The town centre stretches over a relatively wide area. Elvebakken area near the river mouth is also home to the airport that is virtually in the centre. The second historical part of the centre is Bossekop (Sami: Bossugohppi). A new centre has emerged between the two.

The tourist information seems to move around on a daily basis, so the first thing you might do is wind up travelling all over Alta looking for it. As of 2012, the information centre was in the Nordlys hotel, on the left, just as you enter town from the south (information signs may point to centres that have closed).

Alta River (Sámi: Álttáeatnu; Kven: Alattionjoki) is regarded as the best salmon fishing river in Norway, ahead of the great rivers of Trøndelag. The upper part of Alta river was developed for hydro power in the early 1980s; a tall concrete dam was built in the canyon and the flow of the river changed. This hydro power project was highly controversial, one of the most important environmental conflicts in Norway and an important event in the Sámi empowerment as an indigenous people. Alta river with its canyon is still one of the finest rivers in Norway. The canyon begins some 30 km from the town of Alta.

During the second world war the German occupant used Alta as a base for the northern fleet. The warship Tirpitz, the largest in the German navy, was kept in Kåfjorden near the town. There were several allied attacks on the ship, the fatal one after the ship moved to Tromsø for repair. At the end of the war the German forces evacuated civilians from Finnmark and burned everything. In the town of Alta only the church remained, in Kåfjord, Talvik, Sopnes and Kviby churches also survived.

• 69.946923.18781 Prehistoric rock carvings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rock art is found in five separate areas in Alta, the largest and the one available to the public at Hjemmeluft/Jiepmaluokta, where Alta Museum is situated. In the summer season, groups are offered guided tours to the rock carvings. In the winter, the carvings are covered with snow, and not available to the public. They were made by hunters and fishers in the Late Stone Age/Early Metal Age, between 6200 and 2000 years ago.  

• 69.93861123.3602781 Raipas (see). A point on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc, around 250 m ASL, requires a few kilometres of hiking up the hill, at leat a few kilometres more along roads unless you drive to the parking. 
• GLØD, Klekkeriet – Kulturnæringshus, Vesterhaugveien 1, Bossekop, ☏ +47 99-79-42-56, post@glodalta.no. Local organizer of Aurora Borealis hunting expeditions. Also offers: cross country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing and mountain biking guided tours. 
• Horisont Husky AS (in the Reisa Valley, Storslett), ☏ +47 97-71-61-75, roy@horisonthusky.no. Norwegian dog sledding company that offers dog sledding tours in northern Norway with Alaskan huskies. (updated May 2022)

• Alta Museum Shop, Altaveien 19, ☏ +47 41-75-63-30, post@altamuseum.no. Daily 08:00-20:00. Giftshop for the Alta Museum. Great selection of books and homewares from the region, and a decent selection of Sami handicrafts. (updated Aug 2018)
• Montana Alta, Sentrumsparken 4, ☏ +47 90-60-55-86. M-Sa 10:00-19:00. Unassuming luggage shop with a good selection of Sami knives and other Sami products inside, with prices slightly cheaper than the museum shop. Also stocks a wide selection of keyrings, magnets, trolls and other trinkets. (updated Aug 2018)

• Det Lille Kjøkken, Altaveien 256, 9515 Alta, ☏ +47 78-43-15-11. Pizza. (updated Mar 2023)

• Troms: Lyngen, Tromsø
• Finland
• Nordkapp
• Kirkenes, Russia

Narvik ← Lyngen ←	W  NE	→ (for Nordkapp) → Lakselv → Kirkenes
END ←	N  S	→ Kautokeino → Gällivare