Honningsvag/North Cape

The thrill of reaching Cape North, Nordkapp in Norwegian, the northernmost stretch of land in the European continent, on an MSC cruise, will impress even the most distracted traveller.
When the ship anchors in Honningsvåg, the sky decorated with permanently iridescent clouds and illuminated by the sunlight that shines 24 hours a day from mid-May to July, offers the most incredible spectacle. We cannot fail to realize we’re in a special place, on the last stretch of continental land before the end of the world.

To understand the spirit and lifestyle of the fishermen living in these extreme lands, you should visit the Honningsvåg museum: as well as offering a display of everyday objects, you will find a section that illustrates the consequences of the Second World War on these lands.

During your MSC cruise of Northern Europe you should not miss an excursion to Cape North, where you will find a cliff that is 500 million years old and rises 307 meters above sea level, dominating the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean from where you can admire the spectacle of the midnight sun.

A short distance from the monument that celebrates this remote location is the Nordkapphallen, the visitors’ centre which hosts exhibitions and screenings of documentaries on the beauty of the area. Here you can find everything you need: a café and a restaurant, as well as a post office and even a chapel in the northernmost part of the world: the St Johannes Kapell.

In spite of the extreme latitude, the average temperature in the summer never drops under seven degrees. Here in the western Finnmark, nature is still the queen and one can admire it by taking part in photographic safaris to explore the local flora and fauna. You can go to Gjesvær, a short distance from Cape North, where you can come across sea puffins, gannets, cormorants and other marine birds.