Stokmarknes is a small town on the island of Hadseløya in the Vesterålen archipelago, well above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. It is best known as the birthplace of the Hurtigruten coastal steamer service, which has connected ports along the Norwegian coast since 1893. For most visitors, the town is a brief stop on the Bergen–Kirkenes Hurtigruten route.
The Hurtigruten Museum is the main attraction, telling the story of the coastal service with models, photographs, and one of the original ships — the MS Finnmarken is preserved in a glass-walled structure next to the main building. Just east of town, Hadsel Church is an octagonal wooden building from 1824, on a site of worship that traces back to the 14th century; it served as a polling station during Norway's first constitutional elections in 1814.
Beyond the town itself, Stokmarknes is a quiet base for exploring the Vesterålen islands — a less touristed alternative to the neighbouring Lofoten, with equally dramatic scenery. Whale-watching safaris and the Bleiksøya seabird colony are both based around Andenes, about 85 km north on Andøya.