It is one of the most northern towns in the world with a railroad connection. It connects to Kiruna, Sweden, but not to Bodø, the northern end of the rest of the railroad network of Norway.
It was the scene of the earliest Allied success against German forces in World War II. The town was captured by the Germans early in their invasion of Norway, but it was sufficiently far from their bases that the Allies were able to recapture it. However, the German attack on France, and advances in Norway from the south meant that Narvik had to be abandoned in early June 1940.