Alta is a rather small town in the county of Finnmark in Northern Norway. Despite its size, it is the most popular municipality in Finnmark and well known as the Northern Lights City! It got its name from the local Altafjorden.

It was Sebastian from Off the Path, who gave me the idea and the strong desire to travel to Alta. Since I love the cold weather and snow, I immediately knew that Northern Norway was the first thing on my travel do to list.

From the very first moment that I stepped out of the plane and could breath this cold, fresh air, I knew that I found my place.

Northern Lights Cathedral

The Northern Lights Cathedral, in Norwegian Nordlyskatedralen, is a very new cathedral in Alta. It was only built in 2013. It is the result of an architectural competition in 2011 and Schmidt Hammer Lassen was the one who could finally design it.

The Cathedral got its name because its shape reminds very strong to the appearance of the Northern Lights and, as Alta is known as the city of Northern Lights, it was clear that the Cathedral was named after the Northern Lights.

This Cathedral is basically different from other cathedrals, not only because of its shape, but also because it is completely built out of steel. Most cathedrals are built with stones, but not this one. When the sun is shining, the steel is reflecting the sun, which makes it very beautiful.

Altafjord

The Altafjord, in Norwegian Altafjorden, is a fjord in Alta, as the name already indicates. It is about 38 km long and goes from Alta to the islands of Stjernøya and Seiland. It is also the place where the 200 km long Altariver goes into the fjord.

Historically, the Altafjord is also very interesting. There were a number of prehistoric rock carvings found along the fjord, which were declared as being part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. During WWII, there was a German navel base along this fjord in Alta.

The Altafjorden Geestegaards & Spa Hotel is located just in front of the Altafjord and offers an amazing view over the fjord, which is really breathtaking. It is a very good place to just have a walk along the fjord.

Northern Lights

If you want to get more information about the Northern Lights in Alta, have a look at Alta – the city of Northern Lights.

Having experiences the Northern Lights now in Alta and in Iceland, it is still something magical and wonderful to experience. Observing the Northern Lights is always something special. There are always new colors and forms who will appear and will leave you speechless.

Rock Carvings in Alta Museum

As already mentioned, the Rock art of Alta were found along the Altafjord. The first carvings were discovered in 1973 by a farmer during its potato harvest. Since then, more than 6000 carvings had been found on several places in and around Alta. On the 3rd December 1985, the carvings were put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and is therefore the only prehistoric World Heritage Site in Norway.

The people who created this carvings were hunter-gatherers. The art pieces consists basically of imagery and religious symbolism, but some motifs were found almost in every carving and in every period like the reindeer.

Basically the carvings show animals like reindeers, elks, birds or fishes, but they also had fences and even pregnant animals, which had a baby inside the belly of the mother. As the people from that time could only survive by hunting and fishing, many carvings shows such sceneries.

The Alta Museum hosts some of the carvings, which were recovered from the outside. Otherwise people who visit Alta in winter will not be able to see the rock carvings, because they are all covered by snow. The museum also displays some objects that were found near the carvings and are also related to them. They also have a kind of exhibition about the Sami culture and the Aurora Borealis.

In 1993, the museum received the European Museum of the Year Award and therefore, I can only recommend to visit this unique museum.

Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel

The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is an hotel completely made out of ice and is therefore a very special and unique place to stay. The hotel consists of the part made out of ice and of some main buildings, where you can eat, take a shower, put your suitcases etc. It is a really magical place and the stuff helps you to feel comfortable. 

If you want to get more information about the Igloo Hotel Sorrisniva, have a look at Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel Alta.

Snowmobile Safari

When you like motor sports, be sure to go for a Snowmobile Safari. It is an amazing and unique experience, which you will not forget so quick.

We booked our tour via Sorrisniva and I can only recommend this company. They really care about their clients and if something will go wrong, they will do everything to fix it. For more information, you can read Snowmobile Safari in Alta.

Snowshoeing & Ice fishing

Basically, there are two different options for Snowshoeing. First, you can only do the snowshoeing tour and second, you can do a little bit of snowshoeing but this tour also includes ice fishing. Since I’ve never done ice fishing, I wanted to give it a try.

This tour is not so extreme as the Snowmobile Safari, but never underestimate to hike with snowshoes. If you’re not in good shape, it can be very exhausting in the beginning, but you get used to it.

We booked our tour with Glod Explorer and also this company is very recommendable. If you want to get more information about this activity, have a look at Snowshoeing and Ice fishing in Alta.

Reindeer sledding & Sami experience

With this activity you will meet reindeers and the Sami people, which are the original inhabitants of the Northern part of Norway, Finnland, Sweden and Russia.

Again, I booked this tour with Sorrisniva. If you want to read more about the Sami culture and the Reindeer experience, have a look at Reindeer sledding & Sami experience.

As you can see, I’m really amazed by Alta and I would return to it anytime. If you have further question about visiting Alta, don’t hesitate to ask.

Read next: Athabasca Glacier Icewalks in Jasper National Park Canada