Alta City

Alta (Álaheadju in Sami) is a town of 21,000 inhabitants located in the county of Troms og Finnmark in Norway about 400 kilometers from Tromso.

Its municipal territory includes multiple hamlets (Kåfjord, Komagfjord, Kvenvik, Langfjordbotn, Leirbotn, Rafsbotn, Talvik and Tverrelvdalen) and derives from the merger, which took place in 1964, of the municipalities of Alta and Talvik.

Discover the Sami culture from the visitnorway.it website

In the eyes of the visitor, Alta reveals itself as a place to discover the culture of the Sami up close and admire the rock carvings of its cliffs. But not only. This northern part of Norway offers innumerable forests, plateaus and both coastal and mountainous landscapes that guarantee countless possibilities for trekking, mountain biking and fishing.

Alta is one of the Norwegian municipalities that are candidates to receive the Sustainable Destination certification. In other words, a quality mark, recognized to those centers that work in a structured way to reduce the negative impact of tourism.

The local tourist philosophy, in fact, aims to safeguard the nature, culture and environment adjacent to the country, not forgetting to strengthen social values ??and be economically viable.

The municipality and all the local tourist companies, in fact, cooperate in synergy to ensure that the whole area remains extremely beautiful for the joint satisfaction of both tourists and the locals who live there.

Click to see a video of Alta in the winter.

The Alta Sentrum is the nerve center of the city. While the Bossekop remains the historical one where the Dutch whalers settled in the 16th century.

For almost two centuries, Alta was inhabited by the Sami and Finns and, in the region, it was particularly known for a fair that attracted thousands of foreigners from all over the district.

During the Second World War, however, the city suffered a serious loss. The historic wooden houses were destroyed and, after a few years, replaced with pleasant concrete buildings.

High and leisure

Alta deserves to be visited for its beautiful "open-air" museum but it can prove to be a pleasant starting point for sport and leisure.

From May to August, Alta represents the ideal place to discover the charm of the midnight sun while, from November to January, it becomes the favorite destination for many to see the Aurora Borealis while it "dances" above the most important observatory in the world. it was built right here at the end of the 19th century.

Alta can also be a pleasant starting point for reaching Finnmarkvidda Plateau: an idyllic place for trekking, boat trips or dog sledding.

Moreover, it is precisely here that, in March, one of the most important European dog sledding races (Finnmarkslopet) is organized as well as a major cultural collateral event that lasts for almost a week.

Click to see a mini documentary of this sporting event.

Finally, near the banks of the Alta river, you can discover an equally special place for a "dream stay". This is the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel: a luxury hotel entirely made of ice; which opens every year in January and then melts in the first spring months.