10 Day Northern Norway Roadtrip Itinerary
We wanted to explore Northern Norway, and instead of doing the typical Lofoten Islands, we explored 3 different regions. The cheapest flight from Oslo brought us to Tromso, so we rented our car there and started our trip. Tromso turned out to be the perfect place to start this trip.
We rented a car and brought camping gear to save on money and I would highly recommend doing this or getting a van as hotels are pricey. You can do this trip by public transport aswell, but you will need to take into account bus schedules. If you don’t drive I would consider just basing yourself in a couple locations like Hammnoy or Henningsvaer. Norway is kind of like Canada and the more remote areas are not super accessible by car. We found food and gas to be quite reasonable and it is possible to visit without blowing the budget. If you are willing to cook for yourself and camp it can be surprisingly affordable.
Best Time To Visit Northern Norway For Travel
Summer months from June to August are undoubtedly the best times to go. You will have endless hours of daylight and the weather is mild. From mid May to mid July, you will experience the midnight sun! The midnight sun is amazing because it gives you so much time to see everything. The only big downside is that it is quite difficult to see the northern lights as you really need a darker sky to enjoy them.
When to go to see the Northern Lights
The best time to see the northern lights is November to February. This is when the sky is the darkest for the longest. Tromso the city where we start this itinerary sitting at 69° N is one of the best places in the world to view this phenomenon.
Getting Around Northern Norway
In terms of driving, the best thing about this area is that there are no toll roads and camping is free anywhere, unless there are no camping signs. Norway has the right to roam which means free wild camping is the norm. If it seems like a good spot you can probably sleep there! From our research, Tromso had the cheapest and biggest grocerie selection so we stocked up and made our way to Senja Island. Wherever you fly into, load up on groceries and snacks as there are only small stores on many of the islands.
Perfect 10 Day Northern Norway Itinerary
Senja Island, Andoya Island and the Lofotens What to See
This itinerary will give you a good taste of the most magnificent sections of Northern Norway. You will not see everything but you wont feel like you missed out either. We really feel like this is a perfect balance for the active traveller wanting to knock out some amazing stuff.
Day 1-2: Senja Island
We drove from Tromso and took a ferry to Senja Island and spent 2 perfect full days here. We wrote a whole blog on Senja Island, and the Hesten hike, so if you want detailed information see those blogs! Hesten was my favourite hike in the whole country. The rest of Senja is beautiful but Hesten is worth the drive alone. This hike reminded me of Seceda in the Dolomites! You can check out the blog here.
Brensholmen & Sommaroy
Your fist stop driving from Tromso is the beautiful island of Brensholmen. There is a great beach Sandvika and a couple lookouts on the way If you have time. There is a great hike here called Ornfloya that looks over the postcard perfect bridge connected islands of Sommaroy. We unfortunately had to skip all this and drive on in order to catch the literal last ferry of the season to Senja.
Ornfloya Hike
Ornfloya is a easy 2 km hike with 120 melevation that leads up to a lookout over the bay. From here expect you will great views of the beautiful bridge linked islands of Sommaroy.
Hesten Hike
On day 1, We hiked up Hesten and it was beautiful. You can choose to either hike Hesten or Segla (or both), as they both start at the same parking lot in Fjordgard and are just different vantage points to look at Segla Mountain. We chose Hesten because the view is more dramatic, but the cool thing about the Segla side is that you can summit! Personally we thought looking at the rugged peak of Segla was pretty special. One day we will go back an do the other one!
Where to Stay Senja
Ersfjord beach lookout is an iconic spot right off the highway that has a stunning views of the fjords. This is an amazing sunset spot and a great place to camp. There is an iconic gold facilities open for everyone right by the car park.
Day 2 Senja Island
On your way to the Gryllefjord ferry to Andoya there is another great hike and a couple cool lookout / restops to check out.
Tugeneset Rest stop
Tugeneset is a beautiful rock beach with a picturesque wooden walkway
Husfjellet hike
Husfjellet is a beautiful hike that ascends Mt husfjell and looks over one of the many peninsulas of Senja. There are stellar views here where you can see the ocean on both sides of the peninsula and the dramatic cliffs of Senja. This is one of the most rewarding hikes on the island 8km return 630m elevation.
Bergsbotn Lookout / Rest stop
As the road winds up and over the mountains be sure to take a quick stop here and look back at the epic view of Senja Below. Fee parking with a cool wooden lookout.
Day 3-4: Andoya Island
Andoya Island is one of the cutest islands in this area and it is a true hidden gem. There is not a lot of tourism on the island, and it has really kept its charm. We took a ferry from Senja Island (gryllefjord) to Andoya, and it was a very pretty ferry. Being from the west coast of Canada and having to take many ferries, we are not usually easily impressed by boat rides. Northern Norway is the exception to this rule.
The main hike we wanted to do on Andoya was called Matind and we set out when we felt the weather was decent. However, with the ever changing Norwegian weather, we got super unlucky and had the most wild weather on our hike. We got pretty close to the summit and got completely socked in by fog and rain. The weather is no joke here and sometimes it is smarter to cut your losses and head back to the car. This hike traverses along a sheer drop cliff to beach below and there was heavy fog and wind. We couldnt even take a picture here the weather was so crazy.
Matind Hike
Matind hike is 3.8km return with 300m of elevation. This hike looked incredible from pictures but the weather had other plans for us.
Otervika Beach
Otervika Beach is another must on Andoya. It is a beautiful white sand beach surrounded by cliffs, a great spot for a picnic! You can almost be fooled into thinking it looks tropical. The sand really is that white and the water is so clear its almost aqua looking when its sunny. It was not sunny for us lol.
Bukkekjerka Rest Stop
This is going to sound weird but the main attraction here is a public toilet. This is all going to make sense when you get here. The public washroom has glass walls looking out over a beautiful rock beach. When you hit a switch on the wall it turns the bathroom from transparent to clouded glass. I think the most scenic public washroom I have ever seen.
Where To Stay Andoya
Marmelkroken
We stayed at the cutest airbnb on Andoya called Marmelkroken, and it was perfect. The lady who owns it is super lovely, and the whole atmosphere is very homey. The breakfast is included and it was one of the best meals of our trip. They use local and fresh ingredients for everything from the juice to the jams to the home made bread. The meals here were a highlight of our trip. We stayed in her newly built tiny house looking toward the ocean and loved it. If you have time there is a very scenic birdwatching structure in front of the lodge.
Day 4-10 days Lofoten Islands
For a more detailed breakdown of the Lofotens check out our blog here.
Day 4-5 Svolvaer
Svolvaer is the biggest town in the Lofotens and it is another great spot to load up on groceries and any alcohol or wine. Everything gets more exspensive the further away you get from Svolvaer. You can only buy alcohol in state owned Vinmonopolet stores and there are not so many in other areas of the Lofotens, so if you want wine or liquor buy it here! You can still get wine and ciders in grocery stores around the islands.
Svolvaer is a cute town with a little museum and shops. We hiked up to Floya and Djevelporten and they had beautiful views of the town. You can also do a fjords cruise from Svolvaer which looks absolutely beautiful. We did not have time but pictures looked amazing.
Floya + DjevelportenHike
Floya and Djevelporten is by the far the most famous hike in Svolvaer. At just under 4km return with 600m elevation it is not super easy but it is worthy our time. The hikes starts in town by the cemetery and is very well signed. You first head past the famous tower of Svolværgeita that many people rock climb. You can do tours up this if you have the time. It would be a very unique view. Before the summit you reach the Devils Gate or (djevelporten) which is the rock suspended between either side of the moutain. After this it is a bit of a narrow scramble up to the top of Floya for incredible views of the open ocean and surrpounding svolvaer area.
Lofoten Fjords Cruise
We missed the last sailing as our flight time changed but this fjord cruise looked incredible. You take a catameran with floor to ceiling glass windows down the famous Trollfjord. We really like the idea of this cruise becuase if the weather is windy and cold you can stay inside unlike the ribs.
Where to Stay Svolvaer
We car camped on the outskirts of Svolvaer but there are some great option in town. We heard great things about the Thon Hotel.
Day 5-7 Henningsvaer
The Lofotens is quite spread out, so we decided to split up our days for our road trip. We stayed 2 nights in Henningsvaer, which is a really cute canal town that has one of the most beautiful football fields in the world.
Henningsvaer has a lot of cute shops, cafes and really nice restaurants. It is a perfect place to base yourself to do the Mannen and Offersoykammen hike and to visit Nusfjord. Nusfjord is a heritage site and one of the oldest preserved fishing villages in the Lofotens. We kind of used Henningsvaer as like a middle Lofotens base camp and day tripped around it.
Henningsvaer is also the starting point for the Festvagtind hike and the Trolsketunga hike. We did this hike twice to get the views and it was totally worth it. Like most hikes in the Lofotens they are quite short but really steep!
Henningsvaer Football Field
This football filed is perhaps more famous than anywhere else in the Lofotens. To fully appreciate the view you need to see it from above but it is very cool to check out either way. Our hotel was literally 100 m away and we used the center of the pitch as a perfect northern lights watching spot. We got our first glimpse of the lights here in Hennigsvaer.
Festvagtind / torsketunga hike
Festvagtind is a moderately easy (for Norway standards) 3km return 540m elevation hike. It brings you up to a fabulous viewpoint looking over Henningsvaer and its interconnected bridges. For the sure footed there is an extra 500m add on you can do that brings you to Trolsketunga the Trolltunga of the lofotens. This is an incredibly unique view but the way there is a bit dodgy. I am not going to sugar coat it this was a full on scramble and would only advise doing it on a dry day. We wrote more about Trolsketunga here.
Mannen 400
At 3.5km return and 400m elevation Mannen 400 has magnificent views of Haukland beach. If you want to see the classic Lofoten white sand beach with turquoise waters this is the hike for you. Great bang for buck view wise on this one! I would choose between Mannen and Offersoyammen as the views are fairly similar.
Offersoykammen
At just 2.5km return and 430m elevation Offersoykammen is another amazing view for the effort hike. Offersoykammenviewpoint rewards with 360 degree views of the ocean and surrounding peaks. This one really does feel like the edge of the world.
Nusfjord
Nusfjord is one the best preserved and oldest fishing villages in Norway. The road to Nusfjord wasn’t even paved untill the 1960s. This helped to keep things preserved and you can visit the old fish processing and drying facilities. This is one of the towns that was famous for drying the Norwegian Arctic cod.
Where to Stay Henningsvaer
The hotels are a bit pricier in Henningsvaer, but we really wanted to have a break from camping so we stayed in Tobiasbrygga. It was a gorgeous airbnb overlooking the canal with a fully stocked kitchen and a communal sauna to use. We loved this place! It was surprisingly great value for money even though it was on the more expensive side. We just really loved having a full homie Nordic apartment on the water in the middle of town.
Day 7-8 Lofoten Beach Camp
Lofoten beach camp was one of our favourite spots in the Lofotens! It is a stunning black sand beach with beginner to advanced surf and an amazing communal and or private sauna. There are fire pits outside that are free to use and the food in the restaurant is great and fairly priced. The sites are a little bit wild as you can park just up from the beach along the shore. We found this kind of added to the appeal as it doesn’t feel like a super structured front country campsite. This is a great place to just chill at the beach, surf or sauna. We did our first sauna and arctic swim cycle here highly recommend. All surf gear is easily rentable and fairly reasonable. More info about them here.
We camped and surfed here for a night and it was such an epic spot. It includes hot showers, a dishwashing area and inside hangout spots. Surfing arctic Norway was a big highlight for me
Day 8-10 Reine / Hamnoy
Reine is near the western tip of the Lofotens and is a great base to explore the southern Lofotens area. Make sure to check out the neighboring fishing villages Hamnoy, Sakrisoy and A as well! They are all very similar but they all have their charm. You can really pick any of these to stay in but Reine has the perfect balances of location, views and cuteness. The road that goes through all of these towns and is super scenic, so make sure to stop and get out to walk around!
We did the Ryten and Kvalvika beach hike from Reine. This hike was a good 5-6 hours in total, and is definitely worth it. We started as soon as the gate opened and hiked up to the Ryten summit first. After enjoying the view there is an hour detour of the route that brings you down to Kvalvika beach.
Reinebringen is another hike from Reine that you can do right from the town. You have to hike up about 1900 steps to get to the viewpoint, where you will get one of the best views of the town and the dramatic bridges below.
Reinebringen
This is the most famous view in all of the Lofotens and for good reason. This hike fully lives up to the hype! If you only have energy for one hike here make it reinebringen. This hike is literally all stairs; 1978 of them to be exact. Funny story when we were hiking the Everest base camp trek in Nepal we met a sherpa at a guest house who said he built stairs to a hike in Northern Norway. We didn’t think much of it until we got to Reinbringen. How cool is that. Despite the 1978 straight up Nepalese steps the views at the top really are phenomenal and like nowhere else in the world.
Ryten + Kvalvika Hike
Ryten is another epic Lofoten hike. A mini trolltunga for a picture spot aqua blue water white sand beaches and incredible 360 views. At 8.5km return and 680 m this one is longer but the gradient makes it feel easier than some of the other hikes. This is the opppostie to the straight up ascent of Reinebringen.
Where to Stay in Reine / Hamnoy
Make sure that you try to stay in one of the traditional Rorbuers in one of these towns. We car camped and then stayed a night in the cutest rorbuer in Hamnoy. A rorbuer is a traditional red or yellow fishing house that has been renovated into a cabin you can rent. Make sure you do this, its a full Norwegian experience in itself. These can be as fancy or as traditional as you like. We had been car camping so we went for a nicer one right on the water with a woodstove and a view.
The end of the road Å, Moskenes
If you made it this far might as well check out the very end of the highway through the Lofotens. There is not much there but I felt accomplished checking out the little town and really seeing the end of the road. There were also really nice rorbuers called A rorbuers that we quite enojyed staying at. They had full woodstoves and an end of the world feel.
Flying out from the Lofotens
To end your time in the Lofotens you can fly out of Leknes or Svolvaer!
Add Extra days to do this slower or to add: Vaeroy Island! We went in shoulder season so this ferry had very minimal sailings so we could not make it work. It looks stunning and in high season there are quite a few ferries. There is a bit of a ferry hack you can do where if you ferry Lofotens to Vaeroy get off and then get on again the next ferry to Bodo is free. This lines up perfectly in summer where you can take a morning ferry , hike, and then afternoon ferry to Bodo. Unfortunately we couldn’t make it happen! next time.
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