Hammerfest's main attraction is simply being here — at the edge of the inhabited world. The Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society, housed in a small building on the waterfront, issues certificates to visitors who have made it this far north. The Museum of Reconstruction for Finnmark and Nord-Troms documents the devastating German scorched-earth retreat of 1944 and the remarkable rebuilding effort that followed — it is one of Norway's most affecting small museums.
In summer, boat trips on the fjord offer king crab safaris where you haul the enormous crabs from the water and eat them on the spot. The Meridian Column, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marks the endpoint of the first international scientific survey to determine the shape of the earth. The Hammerfest Church, built during the postwar reconstruction, is a striking piece of Arctic modernism. For walkers, the hills above town give sweeping views over the Arctic Ocean.