Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum
Museum and World Heritage centre by the Altafjord with exhibitions on Alta's history and rock carvings more than 7,000 years old, on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum (the World Heritage Centre for Rock Art – Alta Museum) is located at Hjemmeluft, about five kilometres west of Alta town centre. Nearby is one of five rock art fields in Alta that were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985. The rock carvings and painted figures were created over a period of around 5,000 years, and the oldest are more than 7,000 years old. Alta was an important meeting place for people from the coast and the inland throughout all those years.
The museum is run as an intermunicipal company owned by Alta municipality and Finnmark County Municipality. The company is to look after, document and convey rock art in Finnmark, manage the World Heritage area on behalf of the cultural heritage authorities and serve as a resource centre for rock art both nationally and internationally. The museum also has professional responsibility for cultural history and natural history in Alta municipality.
Indoors, the museum shows Alta's history from the Stone Age to the present day, with loose stones bearing rock art and exhibitions on Sami and Kven culture, trade, mining, the Alta controversy (Altasaken), northern lights research, traditional industries and salmon fishing in the Alta River. Outdoors, paths lead through the rock carving area when there is no snow or ice. The museum is the only one on the Norwegian mainland to have won the European Museum of the Year award.
Highlights
- Rock carvings on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the oldest more than 7,000 years old
- Paths through the rock carving area along the Altafjord (1.2 km and 3 km)
- Permanent exhibition on Alta's history from the Stone Age to the present
- Exhibitions on the northern lights, Sami and Kven culture and the Alta controversy
- Museum café with a view of the Altafjord
Permanent exhibitions
- Spor i stein – Part of the museum's permanent exhibitions on Alta's history, rock art and World Heritage status.
- Ressurser og identitet – Part of the permanent exhibitions that follow Alta's history from the Stone Age to the present.
- Nordlyset – Part of the permanent exhibitions, with the northern lights as its theme.
- Founded
- 1991
- Operated by
- Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum IKS (Alta kommune og Finnmark fylkeskommune)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | NOK 115 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | NOK 95Students (NOK 95) and seniors over 65 (honnør, NOK 110); winter prices |
| Children & teens | NOK 40free up to age 6 · Children aged 7–16: NOK 40 in winter and NOK 50 in summer. |
| Seniors | NOK 110Over 65, winter price; NOK 165 in summer. |
| Students & apprentices | NOK 95Winter price; NOK 155 in summer. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of more than 10 people get a group price; contact the museum. |
| Summer guided tour (45–50 minutes) | NOK 950In addition to the admission ticket; must be booked in advance. |
| Winter introductory talk (10–15 minutes) | NOK 400In addition to the admission ticket. |
| Audio guide | NOK 50 |
Summer prices 1 May–30 September: adults NOK 175, seniors over 65: NOK 165, students NOK 155, children (ages 7–16): NOK 50. Winter prices 2 January–30 April and 1 October–30 December: adults NOK 115, seniors NOK 110, students NOK 95, children (ages 7–16): NOK 40. Children aged 0–6 enter free. The outdoor World Heritage exhibition outside the main entrance can be visited without a ticket.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Lift between the entrance level and the lower floor, which has a toilet, cloakroom and lockers. Wheelchairs can be borrowed at reception. Two reserved parking spaces for people with reduced mobility. The paths in the rock art area can be used by wheelchair users, but some stretches are steep; there are rest areas with benches and tables and a universally designed toilet halfway along. In the main exhibition there are objects that can be touched, films and stations with smell and sound. Separate visual guides for winter and summer are on the museum's website.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Family activities, offers for schools and nurseries, and events for children, including a Christmas workshop. The exhibition has objects that can be touched, films and stations with smell and sound.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Alta Museum · 150 m
Bus to the Alta Museum stop, about 150 metres from the entrance.
By car
Free parking
Free parking at the museum. In the summer season the car park can become full of cars, motorhomes and buses; parking attendants help.
- Accessible parking
From the E6 follow the signs to Alta Museum. From Alta the turn-off is on the right-hand side.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Museum café with about 55 seats and a terrace with a view of the Altafjord. The café has a licence to serve beer and wine and is open during museum opening hours. Museum shop.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 50 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours must be booked in advance, and the museum recommends a guided tour for all groups. Outdoors you can walk on your own with a printed guidebook or audio guide. There are offers for schools and nurseries. |
