הארסטאד

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.

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.

• 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.

Quick practical facts for Norway at a glance: