Lofoten has always been a dream destination of mine. This archipelago on the northern end of Norway has everything I love: dramatic mountain ridges with unlimited hiking opportunities, scenic coastal views, and small towns that still feel undiscovered, which all make for the perfect road trip opportunity! We spent five days driving back and forth across the islands, and we could have spent so much longer soaking in the beauty of Norway’s north.
Headed to Bergen? Click here for our itinerary exploring Norway’s fjords on the Western Coast!
I’ve broken down some of our favorite points of interest by general region and city. However you really can’t go wrong taking a random road or side path, and I actually encourage that over following a strict itinerary, as I can guarantee you’ll find gems of your own not covered in this post. Isn’t that the beauty of traveling… exploration and adventure?
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Table of contents
How to get there
You can get to Lofoten by car, plane, or ferry. After researching and comparing prices of all of the options, we opted to fly into Evenes, Norway and rent a car at that airport.
We knew we wanted the convenience of having a car to explore the islands at our own pace. We toyed around with the idea of taking the ferry from Bodø, where you can pay little extra to take your car on the ferry to the islands, but we were arriving from the U.S. in Oslo and wanted to get to Lofoten as quickly as possible to maximize our time there.
The Evenes airport had the best options and prices for car rentals in all of Lofoten (versus renting in Svolvær or at any of the other ferry ports), so we opted to take a $115 direct flight via Norwegian Airlines and return the car back in Evenes (the one way drop off fees can get pretty steep, so double check!).
Evenes worked for us since we love road trips and do not mind driving back and forth through Lofoten, especially when the roads are so scenic the entire way. On the map Lofoten looks like it would take a while to drive across, but driving from Evenes airport all the way to the town of Å, the western tip of Lofoten, takes only four and a half hours (if you don’t stop, which I can guarantee you will want to!).
Where to stay
Enjoying the view from our Booking.com manor hotel in Sakirsoy
Picking where to stay was one of the harder parts about planning our Lofoten trip. There are lots of small towns all over the islands to pick from, but we wanted something that was close to our main points of interest, but also something somewhat economical (traveling in Norway can get expensive!).
Be sure to check several hotel booking sites. We used Booking.com, a site that we liked because of its great prices, free rewards program and great cancellation policies.
We also liked using Airbnb to find more unique and boutique stays (use this referral link for $65 off your first booking).
If booking online like Booking.com, I highly recommend Rakuten for cash back on your bookings.
Click here for my blog post on saving money and how to I use Rakuten to save on my online purchases!
Since we were flying in and out of Harstad/Narvik Evenes airport, which is on the eastern side of the Lofoten archipelago, we decided to spend three nights in the main Reine area and then spend our final night in Sennesvik to make our final drive back to Evenes just a little bit shorter.
Useful tips
On top of Festvågtind in Henningsvær
As always, don’t forget to download offline Google Maps on your phone for anywhere you think you might be traveling to.
If you are driving, be aware the highways and roads may be narrower and have slower speed limits than you’re used to. Be sure not to speed, as there are speed cameras, and speeding tickets are not cheap.
If traveling during high season, try to book accommodations as early as possible. We booked 5-6 months in advance and noticed prices for hotels and airbnbs increase as each month passed.
If going in the summer, be sure to bring an eye mask to help you sleep! Being so far north, it never gets full dark out since the sun might not ever set. Such a cool experience witnessing midnight sun, but also my sleep would have suffered without an eye mask.
Stop by a local grocery store for snacks and food to cook. Norwegians seem to cook at home a lot, and any eating out we did was quite pricey. Many of our Airbnbs came with kitchens to cook, and we ended up eating a lot of tubed fish, sandwiches, and pasta.
What to do in Lofoten
In my opinion, the best way to explore the islands is to get in a car and just start driving! Every inch of the islands is incredibly scenic, and a lot of it still feels unexplored and untouched. I’ll go ahead and list a some of our favorite spots from our time on the road, starting in the east and working west, but feel free to click into the map to see even more potential stops that we would have done if we had more time.
Henningsvær area
Top left to right: Austnesfjorden picnic area and viewpoint, Rørvikstranda beach, view rom the top of Festvågtind. Bottom left to right: on the hike up Festvågtind with Henningsvær in the background, looking down at the road that leads to Henningsvær, view from the top of Festvågtind.
Austnesfjorden picnic area - the perfect spot for a snack or to get out of the car and stretch your legs while making your way across the islands
Trevarefabrikken cafe - we loved the mood of this cafe, which also happens to be a bar and a hostel. They even offer a gorgeous sauna that has a glass wall looking straight out over the ocean
Rørvikstranda beach - we experienced many northern Norway beaches, and this one was particularly turquoise and teal in color. It might not be warm enough to jump in like we’re used to in California, but I can see this beach being a great picnic spot on nice day!
Festvågtind hike - A 3.8 mile roundtrip hike up the side of a steep mountain up to the top of the mountain ridge. From up here it’s almost hard to believe you’re not on a tropical island - you can see so many islands and turquoise blue water.
Nusfjord Area
Top left to right: The colorful village of Nusfjord, eating at the waterfront Karoline Restaurant, Storvatnet Lake. Bottom left to right: walking around the cute Nusfjord town, emerging from one of the historic rorbu fishing huts in Nusfjord, the incredibly scenic road on the way to Nusfjord.
Nusfjord fishing village - the cutest village on the water! You can pay a small entrance fee to walk around and explore some of the history behind this century old fishing village. We stopped for a delicious lunch at the beautifully decorated Karoline Restaurant and picked up some fresh pastries from Hansines bakery before leaving.
Scenic roads - we would frequently have to pull over to stop and take a photo of the incredible scenery. We turned the corner at this one spot in the road and found ourselves heading towards a massive and towering rock wall. This was one of my favorite scenic roads in Lofoten.
Storvatnet lake - the largest lake on this particular island. We passed so many random lakes that it's easy to overlook how stunning each one is. This one has several pullouts that would also make a great picnic spot!
Fredvang area
Top left to right: scenic Lofoten roads, stockfish drying in the cold, arctic air. Middle left to right: one of the many dramatic bridges in Lofoten, halfway up the Ryten hike. Bottom left to right: on our way back down from Ryten, overlook of Kvalvika beach from the Ryten trail
Ryten hike - a 5.5 mile round trip hike to the top of Ryten peak, which stands at 1782 feet. The views are incredibly scenic the entire hike, and my favorite spot was the view overlooking Kvalvika beach. There are multiple parking lots, like this one and this one, and you might want to bring small bills in cash if you end up parking in one of the local’s lots.
Our favorite Norwegian we met from the entire trip was the host of one of these parking lots. The elderly man didn’t speak English, but when he saw I didn’t have gloves for the hike, he went inside and insisted on lending me a pair of knit gloves that he had! How cute is he? He definitely knew best, as later on in the hike when I found myself on the edge of a cliff over a blustery ocean, I was so thankful for those hand knit gloves.
Hamnøy & Sakrisøya
Left to right: Hamnøy village viewed from the bridge, the iconic yellow houses of Sakrisøya, looking at Sakrisøya from across the turquoise bay
Hamnøy - this small fishing village is just a few minutes east of the main Reine area, and in my opinion, Hamnøy is one of the most picturesque spots on the islands. Eliassen Rorbuer is located here, which is one of the top places to stay in Lofoten (be sure to book early!). The best view of this picturesque town is from the bridge, which you can probably spot by finding the one with the most tourists and photographers.
Sakrisøya - instead of staying in the main Reine area, we opted for Sakrisøy, which offers bright yellow fishing huts instead of the classic red found throughout Norway. We stayed at Sakrisøy Gjestegård, a cozy guesthouse perched on top of the hill in the middle of the island.
Anita’s Seafood - we ate here multiple times for lunch and dinner since it was walking distance from our Airbnb. The seafood (particularly the salmon) was SO fresh and tasty, I’m craving some right now! I absolutely love the Norwegian interior decor style of neutral tones, cozy textures, and small nature accents.
Reine area
Top left to right: Bringen cafe, Reine’s colorful buildings, on the rocky shoreline of the E10. Bottom left to right: a Norwegian flag flying above Reine, a local wooden bridge, Djupfjorden on a rainy day
Reine - arguably the most famous and iconic spot in all of Lofoten. When we finally reached Reine on the western tip of the archipelago, we realized what the hype was about… the town is postcard perfect. The colorful houses are clustered together at the mouth of the bay and sport stunning backdrop of sheer cliffs and mountain ranges for as far as you can see into the distance.
Reinebringen hike - we were looking forward to this one particular hike for its dramatic views overlooking all of Reine and the surrounding peaks, but the trail happened to be closed for construction the entire the two weeks we were there! Even though we didn’t get to do it, I’d still recommend this popular hike to anyone visiting.
Djupfjorden viewpoint - this smaller fjord sometimes has waterfalls cascading down cliffs, especially after a rain!
Å - If you’re already in Reine, you might as well head all the way to the end of the road. Å is the most southern town on the main archipelago, and you can really feel like you’re at the end of the world here
Conclusion
We were in a constant state of awe over the entire five days we spent in Lofoten. Northern Norway is truly such a unique place with its colorful houses, winding oceanic roads, and dramatic mountain peaks. Even though we didn’t have the best weather and conditions for the hikes we wanted to do, the clouds and rain only added to the moodiness of the scenery and emphasized the turquoise water and blue skies when the sun did come out. I would love to see Lofoten in the winter in the snow!
Favorite gear for this adventure:
