Things to do in Alta

At Thon Hotel in the Finnmark city of Alta, you're in the very heart of the city, on top of the AMFI shopping centre. A stroll away are the beautiful Northern Lights Cathedral and Alta Museum, with its famous rock carvings. 

But even though Alta has had city status since 2000, it is the surrounding nature that makes the city well worth a visit. 

In Alta, a wide variety of nature experiences await. Here you'll find Northern Europe’s largest valleys, as well as Finnmark’s biggest pine forest. The landscape surrounding the city is highly varied and you can experience fjords, mountains, wilderness and forests without having to stray far from the city centre. When staying at Thon Hotels Alta, you can easily get around, whether you want to go hiking, dog sledding or chase the northern lights.

Exploring the Arctic landscape by snowmobile

If you travel to Alta in wintertime, snowmobiling is a must. Whether you drive your own snowmobile or ride as a passenger, there are lots of tour operators ready to take you across the snow-covered Arctic landscape. As the names Alta Adventures and Finnmark Adventuressuggest, you can expect a memorable experience. All you have to do is step outside the hotel and the tour operator will pick you up and take you across the beautiful Finnmark Plateau or Beskades mountain range. 

Let dogs pull you along

If you prefer a quieter adventure, a dog sled tour may be just what you're looking for. At first, the dogs are excited and eager to pull your sled, but once they get going, the experience becomes more serene and you can enjoy nature as you peacefully glide across the landscape. Forget about time and space on a tour with Horizon Husky or experience an unique tour through the forest and over the mountains with Trasti and Trine’s dogs.

Chasing the northern lights

Tourists from around the world make their way to the Arctic to experience the northern lights. The green lights that dance across the sky in winter have been given the beautiful name of Aurora Borealis, and with its Arctic nature, Alta is the perfect starting point for a northern lights tour – in fact so perfect that the city is called the Northern Lights City.

Dress warm and join Glød on a combination tour with either a dog sled, fat bike or mountain bike. If you prefer a less active northern lights tour, try Alta Adventures. They pick you up by car outside the hotel and drive you out into the open landscape or along the Altafjord, wherever there is the greatest chance to see the northern lights that night. Enjoy the northern lights and an evening meal on reindeer skins around a bonfire.

Midnight sun

From mid-May to the end of July, you can experience the midnight sun in Alta. The light can make even the toughest tourist lose track of time, but before pulling down the roller blinds for the night, you should definitely head out into the sun. Even though it’s the same sun as during the daytime, there’s something special and unique about the sun in the middle of the night. Experience the midnight sun from one of the city’s viewpoints or on a walk along the river.

Cycling tours

The low hilly landscape around Alta makes it perfect for cycling. Whether you want to explore nature or the city on two wheels, there are several bike rental companies with mountain bikes and e-bikes for you to use. Go on a cycling tour along the Altafjord or explore the city’s numerous bike trail on your own. In Alta, winter is no obstacle to cyclists. Alta Event is a tour operator that takes you on a fat bike tour along spectacular trails. 

Go back 7,000 years in time

It's for good reason that the Alta Museum has been named the world heritage centre for rock carvings. The city has one of Northern Europe’s largest concentrations of rock art and in the summer, when the rock is not hidden under snow, you can see rock carvings that are thousands of years old. Since the 1980s, the rock carvings in Alta have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List and some are believed to date back as far as 7,000 years.

Slate industry

Did you know that slate – the easy-to-cut yet durable stone used for roofs, floors and walls – is an important industry in Alta? Alta slate is extracted using traditional techniques and delivered all around the world. At the Alta Museum, you can learn more about the slate industry, while the restaurant Stakeriet has dedicated an entire room to the slate industry’s long traditions.

War history

If you're interested in more recent history, visit the Tirpitz Museum in Kåfjord, a short drive from the Alta city centre. During World War II, the German warship Tirpitz was anchored in the fjord. The war museum has an enormous collection of artefacts from the ship, which was first attacked in the Altafjord before being sunk outside Tromsø in 1944.  

The northern lights’ own cathedral

The Northern Lights Cathedralis located at the end of Markedsgata in the Alta city centre. The name of the church was unanimously adopted on completion in 2012 and since then, it has served as a meeting place for both the city’s congregation and tourists. The church has a unique tower that swirls up to the sky and is worth a visit in itself. But the cathedral also houses the exhibition Borealis Altas, which shows the importance of the northern lights for the city and the city’s importance for research on the northern lights as a phenomenon.

Meal served on slate

When visiting Alta, if you'd like a good meal that won't cost an arm and a leg, go to the Stakeriet Mat & Vinhus. This restaurant, located right around the corner from Thon Hotels, not only serves Nordic tapas made from locally sourced ingredients, but also stories about the Altaelva and the river's significance for the slate industry, which still plays an important role in the city. 

Local ingredients

Just outside the city centre, you’ll find Trasti & Trine, a restaurant where you can choose between fine dining and a traditional homecooked meal prepared with seasonal ingredients. No matter which season you visit the restaurant, they guarantee a delicious meal made with local ingredients. These ingredients range from birch juice in the spring and wild lamb in the autumn to skate straight from Lopphavet in the winter and homegrown vegetables from the restaurant's own garden in the summer.

Traditional and tasty

If you'd like to experience northern Norwegian culinary culture and tradition, make sure to eat at the restaurant Lavvu. It's shaped like a 'lavvo' tent and serves amazing dishes inspired by northern Norwegian culinary traditions. 

Italian pizza

No matter where you are in the world, sometimes you simply want an authentic Italian pizza with a thin bottom and crispy crust. In Alta, that's just what you'll find at Alattio. The restaurant’s Italian chef prepares the pizza the traditional way: in a wood-fired stone oven.

Chasing the northern lights

In Alta, tour operators are ready to take you and your travel companions on a memorable tour. Chasing the northern lights is an activity that anyone can do. Go on a relaxing northern lights tour with Alta Adventure or an action-packed northern lights tour on a fat bike or mountain bike with Glød. Both tour operators have many years of experience and know where to find the best places with the greatest chance of seeing the northern lights. So, put on your wool sweaters and get ready to meet the ''green lady'. 

Snowmobiling in the open landscape

From the end of November until mid-January, the sun does not rise above the city's horizon. But the winter light, called the 'blue hour', is an amazingly beautiful light. Take your travel companions on a snowmobile tour and experience the blue hour at full speed across wide open spaces. Follow the old trade road to Karasjok, stop for a bite to eat at the traditional Jotka mountain lodge, discover the tracks of foxes, grouse and bobcats along the way and see the open landscape bathed in a unique light.

Hiking in the midnight sun

No trip to northern Norway in the summer is complete without a hike in the midnight sun. From mid-May to the end of July, 24 hours of light make it possible to walk all night long. If you still want to be in bed at a reasonable time, a short hike in the mountains is not far away. In less than an hour, you can climb one of the peaks near the Alta city centre and enjoy spectacular views as the clock strikes twelve and the sun is still above the horizon. 

Experience Alta from the fjord

Join us for a historic and fast-paced experience on the Altafjord! Æventyr offers various activities that are suitable for groups. Go on a high-speed RIB boat tour and visit historic settlements and rock carvings up to 6,000 years old. The tour guides also tell about the fjord’s more recent history, such as the important role it played during World War II. 

Treetop fun

When you book a family room at Thon Hotels Alta, children stay for free. Take your family to the Sarves Altaclimbing park, located only an hour from the hotel. The park, which is actually the world’s northernmost climbing park, has several different climbing routes for climbers of all ages. And with no less than ten zip lines, there's nothing to stop the entire family from flying through the pine trees. 

Sami fun

Sami traditions are very strong in Finnmark and there are several tour operators in Alta that gladly share these traditions with you and your family. Join Sami Siida on a reindeer sled and learn about the history and culture of the Sami people. 

A splashing good time

Right next door to Thon Hotels Alta is the Nordlysbadet, where you and your family can have fun in an indoor swimming pool facility of over 800 square metres. With a slide, climbing wall, diving platform and stream channel, Nordlysbadet is much more than just a swimming pool. There is also a gym, wellness area and on holidays and weekends, the largest pool is filled with large swimming toys.