Car hire Kirkenes Airport

Kirkenes Airport serves a small Norwegian municipality situated far closer to Russia and Finland than Oslo. Norway's national capital lies more than 1,550 miles south of this small Finnmark town which stands less than seven miles away with car hire in Kirkenes Airport. The Russian border is equally close by. Finnmark's snow-capped mountains and pristine lakes can easily be admired from all flights entering Kirkenes Airport.

Airport Facilities

First opened in 2006, the Kirkenes Airport terminal building is relatively new. Even though the airport presently only offers domestic flights, it nonetheless greeted over 277,000 passengers in 2009. Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar all supply car rental in Kirkenes Airport. These vehicles can be parked in any of the airport's 300 available long-term parking spaces. Cafeterias, a gift shop, a parents' room, and wireless internet access are also featured here.

Car Hire Kirkenes Airport

When they compare car hire options, motorists should be aware that Kirkenes is one of the world's few places where heading west means time zones move forward, not backwards. This is because Kirkenes actually lies east of Finland, whose time zone is an hour ahead of Norway's. Despite Kirkenes' close proximity to Russia, the only legal crossing between Russia and Norway is much farther away in Storskog. The biggest risk motorists will face when driving in Kirkenes is running over any of the 6,000 reindeer who unexpectedly cross Kirkenes' streets.

Things To See and Do

Kirkenes is the final stop on both Norway's famous Hurtigruten ferry route and the world's second northernmost rail route. Scenic towns under an hour's drive from Kirkenes, include the mining town of Bjørnevatn, the Eastern Sami cultural centre of Neiden, and the Arctic Ocean coastal community of Grense Jakobselv. The Finnish, Russian, and Norwegian borders collide at the Øvre Pasvik National Park, 62 miles south of Kirkenes, but walking around the border marker is against the law.

Best Time To Visit

Kirkenes may be situated on the Varanger Fjord's banks, but its climate is more continental than coastal. Summer is the midnight sun season when the sun rarely sets between the 17th of May and the 21st of July, but Kirkenes becomes submerged in nearly total darkness between the 21st of November and the 21st of January. The average July temperature is just below 13°C, while Kirkenes' winter temperatures plummet to nearly -12°C.