Vadsø is the administrative centre of Finnmark, a small town on the north shore of the Varangerfjord with a distinctive history and a population of mixed origin. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, large numbers of Finnish-speaking settlers, known as Kvens, came here from northern Finland and Sweden, fleeing famine and looking for work in fishing, and for a time they were the majority of the town's population. Their heritage is still visible in the old farmhouses, the family names and the culture.
The Kven story is told in the Vadsø Museum, including the old Tuomainen farm, a well-preserved Kven homestead, and in a monument in the town centre that honours the immigrants. Vadsø also has a remarkable link to the history of polar exploration. On the small island of Vadsøya, connected to the town by a bridge, stands an airship mast that was used by Roald Amundsen's airship Norge in 1926, on its way to the North Pole, and by Umberto Nobile's Italia two years later. The mast is still there, a strange iron structure on a windswept island, and there are information panels about the expeditions.
Like the rest of Finnmark, Vadsø suffered heavily in the Second World War, when air raids destroyed much of the town, so most of what you see is post-war rebuilding with a few older survivors. Today the town is a modest administrative centre, with schools, offices, shops and a harbour.
The road along the fjord to and from Vadsø is part of the Varanger National Tourist Route, and it is a relaxed and open ride, with long views over the water and the tundra, gentle curves and good surface. Traffic stays thin. Gusts can be hefty and cold, and in winter the area is dark and stormy. In summer the light is endless, and the birdlife along the shore is rich.
Vadsø has every service a rider needs, so stop for a meal, a walk along the harbour and a visit to the airship mast. Kirkenes, only about forty kilometres away as the bird flies but much further by road around the head of the fjord, is the other main town in East Finnmark.