Skarsvag bills itself as the northernmost fishing village in the world — a tiny cluster of red-and-white wooden houses tucked into a cove on Mageroya island, about 12 km east of the North Cape. A few dozen people live here year-round, fishing for cod and halibut through the short Arctic summer. The village sits at 71 degrees north, well above the tree line, in a landscape of bare rock and tundra.
Most visitors pass through on their way to the North Cape plateau, but Skarsvag is worth a stop in its own right. The Kirkeporten rock arch, a short hike from the village, frames a view of the North Cape cliff from across the water — arguably a better vantage point than the famous globe monument itself. The King Crab House serves king crab caught in the Barents Sea, and in summer you can join a boat trip to see the crab pots hauled in.
In winter the village is dark for two months straight, but the northern lights are extraordinary. In summer the midnight sun does not set from mid-May to late July. Either way, Skarsvag has the raw, end-of-the-world quality that makes the far north of Norway so compelling.