Harstad

City · Northern Norway, 🇳🇴 Norway

Harstad is the second-largest town in Troms county, on the northeast coast of Hinnøya, Norway's largest coastal island. It is a working harbour town with a long history. A thousand years ago, nearby Trondenes was a Viking-age power centre. Today the town is the centre of the oil industry in Northern Norway and the armed forces have a base at Trondenes.

Most visitors come for a short stay on the way to somewhere else. Harstad is a practical gateway to Vesterålen, Lofoten and Senja, and the coastal ships call here every day. Give it a day for the history of Trondenes, just north of the centre. Stay longer if you want to hike the hills above town or see the summer arts festival. Plan your stay with Visit Harstad.

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When to visit

Summer is cool and often rainy, but the midnight sun shines from late May to mid-July, and this is the best time for hiking and boat trips. Autumn and winter bring the northern lights, from about September to March. The sun does not rise at all from the end of November to about mid-January, and snow is likely from October to May.

The biggest event is the Arctic Arts Festival (Festspillene i Nord-Norge). It runs for about a week in June, around midsummer, with concerts, theatre, dance and art across the town. It has been held in Harstad since 1965.

Select a month

Typical weather in January

Poor

-3° (feels like -8°) · extremes -19°–4°
-8° at night
16 rainy days
0 sunny days
0 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
5°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
0 hours of daylight

Typical weather in February

Poor

-3° (feels like -8°) · extremes -17°–4°
-8° at night
16 rainy days
0 sunny days
1 hour of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
3°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
7 hours of daylight

Typical weather in March

Poor

-1° (feels like -6°) · extremes -14°–4°
-6° at night
18 rainy days
3 sunny days
3 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
3°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
11 hours of daylight

Typical weather in April

Poor

3° (feels like -1°) · extremes -9°–8°
-2° at night
17 rainy days
7 sunny days
6 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
4°C · too cold to swim
UV index 2 · low
15 hours of daylight

Typical weather in May

Poor

8° (feels like 5°) · extremes -3°–17°
3° at night
17 rainy days
7 sunny days
9 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
6°C · too cold to swim
UV index 3 · moderate
20 hours of daylight

Typical weather in June

Fair

13° (feels like 10°) · extremes 3°–21°
7° at night
17 rainy days
4 sunny days
8 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
9°C · too cold to swim
UV index 3 · moderate
24 hours of daylight

Typical weather in July

Good

16° (feels like 15°) · extremes 7°–23°
10° at night
15 rainy days
4 sunny days
8 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
11°C · too cold to swim
UV index 3 · moderate
24 hours of daylight

Typical weather in August

Fair

15° (feels like 13°) · extremes 6°–22°
10° at night
18 rainy days
3 sunny days
5 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
12°C · too cold to swim
UV index 2 · low
17 hours of daylight

Typical weather in September

Poor

11° (feels like 8°) · extremes 1°–17°
6° at night
18 rainy days
2 sunny days
3 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
11°C · too cold to swim
UV index 1 · low
13 hours of daylight

Typical weather in October

Poor

5° (feels like 1°) · extremes -6°–11°
1° at night
19 rainy days
1 sunny day
2 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
9°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
9 hours of daylight

Typical weather in November

Poor

1° (feels like -4°) · extremes -12°–7°
-3° at night
17 rainy days
0 sunny days
0 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Calm winds
7°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
4 hours of daylight

Typical weather in December

Poor

-2° (feels like -7°) · extremes -18°–5°
-6° at night
17 rainy days
0 sunny days
Dry air
Calm winds
6°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
0 hours of daylight

Climate data: NASA POWER + Copernicus ERA5-Land and ERA5 · 1996–2025

Top sights

The main sights are on the Trondenes peninsula, 3–4 km north of the centre.

Trondenes Church is a white stone church finished around 1435. It is the northernmost medieval stone church in Norway. Inside are three Gothic altarpieces and remains of medieval wall paintings.
Trondenes historiske senter stands next to the church. Its exhibition tells the story of the area, with a focus on the Middle Ages and the Viking-age chieftains who ruled from Trondenes.
Trondenes kystfort was built by the German army in 1943 as part of the Atlantic Wall. It is one of the best-preserved coastal forts of its kind, and the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Command is based here today.
Adolfkanon is one of the fort's four 40.6 cm guns from the Second World War, and one of the largest land-based battleship guns in Europe. The site is inside a military area, so you can only visit on a guided tour. Book in advance and bring photo ID.
Skonnerten Anna Rogde is a wooden sailing ship launched in 1868, with Harstad as its home port. It is probably the oldest sailing schooner in the world, and it still offers public trips.

Tours & Activities

Harstad — Map

Getting there

By air: Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes is about 44 km south of town, with daily flights to Oslo, Trondheim, Bodø and Tromsø. The Flybussen airport bus meets most flights and takes about 45–55 minutes to the town bus terminal.
By boat: Express boats run to Tromsø two to four times a day, in about 3 hours. They stop at Finnsnes, the gateway to Senja. Hurtigruten coastal ships call every day, both northbound and southbound.
By bus: Regional buses run to Narvik in about 2 hours. Buses to Sortland in Vesterålen and to Svolvær in Lofoten often need a change, sometimes at the airport.
In town: City buses in Harstad do not take bank cards on board. Buy tickets in the Svipper app.