Honningsvag Norway/ North Cape

[travelite]

What do you suggest to do here?

I understand there is a bus up 1000 ft. to the North Cape view point, but can not find further information concerning tickets, reservations, price, office/start location.

Do the cruise ships dock here or are you only disembarked by tender if you book a ship's tour? Will be sailing HAL Prinsendam.

Anything else to do here of special interest or should I just relax and enjoy the view from the cruise ship? I don't need to say I stepped foot on the North Cape.

[TLCOhio]

What do you suggest to do here?

I understand there is a bus up 1000 ft. to the North Cape view point, but can not find further information concerning tickets, reservations, price, office/start location. Do the cruise ships dock here or are you only disembarked by tender if you book a ship's tour? Will be sailing HAL Prinsendam. Anything else to do here of special interest or should I just relax and enjoy the view from the cruise ship? I don't need to say I stepped foot on the North Cape.

 

For our cruise, we will be at Honningsvag (North Cape) on July 9-10, Friday-Saturday, 7 pm-2 am, docking close to the main town. Then, we will be cruising by the Nordkapp July 10, from 6 am-7 am before going south to Lofoten Archipelago.

 

From this town, you would or could take a land trip (via ship tour or private arrangements) to either the site/facility overlooking the North Cape and/or to catch a smaller boat to see one of the top bird islands in Europe. Will you be there on June 18, from 8 AM to 6 PM? Below are my added notes and details on this port stop.

 

This North Cape is virtually Europe’s northernmost point, and is billed as “the top of the world!”. The town population is 2600. At the end of World War II, the Germans total destroyed the town, with only an 1884 church left standing. As you are standing in broad daylight at midnight looking out over the Arctic Ocean, it can be one of the world’s most memorable experiences. If you are lucky enough to see the Midnight Sun, it could be unforgettable. Much of this area is treeless tundra with sparse dwarf plants. It is 1300 miles from the North Pole. One of the Nordic countries' main attractions is without a doubt the midnight sun, which can be seen in the North Cape area from the middle of May until the end of July. The sun disappears completely beyond the horizon on 20 November, not returning again until 22 January. The ship offers tours to the North Cape Hall with a glass-enclosed viewpoint overlooking the Barents Sea. Outside is a giant iron globe. The plateau on the North Cape cliff is only twenty miles away from Honningsvåg and is Europe's northernmost corner, at 71ºC 10' 21'' latitude. Could consider getting a taxi for the trip to the North Cape Hall, but those getting busy if a large ship is in port. Some ships offer a a safari via Zodiac seeubg giant King Crab measuring up to 6 feet between its claws and weigh as much as 24 lbs.

 

Bird safaris through http://www.birdsafari.com, but they might be booked up doing ship tour when the large cruises are in town. Have two ships, 50 & 97 passengers. Can’t go on the island. Can contact (http://www.northcapecc.com) and http://www.stappan.com also offer bird watching in much smaller boats (capacity 8 persons max, new Ardea 8,3 m (27 foot) boat propelled by 222-horse power engine, 26 mph.

Local tourism office: http://www.nordkapp.no

Latitude: 71.0° N.

Car rental: lene@nordkappbilservice.no

 

Reactions and questions? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[RachelG]

The ship will dock right downtown, but downtown is pretty small. There are a few shops and bars, but not much really. It was snowing/sleeting on and off when we were there last July.

We took the ship's tour to Nordcapp. It was worth it to say we had been, and there really isn't anything to do except stay on the ship if you stay in town.

We did get to see lots of scenery and reindeer in the wild on the way to and from Nordkapp. Nordkapp itself is just a building with a few exhibits (which are well-done) and an excellent documentary type film. There is a huge gift shop of course. We went outside only long enough to take a couple of pics as it was VERY cold. The only time the entire trip I wore all my layers, and I was glad I had them, including gloves and hat.

I understand the birdwatching tour is very good as is the crab catching tour.

[TLCOhio]

The ship will dock right downtown, but downtown is pretty small. There are a few shops and bars, but not much really. It was snowing/sleeting on and off when we were there last July.

We took the ship's tour to Nordcapp. It was worth it to say we had been, and there really isn't anything to do except stay on the ship if you stay in town.

We did get to see lots of scenery and reindeer in the wild on the way to and from Nordkapp. Nordkapp itself is just a building with a few exhibits (which are well-done) and an excellent documentary type film. There is a huge gift shop of course. We went outside only long enough to take a couple of pics as it was VERY cold. The only time the entire trip I wore all my layers, and I was glad I had them, including gloves and hat.

I understand the birdwatching tour is very good as is the crab catching tour.

 

THANKS, Rachel, for the added details on your experiences at the North Cape! We'll try to skip that snow portion of your visit there in July. We are aiming, assuming the weather is decent and not snowing, to rent a car and go to where we can take the boat trip to see the bird island. We've made reservations. That North Cape building exhibit seems "OK", but not spectacular. Appreciate the details and insights. Keep it coming! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[travelite]

The ship will dock right downtown, but downtown is pretty small. There are a few shops and bars, but not much really. It was snowing/sleeting on and off when we were there last July.

We took the ship's tour to Nordcapp. It was worth it to say we had been, and there really isn't anything to do except stay on the ship if you stay in town.

We did get to see lots of scenery and reindeer in the wild on the way to and from Nordkapp. Nordkapp itself is just a building with a few exhibits (which are well-done) and an excellent documentary type film. There is a huge gift shop of course. We went outside only long enough to take a couple of pics as it was VERY cold. The only time the entire trip I wore all my layers, and I was glad I had them, including gloves and hat.

I understand the birdwatching tour is very good as is the crab catching tour.

 

TLCOhio and Rachael G,

Thanks for the info. and your experience.

June 18 is the day we will be there.

I went to the Bird Tour site. Don't you love it when the omit the price. I'll send an email to them requesting details. Our ship's tour is $249.(ouch) each for the Bird tour and I think $239. for the King Crab tour which sounds stage for the tourist.

I'd consider the local bus to the North Cape. I'll contact the local tourist office. Rachael do you recall if taxis or small vans with drivers were available to take small independent groups of 4 to 8?

Thanks again for your replies.

[RachelG]

I did not see any taxis or vans with drivers for rent. This was the only port on the trip where I didn't see at least one taxi for rent at the dock. But there may have been one or two there and they just were already taken by the time we disembarked. This really is a very small town, so I doubt there would many in any case.

[TLCOhio]

TLCOhio and Rachael G,

Thanks for the info. and your experience.

June 18 is the day we will be there.

I went to the Bird Tour site. Don't you love it when the omit the price. I'll send an email to them requesting details. Our ship's tour is $249.(ouch) each for the Bird tour and I think $239. for the King Crab tour which sounds stage for the tourist.

I'd consider the local bus to the North Cape. I'll contact the local tourist office. Rachael do you recall if taxis or small vans with drivers were available to take small independent groups of 4 to 8?

Thanks again for your replies.

 

HAL is not being too helpful or generous on that pricing. With Silversea, those two different tours cost $169 and $209, respectively. You could try a local bus, but things tend to get real busy with that limited service, especially when a larger ship is in that small port. This is based on what I have read from earlier postings. This is not New York City or Paris, where service is frequent with only short waits.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[travelite]

HAL is not being too helpful or generous on that pricing. With Silversea, those two different tours cost $169 and $209, respectively. You could try a local bus, but things tend to get real busy with that limited service, especially when a larger ship is in that small port. This is based on what I have read from earlier postings. This is not New York City or Paris, where service is frequent with only short waits.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

What a difference in price!

HAL, like all the other lines, use private operators. Guess HAL is taking a larger % of the profit. All of the tours being offered to us seem to be priced high, even by Norway standards.

I'm going to try to make local contact and see what is offered through the tourist office.

Many of the links that other CCs posted just come up as "page not found" and several email contacts posted are being rejected. Our ship will have about 700 or less passengers. Most will take tours or not even get off the ship. Unless another ship is in port on the same day, I would think something could be arrange independently.

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

This is the bus timetable for the bus to the North Cape

 

http://www.veolia-transport.no/timetables-bus/330-honningsvaag-north-cape-summer-article800-384.html

 

When we went a couple of years ago, we decided that we might as well use the ship's trip as the service bus seemed a little inconvenient and you still have to pay the 210NK admission fee, this makes the ship's price less unattractive. The trip is more of a transfer rather than an excursion as such. The bus does stop at a Sami camp for photos on the way.

I did notice a board in an office at the port advertising a taxi fare. I don't recall the exact price but I think it was a couple of hundred $$. There didn't seem to be many taxis around though.

 

I presume that the ship will sail past the Cape so you will see it from the sea.

Edited May 3, 2010 by tony@stanton19.freeserve.

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

King crab seen on the dock

[travelite]

This is the bus timetable for the bus to the North Cape

 

http://www.veolia-transport.no/timetables-bus/330-honningsvaag-north-cape-summer-article800-384.html

 

When we went a couple of years ago, we decided that we might as well use the ship's trip as the service bus seemed a little inconvenient and you still have to pay the 210NK admission fee, this makes the ship's price less unattractive. The trip is more of a transfer rather than an excursion as such. The bus does stop at a Sami camp for photos on the way.

I did notice a board in an office at the port advertising a taxi fare. I don't recall the exact price but I think it was a couple of hundred $$. There didn't seem to be many taxis around though.

 

I presume that the ship will sail past the Cape so you will see it from the sea.

 

I thank you for the transportation link. I checked it out. Given the cost of our ship's tour, doing it independently will be a total saving of $84 dollars per person.

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

I thank you for the transportation link. I checked it out. Given the cost of our ship's tour, doing it independently will be a total saving of $84 dollars per person.

When we did it with NCL, it was either $79 or $59.

It was really that the bus times didn't fit our sailing times. The buses that the ship chartered look the same as the local transfers.

[travelite]

When we did it with NCL, it was either $79 or $59.

It was really that the bus times didn't fit our sailing times. The buses that the ship chartered look the same as the local transfers.

 

Our ship is charging $139 for the transfer and nothing is mentioned about including the admission. At that price, I would hope admission is included. I added bus plus admission and came up with a total of $50 per person. I will triple check our port time to make sure it is doable.

[TLCOhio]

What a difference in price! HAL, like all the other lines, use private operators. Guess HAL is taking a larger % of the profit. All of the tours being offered to us seem to be priced high, even by Norway standards. I'm going to try to make local contact and see what is offered through the tourist office. Many of the links that other CCs posted just come up as "page not found" and several email contacts posted are being rejected. Our ship will have about 700 or less passengers. Most will take tours or not even get off the ship. Unless another ship is in port on the same day, I would think something could be arrange independently.

 

There is a difference in price, BUT, it could be that HAL might be providing a longer tour and/or some other extras. Maybe. Maybe not. With our cruise, the King Crab Safari is 3.5 hours for $209. The Bird Safari is 3.5 hours for $169. Just wanted to share that added info and balance.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

There is a difference in price, BUT, it could be that HAL might be providing a longer tour and/or some other extras. Maybe. Maybe not. With our cruise, the King Crab Safari is 3.5 hours for $209. The Bird Safari is 3.5 hours for $169. Just wanted to share that added info and balance.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

I read through the description on the HAL website. It appears to be exactly the same as the trip we did.

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

Our ship is charging $139 for the transfer and nothing is mentioned about including the admission. At that price, I would hope admission is included. I added bus plus admission and came up with a total of $50 per person. I will triple check our port time to make sure it is doable.

 

The admission will be included. The buses pass through some toll booths some way before the visitor centre. There is not really the facility to collect the entrance fees on the bus. It seems to be a well established joint operation with the visitor centre and coach operator. There must have been about thirty coaches up there when we visited.

 

Although we were allocated a bus to get up there, we were just told to get a bus back in "about one and a half hours". It was more like a shuttle on the way back. We were then able to look around the few shops in town before getting back onboard. We could have easily gone into the Ice Bar while we were waiting but that's not really our thing and it didn't seem worth it.

[travelite]

The ship will dock right downtown, but downtown is pretty small. There are a few shops and bars, but not much really. It was snowing/sleeting on and off when we were there last July.

We took the ship's tour to Nordcapp. It was worth it to say we had been, and there really isn't anything to do except stay on the ship if you stay in town.

We did get to see lots of scenery and reindeer in the wild on the way to and from Nordkapp. Nordkapp itself is just a building with a few exhibits (which are well-done) and an excellent documentary type film. There is a huge gift shop of course. We went outside only long enough to take a couple of pics as it was VERY cold. The only time the entire trip I wore all my layers, and I was glad I had them, including gloves and hat.

I understand the birdwatching tour is very good as is the crab catching tour.

 

This shows as a tender port for the Prinsendam.....odd really because this is not a large cruise ship and no other ship is scheduled to be in port that day.

[TLCOhio]

This shows as a tender port for the Prinsendam.....odd really because this is not a large cruise ship and no other ship is scheduled to be in port that day.

 

Our ship will be docking there on July 9. Maybe it's an error in what they are posting now. Hope you are docked there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[tjcox9]

We were on Cunard last summer and took their "tour", which as previously stated was really just a transfer. We felt it was overpriced (probably not as much as HAL since their tours seem to be higher than any others we've experienced). It was OK and we can say we've been there, done that but would definitely look for other alternatives if we were to go again. And I don't recall the price of the transfer on Cunard, but their other tours seemed to be more reasonable than HAL.

[TLCOhio]

We were on Cunard last summer and took their "tour", which as previously stated was really just a transfer. We felt it was overpriced (probably not as much as HAL since their tours seem to be higher than any others we've experienced). It was OK and we can say we've been there, done that but would definitely look for other alternatives if we were to go again. And I don't recall the price of the transfer on Cunard, but their other tours seemed to be more reasonable than HAL.

 

As noted, this "tour" seems more like just a "transfer" to that center overlooking the North Cape area. That's why we have schedule a car rental and are planning to drive up to where we will do a private boat tour of the bird island, plus stop and see a few things enroute up and back. Saying you've seen that point sounds nice, but we'll also see it when our ship cruises by there after this port stop. Am I missing something to consider or know with this plan? Lots does depend on how the weather will for our visit there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[RachelG]

As noted, this "tour" seems more like just a "transfer" to that center overlooking the North Cape area. That's why we have schedule a car rental and are planning to drive up to where we will do a private boat tour of the bird island, plus stop and see a few things enroute up and back. Saying you've seen that point sounds nice, but we'll also see it when our ship cruises by there after this port stop. Am I missing something to consider or know with this plan? Lots does depend on how the weather will for our visit there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Your plan sounds like a good one. There are very few roads, so getting lost won't be a problem. The roads are in good repair, and there isn't many (any) traffic at all other than the tour buses going back and forth. You will be able to stop and take pics when you want. Hope it isn't snowing/sleeting though--that would put a big damper on things.

[TLCOhio]

Your plan sounds like a good one. There are very few roads, so getting lost won't be a problem. The roads are in good repair, and there isn't many (any) traffic at all other than the tour buses going back and forth. You will be able to stop and take pics when you want. Hope it isn't snowing/sleeting though--that would put a big damper on things.

 

THANKS, Rachel, for the follow-up and added information! Very helpful. Clearly the weather is the big unknown and variable to our plan. Happy to hear any other comments, experiences from past visitors to this port and area. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[travelite]

As noted, this "tour" seems more like just a "transfer" to that center overlooking the North Cape area. That's why we have schedule a car rental and are planning to drive up to where we will do a private boat tour of the bird island, plus stop and see a few things enroute up and back. Saying you've seen that point sounds nice, but we'll also see it when our ship cruises by there after this port stop. Am I missing something to consider or know with this plan? Lots does depend on how the weather will for our visit there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Terry,

I like your idea. Do you mind sharing who you contacted for a car rental and their rates? Do you have a contact for the bird island boat tour? I contacted one company, but they need a group of 8 or more.

Travelite

Thanks -- you have been very helpful sharing information.

[luvnorway]

For anyone interested, here's a webcam showing the exit from Honningsvag harbour.

http://www.ogp.nu/siste.jpg

 

The town is out of sight beyond the height of land on the left.

 

Honningsvag is on the island of Mageroya, off the tip of Northern Norway - now joined to the mainland by a highway tunnel. North Cape is across the island on the Northern side.

 

Not all cruise ships sail by North Cape - some include it in their itinerary and state the time they will pass by it, which is very helpful.

 

Others reveal nothing until the Captain's departure announcement when leaving Honningsvag. I suspect they do this because they want to make it look like an added bonus thrown in for passengers' enjoyment, and/or because, if the seas are rough or fog is bad, as it often can be in that area (remember the stories about the conditions experienced by the merchant navy on the Murmansk Run convoys in WWII

http://www.acc-vac.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/murmansk/history), they don't have passengers complaining that they didn't get what they paid for.

 

You can tell if you are going to pass by the North Cape if your ship turns left when leaving Honningsvag. If it does, North Cape will be on your left side in a couple of hours. If you have binoculars, look along the top of the cliff and you'll spot the globe on top near the edge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cape,_Norway

 

If your ship turns right when leaving Honningsvag, you will sail right over the highway tunnel that links the island of Mageroya to the mainland.

 

Also, there are great hiking trails with incredible views up the hill/mountain behind Honningsvag. We've often seen reindeer grazing up there and the tiny, fragile tundra wildflowers are beautiful.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I like your idea. Do you mind sharing who you contacted for a car rental and their rates? Do you have a contact for the bird island boat tour? I contacted one company, but they need a group of 8 or more. Travelite Thanks -- you have been very helpful sharing information.

 

THANKS to luvnorway for the excellent items and suggestions!

 

Here are some of those links and e-mails to check on your options:

Car rental: lene@nordkappbilservice.no

Can get info (e-mail at olat@birdsafari.com) on bird safaris through http://www.birdsafari.com. They have two ships, 50 & 97 passengers, but they might be booked when you visit there doing ship tours. These boat trips don’t let you physically go on the island. You go around and see the bird places for the vantage point of the boat. For a smaller boat/bird trip options, you can contact http://www.northcapecc.com and http://www.stappan.com.

Tourism office: http://www.nordkapp.no

 

Does this help? We found them to be very helpful in making arrangements. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio