Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino Travel Guide

  Kautokeino in the distance (View from...
by SMILLA76
  • Kautokeino in the distance (View from Juhl's)
      Kautokeino in the distance (View from...
    by SMILLA76
  •   Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino
    by SMILLA76
  •   Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino
    by SMILLA76
  • Picnic outside Kautokeino at Easter time (1)
      Picnic outside Kautokeino at Easter time...
    by SMILLA76
  • Picnic outside Kautokeino at Easter time (2)
      Picnic outside Kautokeino at Easter time...
    by SMILLA76

Explore Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

Things to Do  

Saami Easter Festival

Saami Easter Festival, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 SMILLA76 Says:  Easter is a time of the year when all Sami gather home and share with their families a cheerful time. At Easter time, in Kautokeino, everbody goes to the Reindeer Race and to the Music Festival. 

Høstfestivalen / Autumn Festival

Høstfestivalen / Autumn Festival, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  A major event is the mid-August Autumn Festival. Not quite as big as the Easter Festival, but it does feature something as dramatic as snow scooter racing on the river. Since snow scooters are rather heavy (built to run on snow, not on water), they must have good speed... 

Påskefestivalen / Easter Festival

Påskefestivalen / Easter Festival, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  The Easter Festival is probably the cultural highlight of the year. Every Easter, the festival brings the town to life with reindeer-racing, ski-doo-racing and live music, including the Sámi Grand Prix, which is a Sámi version of the Eurovision Song Contest.2006 event is set... 

Juhls Silvergallery

Juhls Silvergallery, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 shugoey Says:  This is more than just a silvergallery. The house contains the first small collection of older Lap utensils. They display a fine selection of Nordic art in a variety of materials which are offered for sale. They also display their collection of arts and crafts from a global... 

Mountain Cabin

Mountain Cabin, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 SMILLA76 Says:  The 'mountain cabins' in the Kautokeino area are not what one might imagine thinking of high peaks and pointed rocks. These cabins are used by the reindeer herders as a 'base' for their herd watching trips and often become a 'party party' location for the whole family or for... 

Sami History, Arts and Crafts

Sami History, Arts and Crafts, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 SMILLA76 Says:  A beautiful museum of Sami traditional handicrafts and books about the Sami, combined with an exciting exibition of art and carpets from Afghanistan, a coffee shop, a chicken 'zoo' (inside the museum! not joking!), an arts and crafts shop, a silver workshop... So many things... 

Annual Kautokeino bicycle run

Annual Kautokeino bicycle run, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  Approximately in the middle of june every year, the entire village "and then some" take their walking stick and/or bicycles to the annual hike/bicycle run. You register at the start (yes, this costs money), have your card stamped at the end station, and return the card back... 

Hotels  

Restaurants  

Kaffegalleriet: Warm your tummy in the Arctic winter

Kaffegalleriet: Warm your tummy in the Arctic winter, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  Centrally located, and offering a great variety of warm drinks, you will never freeze at Kaffegalleriet, even when it's -40C outside. Unless, of course, you order a milkshake. But no matter what you buy, you will not regret it! Hot chocolate. But that's because I'm trying... 

Marras: Reindeer Herders' Favorite :)

Marras: Reindeer Herders' Favorite :), Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 SMILLA76 Says:  Maybe the food (they were serving pizza as far as I remember) is not the best you've ever tried, but the place is definitely worth more than one visit: this is the best place in Kautokeino to meet the locals and make friends! 

Nightlife  

Nasti Pub: A little louder, please!

Nasti Pub: A little louder, please!, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  NOTICE!The word "Nasti" does not mean nasty. It is the Sámi word for "Star", hence this is the "Star pub."MY FIRST VISITIt might be by chance, but at the time I visited Nasti, there were a lot of young people joiking (traditional Sámi singing). So if you wish to experience... 

Maras Pub: Laid back and happy

Maras Pub: Laid back and happy, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  Tables. People eating, drinking and chatting. And occationally, they play darts. Sounds like your average pub, except sounds of Norwegian and Sámi dialogues will be heard.Maras is definitely my favourite pub in Kautokeino, as the atmosphere is laid back and cosy. And word... 

Transportation  

Snow Scooters

Snow Scooters, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 SMILLA76 Says:  I am impressed with the way people ride their snow scooters up here, the way they jump on and off their sledges when the sledges get stuck in the snow and the way they know exactly how cold you are going to be even with three layers of clothes if they are not the right type... 

The Road

The Road, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  Kautokeino is "in the middle of nowhere", so for the average person there's only one way: the highway. National road 93 runs from Alta to the Finnish border. It's 130 km to Alta (north of Kautokeino), 40 km to Finland (south of Kautokeino), 70 km to Hetta (Enontekiö),... 

Shopping  

Juhl's Gallery: Jewlery and Other Art Objects
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SMILLA76 91 reviews

A beautiful museum of Sami traditional handicrafts and books about the Sami, combined with an exciting exibition of art and carpets from Afghanistan, a coffee shop, a chicken 'zoo' (inside the museum! not joking!), an arts and crafts shop, a silver workshop... So many things combined into one! And so cosy! And such a wonderful view over the neighbouring area!

N.B. During Easter there is always a classical music concert with free entrance in Juhl's Gallery!

What to buy: Jewellery, glass, Afghan carpets, ceramics, hats, gloves, jumpers, bags, aprons, chess board, lamps, toys...

What to pay: A fortune :)

Updated Apr 30, 2005

Related to:
 Budget Travel
 Arts and Culture
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons

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Local Customs  

Norwegian national day

Norwegian national day, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  While the Norwegian national day might not be the most popular day in Sápmi (it is, after all, a symbol of their oppression), a number of people still celebrate the day in a half-Norwegian half-Sámi way. This means that you get to see a traditional Norwegian style parade... 

Greetings!

Greetings!, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  People in Kautokeino are very friendly. Sitting down in the local pub, some might just walk over to you and say "Bures" before asking you about where you're from and becoming your best friend ever.The word "Bures" sounds like the Russian name "Boris", but it actually means... 

Tourist Traps  

The Ice Theatre

The Ice Theatre, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  The Kautokeino Film Festival, which usually overlaps the Easter Festival, features the worlds first, and so far only snowmobile drive-in, built entirely in snow and ice. The movies tend to be of Native interests from around the world, and as such it is very interesting to... 

Juhls' Silver Gallery

Juhls' Silver Gallery, Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino

 gardesque Says:  This is where everyone stops (and I need to go, apparently) - Juhls' Silver Gallery not only features beautiful silver jewelry and sculptures and whatnot, but even the buildings seem like a fairytale. http://www.juhls.no 

Off The Beaten Path  

Sledge and scooter Ride
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SMILLA76 91 reviews
Picnic outside Kautokeino at Easter time (1)
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At Easter time, the best thing to do is to go on a scooter ride, make a fire and fry sausages :) Yummy! We've had our beer too! ;)

Written Apr 18, 2005

Related to:
 Eco-Tourism
 Adventure Travel
 Budget Travel

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Favorites  

Tourist Radio
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gardesque 85 reviews

Favorite thing: The tourist radio transmits information in several languages on 105 MHz. The service is a product of the local radio station, GLR, who also produces Sámi radio content for the commercial national radio network P4.

Written Jul 17, 2005

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Map of Guovdageaidnu / Kautokeino