Lofoten

One road, five main islands

Lofoten is strung along the E10 highway, which runs from the mainland at Bjerkvik out to the village of Å at the southwestern tip. The islands in order are Austvågøya (Svolvær, Henningsvær, Kabelvåg), Gimsøya, Vestvågøy (Leknes, Unstad, Haukland), Flakstadøya (Ramberg, Nusfjord) and Moskenesøya (Reine, Hamnøy, Å). Bridges and tunnels connect them all; you never need a ferry inside the chain unless you come from Bodø.

Distances look small and drive long. Reine to Svolvær is 130 km but takes two and a half hours with stops, and in winter it can take four. Plan two bases rather than one: something around Reine or Hamnøy for the south, and Svolvær or Henningsvær for the north.

What to do

• Reine and Hamnøy. The two most photographed villages in Norway. The classic shot of Hamnøy is taken from the bridge on the E10 — there is a small lay-by, and it is legal to stop there.
• Henningsvær. A fishing village spread over skerries, with the famous football pitch surrounded by drying racks, a good bakery, and the Kaviar Factory contemporary art space.
• Ryten and Kvalvika beach. A 9 km return hike over a saddle to an Atlantic beach with no road access; the summit of Ryten (543 m) looks straight down on it.
• Haukland and Uttakleiv beaches. White sand, turquoise water, 6 °C sea. Uttakleiv faces north and is the best aurora foreground on the islands.
• Å i Lofoten. Literally the end of the road, with a working stockfish museum and a bakery that still uses a 19th-century wood oven.
• Trollfjord. A 2 km fjord only 100 m wide at its mouth, reached by RIB or the Hurtigruten coastal ship from Svolvær.
• Surfing at Unstad. Yes, genuinely — a cold-water surf community operating year-round with 5 mm wetsuits.

Seasons

Where to sleep

The characteristic accommodation is the rorbu, a red-painted fishermen's cabin on stilts over the water. Most have been converted for visitors and cost NOK 1,800–3,500 a night in summer. Book in January for a July trip; the supply on Moskenesøya is genuinely tiny. Wild camping is permitted under Norway's right to roam (allemannsretten), but not within 150 m of a house, and several beaches now ban overnight vans — check posted signs.

Questions we get asked