Your Guide to the Lofoten Islands

Norway has always been on my bucketlist, especially Lofoten!  I was so happy when we finally made this trip happen, as it is such a beautiful part of the world. We flew into Tromso in Northern Norway on September 1, 2023 and here is my guide to the Lofoten Islands.

Preparation

I am not going to lie, Norway is an expensive country to travel and the weather is very sporadic, so you have to prepare for this trip. We were travelling in Asia before coming, so we had to buy some mountain gear like hiking boots, rain gear and puffer jackets, but if you are coming from home that should be a lot easier! Check out my travel hiking gear list to get some ideas of what to bring! Besides gear, try to bring plenty of snacks with you and of course a water bottle and coffee mug. Food was actually cheaper than I thought it would be in the grocery stores, but it will definitely save you money if you can bring protein bars, trail mix, dried fruit, etc. with you in your luggage.

I will have another blog post on travelling Norway on a budget so stay tuned!

The Lofoten Islands

The Lofoten Islands are nestled in an archipelago high above the Arctic Circle in the northwest coast of Norway. It is the most north I have ever been, but surprisingly enough, it is not as cold as you would expect. The Lofoten Islands have a very mild climate because the warm currents from the Gulf Stream keep the water temperature from getting too cold.  The Temperature averages around zero degrees even in the heart of winter!

These islands are amazing to explore and if you are into outdoor activities you will love it here. We came to Lofoten mainly to hike, as it is truly a hiker’s paradise. There are endless hikes on the Lofotens that overlook beautiful beaches, dramatic coastlines, and rugged mountains. The area is known for its beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and if you come here from late May to mid July you will experience the midnight sun. The Lofoens are particularly special hike wise because you can get amaing views without having to hike too far.

Along with hiking, the islands have really cute fishing villages that you can explore, kayaking opportunities, boat trips, and beautiful beaches.

Best Time to Visit the Lofoten Islands

This is a really hard question because it really depends what you are going to the Lofotens for! We went in fall and it was a great time to hike, but we did have a lot of rain. However, with the rain we literally saw rainbows everyday, which was really unique!

Summer: If you are going to the Lofotens to hike and capture the midnight sun, you will of course want to go in Summer. From mid May to August, the sun never completely sets, so you will have beautiful colourful skies at night and mostly clear warmer weather. This is high season in the Lofotens so things will be pricier and you will need to book in advance. Due to the midnight sun, you will not be able to see the northern lights. The summer is also the best time to go searching for puffins, as they have not migrated south yet

Winter: As expected winter is the ideal season to see the northern lights in Norway From December through March, the nights are long in northern Norway, and it is one of the world’s top aurora destinations. Note that through November to January the days are completely dark, so if you are looking to do day time activities this is not the best time to go. I would reccommend March, as you will still have a great chance to see the northern lights, and you will have the chance to do some winter hiking and other activities. The winter is the best time to spot whales too, as this is when they migrate north.

Spring: with longer days and shorter nights, spring in the Lofotens is quite pleasant. However, if you plan to do a lot of hiking in the Lofotens, than spring is one of the worst times to go. There is still a lot of snow on the moutnains and there are high avalanche risks due to the dramatic cliffs and changing temperatures. This is also not the best time to see the northern lights as the days are getting a lot longer.

Fall: We came to Norway in the fall in early to mid September and we found the weather to be sporadic. It was rainy and overcast almost everyday, but we did have some breaks and good weather in between. That being said, the fall is known for its rainy and windy weather, but the perks are that the temperatures are still pretty mild, tourists are low, there is plenty of daylight and you will find cheaper prices for rentals and accommodation. Even in September it did not get dark until about 9pm. We also saw the northern lights a couple times during our trip, which was an incredible experience! If you travel later in the fall your chances increase exponentially.

The rain in the lofotens is not not normal rain, it is accompanied by gusting winds and sometimes hail. We are from westcoast Canada and were bloooown away by how wild it go outside sometimes. We strongly recommend bringing waterproof hiking boots, a good rain jacket and waterproof pants. While we were there umbrellas were not very useful due to the wind. The weather usually passes but you must use some caution when doing exsposed ridge hikes as your visibility is not always guaranteed. Like they say there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.

We still managed to get some AMAZING views!

How do you get to the Lofoten Islands in Norway?

There are two airports on Lofoten in Svolvaer and Leknes. However, flights are somewhat irregular so we flew out of Evenes, which is about a three and a half hour journey to Lofoten by car. Evenes airport is halfway between Svolvaer and Narvik but closer to Narvik. Alternatively, you can fly into and out of Tromso, which is a great base if you want to explore other areas like Senja and the Vestralen Islands. TLDR go to Senja its amazing and get a fraction of the traffic of the Lofoten Islands.

Do you need a car in the Lofotens?

The short answer is yes, I think you need a car. We could not imagine travelling the Lofotens without a car, as the little towns are quite far apart and the public transportation is few and far between. We did meet several travellers who were biking the Lofotens or walking from end to end, but in order to do this you will need a long time and it is a totally different trip. If you want to hitchhike or bus by all means, but I think it is best to have a car or a van. A lot of the cool hikes and remote beach stops are not in the town, so it would just be a lot of navigating and time to get around without one. No car is deffinetly an option if you just want to visit the towns, but we found most of the beauty of the beaten path.

The best way to explore the Lofotens

One of the best ways to take in the Lofotens is to drive and explore at your own pace. It is a relatively simple drive, as you can stick to one road, the E10, for the entire journey. There are little side roads, so please get off the main road and explore. We found the prettiest spots by just simply taking random roads off the E10.

We think either renting a car and camping or renting a van is the best way to travel in the Lofotens. The wild camping is free in Norway, so you can essentially pull over anywhere without a no camping sign and set up for the night. There are some pay campsite with amenities when you do need to have more than just a simple spot, but the wild camping in this area is quite unique and amazing. We camped by several beautiful beaches and at the base of many hikes, which was truly spectacular. There was one paid camping spot we really liked called Lofoten Beach camp. They had a whole surf camp and sauna vibe with a beautiful restaurant on the beach we really liked.

There were lots of great pullouts to camp near the base of this hike outside Henningsvaer

Car Rental

We rented a car and it was a great budget option for us. Vans were a bit out of our price range, so we rented a car and we had camping equipment. It was simple but perfect for us. We had a tent, bedding cooking ware, a stove, and a coffee maker. On rainy days we just slept in the car, so try to find one where the seats fold down. We used discover cars to find our rental and we picked up and dropped off at the airport. There are stores called Biltema scattered around the bigger cities in arctic Norway and they are perfect for cheap camping supplies. Make sure you stock up on extra cooking gas, coffee cups, and anything you may need when you see them. Supplies here are much cheaper than the smaller stores in the Lofotens.

Accommodation in the Lofotens

There are a lot of cute places to stay in the Lofotens, and I would recommend staying in at least one Rorbuer. A Rorbuer is a traditional house that the fishermen used to live in while fishing in the Lofotens. Most of them have been renovated for tourists, and they are really nice to stay in if you need a break from camping! We went in September and we had very unlucky weather, so we found ourselves booking some accommodation last minute. There was a lot of availability in September, but make sure to book in advance if you are going in the summer months. These Rorbuer are super cute and cozy. Most include full kitchens and sometimes fireplaces. They are almost always built out over or close to the water and have these cool boardwalks around them.

Food Options

There are quite a lot of food options in the Lofotens, but restaurants are quite pricey, so I would recommend trying to cook on your own for the majority of your meals. If you are camping, make sure to have cookware and if you book a place try to find one that has a kitchen. Most hotel/airbnb options had kitchens, so try to utilize this when travelling. We mainly prepared and cooked our own meals, but some quick meals were grabbed at circle k before hikes.

We were pleasantly surprised that groceries were not that expensive! There are little grocery stores like Circle K and Joker in most of the small towns, but try to stock up at the bigger stores in Leknes and Svolvaer if you can. Salmon was actually cheaper than it was at home for us! Circle K in Reine actually had a pretty good little mini cafe with great prices. Many a hot dogs were had here after hikes.