The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøkfjorden, an arm of the large Varangerfjorden, and is located just a few kilometres from the Norway–Russia border.

When the neighbouring suburban villages of Hesseng, Skytterhusfjellet, Sandnes and Bjørnevatn are all included with Kirkenes, the urban area reaches a population of almost 8,000.

The town was occupied by the Red Army on 25 October 1944 when the German Wehrmacht was pushed out and fled the area after having destroyed most of the remaining infrastructure.

Close to the town there is a memorial to 11 freedom fighters who helped the partisans collect information about the German occupation.

Others are originally from Finland, either members of the Kven population or of a newer influx of more or less recent Finnish immigrants.

[7] Kirkenes is located in the extreme northeastern part of Norway on the Bøkfjorden, a branch of the Varangerfjorden, which is a vast bay connected to the Barents Sea near the Russian–Norwegian border.

The town is situated about 400 kilometres (250 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, resulting in midnight sun and polar night both lasting for sustained lengths of time depending on season.

Travelling directly east from Kirkenes (into Russia) changes the time zone forward by an hour in summer, but by two in winter.

When Russia implemented permanent daylight saving time between 2011 and 2014, there was a three-hour difference travelling forward from the eastern part of the municipality to westerly Russian areas during winter.

In 2010, Norway's and Russia's Foreign Ministers signed an agreement that made it easier for 9,000 Norwegians and 45,000 Russians living near the common border to visit each other.

Almost every last Thursday of each month the Russian Market takes place on the central square where traders from Murmansk sell their merchandise.

In the city centre of Kirkenes is Andersgrotta, a vast underground bunker built during World War II that provided shelter to the town's residents.

[16] Kirkenes's location on the Northeast Passage and the effect of climate change on sea ice have led to expressions of interest to develop port and transport infrastructure in the town, including from state-owned enterprises of China.

The town of Kirkenes is also the starting point of EV13 The Iron Curtain Trail, a cycling route that runs along the historic border between the capitalist West and the communist East during the Cold War.