Nordkapp

Nordkapp is a sheer cliff on an Arctic island, long celebrated as the northernmost point of continental Europe, where a steel globe monument stands on a plateau 307 metres above the Barents Sea. From May to July the midnight sun never sets here, and travellers have journeyed to this edge of the map for centuries.

What you actually see

• The cliff and globe - the famous steel globe monument on the plateau edge.
• The midnight sun - the sun circling the sky without setting in high summer.
• The Barents Sea - the Arctic Ocean stretching toward the pole from the cliff.
• The visitor centre - the hall cut into the rock with film and exhibits.

When to go

May to late July for the midnight sun, the whole point for most visitors; the plateau is bleak and often stormbound outside summer. Clear nights near midnight are the prize, and never guaranteed.

Honest expectations

It is a long journey to a windswept plateau, and there is an entry fee to reach the cliff and centre, which some find steep for the experience. Cloud and fog often hide the midnight sun even in season, so it is a gamble. Strictly, a nearby point is the true northernmost, but Nordkapp holds the fame.

Nearby

Honningsvag is the island town; the Arctic coast and the coastal ship route run along Finnmark.