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The port, on the Barents Sea, remains ice-free all year round thanks to the effect of the warm North Atlantic drift. Vardø is a port of call on Norway's Hurtigruten ferry service. The town is the northern termination of European route E75 , which starts in Sitia, Crete.

Fishing and seafood processing remain Vardø's major sources of income, although tourism is starting to become an important economic factor.

Vardø is usually referred to as Norway's only mainland town in the Arctic climate zone, although this is not strictly correct since the town is located on an island about 2 km off the coast. The island is connected to the mainland via an undersea tunnel (Norway's first such structure); the town's airport and the settlement of Svartnes are located on the mainland opposite the tunnel entrance.

Vardø's tourist attractions include Vardøhus Festning, a fortress dating back to the late 13th century, several bird colonies, and remnants of German fortifications from Word War II .

Vardøhus Festning is home to two sorbus trees which are diligently nurtured and warmed in winter since these trees cannot normally survive in Vardø's cold climate. Originally, seven trees were planted in 1960; the one that survived managed to blossom twice, in 1974 and 1981Events January-February January Sarawak Chamber found January 1 Greece enters the EEC January 1 Palau becomes self-governing January 4 Sheffield police arrests Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper January 16 Protestant gunmen shoot and wound Bernadette D. The tree finally succumbed to cold weather in 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom, but two new saplings have been planted in its place.

Since 19981998 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Ocean''. Events January January 1998 A massive ice storm, caused by El Nino, strikes New England, southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting, the town has housed a radarThis article is about the device. For the fictional character in M A S H see Corporal Walter (Radar) O'Reilly. antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. Radar is an acronym for ra dio d etec installation called Globus II. Its official purpose is the tracking of space junk; however, due to the site's close proximity to RussiaThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. With and an alleged connection between the Globus II system and USThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in anti-missile systems, the site has been the basis for hot controversy in diplomatic and intelligence circles.[1]