Murmansk
Russia · Murmansk Oblast · 50 m
Description
Murmansk (Мурманск) is the largest city anywhere above the Arctic Circle, built on the bare slopes of a fjord that the Gulf Stream keeps ice free all year. It exists because of that harbour, which carried the Arctic convoys through the Second World War and still berths the nuclear icebreaker fleet. The concrete blocks climb the hillside under a soldier statue known as Alyosha, thirty five metres high above the water. Polar night closes over the city in December, and the aurora is visible on clear nights through most of the dark half of the year. Teriberka reaches the open Barents Sea.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 6 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: January – March or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Northern lights over the Kola Peninsula (September - April)
- Teriberka and the Barents Sea shore(Day trip)
- Alyosha monument above the harbour
- Lenin nuclear icebreaker museum ship
- Husky and reindeer sledding in the tundra (December - March)
- Polar night and the blue midday twilight (December - January)
- Sami camp and the reindeer herds
- Murmansk Oceanarium and its trained seals
- Arctic convoy history in the port museum
- Midnight sun over the fjord (May - July)
- Whale watching off Teriberka (June - September)(Day trip)
- Khibiny mountains and the Kirovsk slopes(Day trip)
- Abram-Mys viewpoint across the bay
Getting there
- Airports:
- MMK
- Train stations:
- Murmansk
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry