Harstad is a town beautifully situated by a fjord and close to mountains and hills perfect for hiking and skiing. Lofoten and Vesterålen is next door.

There are modern hotels, great shops, good restaurants and cozy cafes. There are also concert halls, a cinema and galleries. There is a small alpine centre with great views, and Northern Norwegians come from afar to use the local swimmingpools with three different temperatures, and it includes jaquzee, steam room and saunas.

Harstad's history goes several thousands of years back in time. The Vikings lived here, there is a large stone church from the middle ages, and the Nazis were here during the 2nd WW.

Harstad has 25 000 inhabitants and the main industry here is fish, oil and ship building.

The sorrounding area of Harstad is also beautiful and has a rich history.

Far North, But mild:

Harstad is located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle.

Though lying within the Arctic Circle, Northern Norway experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude. This is due to the Golf Stream crossing the Atlantic and hitting the coast here.