Perched at the end of a peninsula between the Sjona and Ranfjorden, Nesna is a small village on Norway’s west coast. Its surrounding municipality encompasses the islands of Tomma, Hugla and Handnesøya, which are renowned for their sightings of puffins and Northern Europe’s largest bird of prey.
Things to do in Nesna
In the heart of the village is the Nesna Church, a whitewashed building topped by a red spire that dates back to the 1880s. It was designed by the Norwegian architect Niels Stockfleth Darre Eckhoff on the site of a 15th-century church and played an important role in the first national elections that took place in Norway. Step inside to admire the colourful interior and its painted altar.
On the waterfront of Nesna is a branch of the Helgeland Museum, which is dedicated to showcasing the cultural, social and artistic history of the region. Learn about the coastal lifestyle of Nesna and its farming traditions before discovering what it was like going to go to school here more than 100 years ago in the 19th-century schoolhouse.
The coast of Helgeland is renowned for its sightings of sea eagles and VisitNesna offers guided boat tours to get up close to these majestic birds. After navigating between the white sandy beaches of Hugla and Handnesøya islands, the adventure journeys out to Tomma where you might be lucky enough to see porpoises playing in the surrounding waters.
Getting around Nesna
Nesna is just over an hour’s drive from Mo i Rana and Mo i Rana Airport, which has flights to Oslo, Trondheim, Mosjøen and Bodø. Regular ferries connect from Nesna to Levang and the Hurtigruten ship stops at Nesna on its journey south and north. Having your own vehicle is the most convenient way of accessing Nesna.