Varanger

Varanger faces east toward the Barents Sea and Russia, a treeless Arctic coast of fishing villages, bird cliffs and weathered tundra unlike anywhere else in Norway. It is a world-class birdwatching route, with the Ekkerøy cliffs and Hornøya alive in summer. In Vardø, the Steilneset Memorial, a collaboration between architect Peter Zumthor and artist Louise Bourgeois, commemorates the victims of 17th-century witch trials. Beyond Vardø the road runs to the lunar shore at Hamningberg.

Highlights

• Steilneset Memorial, Vardø

  art

  A memorial to the witch-trial victims combining a long timber hall and a glass-and-flame installation.

  Design / art: Peter Zumthor & Louise Bourgeois

• Ekkerøy bird cliffs

  nature

  An accessible seabird colony loud with kittiwakes.