How to get to Alta: fly via Oslo or Tromsø, drive the E6, and take the ten-minute airport bus.

Flying in: Oslo, Tromsø and the seasonal routes

Oslo is the main gateway. Norwegian and SAS both fly Boeing 737 jets direct to Alta with several departures a day, and the flight takes about two hours. From abroad, the usual pattern is an international arrival at Oslo Gardermoen and a same-day onward flight; allow a generous connection in winter, because the northern flights are the first to be delayed.

Widerøe links Alta with Tromsø several times a day, some direct and some via the Finnmark coast, and with Hammerfest, Kirkenes, Vadsø and other regional airports. In recent winters Finnair has flown seasonal services from Helsinki and Discover Airlines from Frankfurt; these change from year to year, so check the airline's timetable for your dates before building the trip on them.

From the airport to town

The terminal is about 4 km east of the centre at Elvebakken. An airport bus runs to the centre in about ten minutes and stops close to the main hotels; Thon Hotel Alta lists the stop about 50 metres from its door. Taxis take a similar time and car-hire desks are in the terminal. Check the bus times on Entur, because they follow the flight schedule and are thinner on Sundays.

Lodges up the Alta river valley are 15 to 25 minutes by car and Mathisdalen about 40 minutes; most include or arrange a transfer, so ask when booking rather than relying on a taxi rank.

By road: the E6 from Tromsø and beyond

The E6 runs from Tromsø through Nordkjosbotn and Kvænangen to Alta, about 300 km and about five hours of driving in good conditions. It crosses mountain passes that close in storms, so winter drivers need winter tyres, daylight where possible and a spare day if the drive links two flights. The long-distance bus covers the same road in longer; check times on Entur.

South of Alta the E45 climbs onto the Finnmark plateau toward Kautokeino and the Finnish border, which is the aurora drive locals use when the fjord is clouded. East, the E6 continues to Hammerfest, Lakselv and the North Cape region.

• Check the road status before leaving in winter; convoys and closures are normal in storms.
• Fuel is available in the towns but not on the passes; fill up in Alta or Tromsø.
• Reindeer on the road are a real hazard in twilight; slow down where the herds cross.

Why there is no train or ship

Norway's railway ends at Bodø, hundreds of kilometres south, and Finnmark has no rail line at all. The Hurtigruten and Havila coastal ships sail past the mouth of the Altafjord and call at Hammerfest and Øksfjord, both a road or boat transfer from Alta, so they can start or end a trip but not deliver you to the town. For almost everyone, Alta is a flight.