Stokmarknes is a town on the northern coast of the island of Hadseløya and on the small, neighbouring island of Børøya in the Vesterålen archipelago of Northern Norway. For travel purposes, this article covers the entirety of Hadseløya and Børøya.
Stokmarknes is considered the "birthplace" of the Hurtigruten ship route from Bergen to Kirkenes because Richard With founded the Vesterålen Steamship Company here in 1881. As a result, the port of Stokmarknes has been visited by ships of the line twice a day since 1922. The inhabitants engage in agriculture, livestock farming, fishing and shipbuilding as their main occupations. The Børøy Bridge and Hadsel Bridge connect Stokmarknes to the island of Langøya to the north. Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen is located on Langøya, just over the bridges from Stokmarknes. Tourist Information, Rådhusgata 5, ☏ +47 76 16 46 60, postmottak@hadsel.kommune.no.
The small town can be easily explored on foot. It is roughly 2.5 km by 1 km. If you want to visit the whole island, you can hire a car or take a taxi: Europcar, Måkeveien 2, Borøya. ☏ +47 477 02 190. There is a Hertz branch in the building opposite. Avis, Airport. ☏ +47 76 11 37 10 Hadsel Taxi, Havnegata, Stormarknes. ☏ +47 76 15 66 00, Email: hadsel.taxi@trollfjord.no
1 Norwegian Coastal Express Museum (Hurtigrutemusset), Nordnesveien 536, ☏ +47 76 11 81 90, post@hurtigrutemuseet.no. The MS Finnmarken from 1956 is docked in front of the house, accessible via the museum, 1st floor. The museum is the main attraction of the place. The museum shows exhibits from shipping in Northern Norway and much more related to Hurtigruten. 2 Melbu Church, Melbu. The church is a long wooden church and was completed in 1938. It has 250 seats. The church received a new organ in 2006.
There are hiking trails all around Stockmarknes, so you have the opportunity to walk along the coast as well as past small lakes.
1 Pizzeria Rødbrygga, Markedsgata 6, ☏ +47 76 15 26 66. 2 Nye Italienske Napoli, Markedsgata 24, ☏ +47 76 15 00 00. Italian restaurant.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Stokmarknes typically sees ~17°C daytime highs and 20 rainy days.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-08-10. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.
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