Norway
Stokmarknes
Stokmarknes: The Hurtigruten Museum and MS Finnmarken
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- QuietNext 30 days
Good to know
What to Expect
Coastal voyage ships tie up at the coastal express quay, right beside the Hurtigruten Museum. Other cruise ships call here too, and your line will tell you where yours berths.
- Southbound coastal ships typically dock in the early afternoon for about an hour, which passengers use to visit the museum, and northbound ships stop for about 15 minutes around 1 a.m. Times can change, so check your ship's program.
- The town is roughly 2.5 km long and 1 km wide, so it is easy to see on foot.
Stokmarknes on Your Own
Coastal voyage passengers usually spend their hour ashore at the Hurtigruten Museum, which stands by the quay. With longer in port, walk Markedsgata or follow one of the trails around the town.
- The museum first: In the 2026-27 season (September to May) the museum opens Monday to Friday from 11:00 to 15:30 and on weekends from 11:00 to 17:00, and it is closed on December 25 and 26, so a weekday afternoon call leaves little time before closing. Summer hours differ. Check before you go.
- Markedsgata: Most of the town's shops, and its two banks, are on Markedsgata.
- Trails: Hiking trails run all around Stokmarknes, along the coast and past small lakes, so a longer call leaves time for a walk.
- The bridges: The Børøy Bridge and the Hadsel Bridge carry the road from the town to the island of Langøya.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before departure, and your ship posts the exact time. Coastal voyage ships keep to a timetable, and no ship waits for passengers touring on their own.
The Hurtigruten Museum
The Hurtigruten Museum tells the story of the coastal route in the town where its founding company was based, and its centerpiece is MS Finnmarken, a coastal ship from 1956. You go aboard from the museum's first floor.
- Finnmarken was lifted out of the water beside the museum on June 16, 1999. Since 2021 it has stood inside a steel building with a glass wall facing the sea.
- The museum is at Richard Withs plass 1. Adult admission was 190 kroner in 2026, and students and seniors paid 170 kroner. Check before you go.
- Hadsel Church, an octagonal red wooden church from 1824, stands about 5 km east of town, too far to walk on a short call.
History
Stokmarknes is the home town of the coastal express: the steamship company that started the route in 1893 was founded here, and coastal ships have called twice a day since 1922. It became a town only in 2000.
- A medieval parish, 1321: A priest of Hadsel is recorded in 1321 and the church in 1381. The present octagonal Hadsel Church was finished in 1824.
- The steamship company, 1881: Richard With founded the Vesterålen Steamship Company in Stokmarknes in 1881, carrying trade between Lofoten, Vesterålen, Senja and Bergen.
- The first coastal express, 1893: The company's SS Vesteraalen left Trondheim on July 2, 1893, on the first sailing of the new weekly route north to Hammerfest.
- Twice a day, from 1922: Coastal express ships have called at Stokmarknes twice a day since 1922.
- The museum, 1993: The Hurtigruten Museum opened officially on July 2, 1993, a hundred years to the day after the first sailing.
- Finnmarken comes ashore, 1999: The retired coastal ship was given to the museum in 1994 and set on land beside it in 1999.
- A town, 2000: Stokmarknes received town status on January 1, 2000.
- To learn more ashore: The Hurtigruten Museum at Richard Withs plass 1, beside the quay, covers the route's history and shipping in northern Norway.
Stokmarknes with Children
The Hurtigruten Museum is the obvious stop with children, because they can go aboard a real coastal ship. The town is about 2.5 km long and 1 km wide.
- Younger children: Children under six get into the museum free.
- School age and teenagers: A child's ticket for ages 6 to 15 was 150 kroner in 2026, and a family ticket for two adults and three children was 575 kroner. Check before you go.
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