[2] Vadsø Church is located in the town, and it is the seat of the dean of the Varanger prosti (deanery) which is part of the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 17 May to 28 July, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer.

In the 16th century, the settlement consisted of a fishing village and the old Vadsø Church, located on the island of Vadsøya.

Township privilege was granted in 1833, and soon settlers came from Finland and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from famine.

Vadsø was the headquarters of the first newspaper in a Sámi language, Muitalægje, from April 1873 to September 1875.

In 1894, the rest of the rural district surrounding the town of Vadsø was separated to form the new Nord-Varanger Municipality.

The Hurtigruten coastal express ships regularly stop at the pier on Vadsøya island in the town.