the Coast Sami culture was completely dominant in Kvalsund. Norwegian and Kven immigration soon made the area multicultural, and during the ‘Norwegianisation’ process of the late 19th/early 20th century, most of the culture was lost. One of the only villages to still have the Coastal Sami culture is Kokelv.

    Kvalsund is one of the areas in Finnmark county with the most cabins that are especially used by people from Hammerfest. There is good salmon fishing in the fjord and there are nice hiking trails in the area.

    Repparfjorden

    Fjord

    Repparfjorden is a fjord located southeast of the island Kvaløya, where Hammerfest is. The fjord is quite shallow with an average depth of 40-60 metres and a maximum depth of 123 metres. There are strong currents at the bottom of the fjord.

    Mining used to take place in this area for copper. The deposits were found around the year 1900 and between 1972 and 1978 Folldal Verk (the mine near Røros) ran the operations. More mining is planned in the area, but it is meeting protests by the local community.

    Skaidi

    Village

    Skaidi is a small village and major traffic hub in Northern Norway. In the 1940s, the Skaidi Mountain Lodge and Station was built. Today it’s an important point to stop if you need a rest on the long road journeys.

    Here you’ll find a petrol station, various electric car charging stations, a cafe and a hotel. 

    Savesalta

    Alpine Ski Resort

    Sarvesalta is an alpine ski resort overlooking the Altafjord and it is the major ski resort in the area. One of the popular places to stay is the Bjørnfjell Mountain Lodge, which focuses a lot on Norwegian farming and cabin culture.

    Alta Municipality

    Alta is the most populated municipality in Finnmark county, and its population has increased by 11.3% over the last decade. The coat-of-arms represent a white arrow point on a blue background, and it is derived from the findings of quartzite arrow points dating back to the late Stone Age found in the area. The quartzite was mined in the area and tools were made from it all over Northern Norway.

    Alta is most famous for its rock carvings, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The carvings date from 4,200 BC to 500BC and were likely made by the Komsa culture, an early people in Northern Norway. These are Northern Europe’s largest number of petroglyphs and rock paintings made by a hunter-gatherer population.

    Alta is first mentioned in written sources around 1500, when it was inhabited by a couple hundred Sami people. The area was a common tax country for Denmark-Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Towards the end of the 16th century there were conflicts between Sweden and Denmark over the right to tax salmon fishing in the river. In 1613, it was decided that the area of Alta belonged to Denmark-Norway, and by this time Norwegians were settling along the Altafjord.

    Around 1700, the Kven population began to settle in the area. The Kven people came from Finland and were escaping war and famine. The Kvens brought with them grain cultivation and improved the river fishing methods. In 1826, copper mines were established, and miners came from Finland, Sweden and southern Norway to take part. Several of the miners later travelled onto the United States, but many stayed and combined farming with mining.

    During World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz was kept hidden in the Altafjord for 18 months. It was so badly damaged that it had to leave the fjord. It was towed to Tromsø, where it was eventually sunk by Allied forces. The town of Alta was destroyed by the Germans in 1944 and the only building that was not burned was Alta church.

    The main industries in Alta include trading, education, and public service. The town of Alta is known for its slate industry. Alta is also the starting point for the Finnmarksløpet, the longest dog sled race in Europe.

    Alta is the second northernmost city in the world and a good place to spend some time. I’ve written a detailed travel guide to Alta, which you’ll see below.

    Alta

    The E6 runs through the city of Alta. You can choose to spend the night here or stop at the UNESCO World Heritage Site where the rock carvings are. You can also drive straight through 🙂

    A detailed travel guide to Alta can be found below. 

    Alta Travel Guide

    Kåfjorden

    Fjord

    Kåfjorden is an 8km (5 mi) long branch of the Altafjord. The fjord was used as the anchorage for the German battleship Tirpitz for much of World War II.

    Talvik

    Village

    Talvik is a small village on the western short of the Altafjord. It has been a trading centre since the 1800s and is the home of Talvik Church from 1883.

    Langfjordbotn

    Village

    Langfjordbotn is a small village located at the innermost point of the Langfjorden. The population is around 110 and the village is known for its excellent nature and in particular good conditions for growing potatoes and berries. There are five dairy farms, a school and community centre here. In summer people come to go hiking, while in winter people come to go skiing, snowmobile driving and dog sled racing.

    Kvænangen Municipality

    Kvænangen is a small but scenic municipality located in Finnmark. The municipality is located around the Kvænangen Fjord and over the Kvænangsfjellet Mountain Pass. The first part of the name refers to the Kven population that resided in the municipality, while the second part of the name comes from the Old Norse word angr meaning ‘fjord’. The population here was originally Sami, but the Kven people settled here about 300 years ago. Archaeological finds indicate people have lived here for 10,000 years.

    When the Kvens came in the 18th century, they took part in fishing, hunting and agriculture. Over time, the fisheries became an important industry and dried fish was exported to southern Norway and the rest of Europe. This attracted Norwegians, who gradually settled in the area. Today fish farming and tourism are the fastest growing industries.

    Alteidet

    Village

    Alteidet is a small coastal village located along the Lille Altafjord. The population is around 130 people and historically it was a trading post. Unfortunately the village was destroyed during World War II and wasn’t really rebuilt.

    Badderen

    Village

    Badderen is a small village with a population of around 180. Mining took place in this area throughout the 20th century; the mines were operated by the Alten Copper Works, led by the Englishman John Rice Crow. The old trading centre of Badderen became the centre for the mining operations, and an ore quay was established here.

    Sørstraumen

    Tidal Current

    Sørstraumen is the second-strongest current in Northern Europe, only beaten by Saltstraumen. We cross the bridge over the current while on the E6.

    Kvænangsfjellet

    Mountain range

    We now cross the Kvænangsfjellet mountain range. The E6 highway crosses the mountains over the mountain pass, which can close in winter in the case of snowstorms. The highest point of the road is 402m (1,319ft) and this is exposed to bad weather.

    The Kvænangsfjellet mountain area is mainly used by the Sami reindeer herders in the summer.

    Gildetun Inn

    Accommodation

    The inn on the side of the road is a well-known place for visitors to stay. It offers accommodation and meals during the tourist reason and has a nice vantage point. 7

    Nordreisa Municipality

    consists of the Reisadalen valley surrounded by mountains and high plateaus. The coat-of-arms depicts two white salmon because the Reisaelva River is one of the country’s best salmon rivers. The Reisa National Park is located in the southern part of the municipality.

    Most of the people who settled here were the Kven people from Finland, who came over in the 18th century escaping famine and war. Some inhabitants have Sami or Norwegian backgrounds.

    Most of the municipality was destroyed by retreating German troops.

    Storslett

    Village

    Storslett is the main centre for the municipality of Nordreisa. It has a small airport, schools and a local church. The town was destroyed during World War II in 1944. The village area has seen strong growth since the war.

    Rotsund

    Village

    Rotsund is a small village located along the Rotsundet strait. We are now in the northern Lyngen region, and the mountains are visible in the distance.

    Lyngen

    Mountain range

    The Lyngen Alps are a scenic mountain range that stretch 90km (56 mi) along the Lyngen Peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and the Ullsfjorden to the west.

    The mountains are popular among extreme skiers, with the highest summit being 1,833m (6,014ft) tall. The mountains are also popular with climbers.

    Where to Go From Here

    After Lyngen we continued on to Tromsø.

    Lyngen to Tromsø

    This drive is part of the multi-day series “From Tromsø to North Cape and back again”. You can view the entire drive via the link below. 

    From Tromsø to North Cape & Back Again Multi-Day Series

    If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!