Road tripping through the Lofoten Islands, Norway
- aec41594
- May 15
- 7 min read
I am so excited to share this post, because you’re about to read about one of the coolest trips I’ve ever taken in my life, our trip to the Lofoten Islands in July 2023. Crossing the Arctic Circle and experiencing 24 hour sunlight off my bucket list is something I’ll cherish forever, and I’m still in awe of the natural beauty we witnessed up at the top of the Earth. And in writing this post, I get to relive the beauty and majesty that is summer in Norway all over again! Without further adieu - here’s our Norway and Lofoten Island:
Getting from the airport to Bergen city center
Our Norwegian adventure began in Bergen. From the airport, we initially took the 1 train to the end of the line (Bergen Central Station). It was quick, but if I were to do it again, I’d take the FLYBUSSEN to avoid a 20 minute walk with all our luggage to our hotel after a red eye. The city center boasts a lovely park and lake near the station.
Bergen
We settled into the Radisson Blu in Byyrgen. While the Bryggen wharf houses are charming, they were half under construction and didn’t knock my socks off compared to my expectations. We enjoyed a stroll along the waterfront and grabbed a bite at the bustling Fish Market. As the evening cooled to 50 degrees, we found a cozy spot for a beer outside th e wharf house, complete with provided blankets!
We booked a dinner reservation at Enhjørningen (loosely translated to The Unicorn Fish restaurant which was one of our favorite meals of the trip, featuring delicious scallops, smoked salmon, halibut, and catfish. Afterward, we took a walk by the impressive Castle Rosenkranz, catching it during the magical golden hour around 9 PM.
The next day, we embarked on a stunningly scenic ferry ride from Bergen to Flåm aboard the MS Njord, departing at 8 AM. This is the type of ride where the journey is the destination as we took in the surrounding views of the Fjords. Sitting at the top of the ferry was exhilarating but quite windy! Upon reaching Flåm at around 2 PM, we rented kayaks from Flåm Boat Rental and spent a magical 2 hours paddling towards Aurlandsfjord. Being on the Fjord, paddling through black water in a tiny boat felt so surreal. We were glad we wore warm and water resistant clothes, but we were smiling ear to ear the whole time.
Our return to Bergen was via the famed Flåm Railway, considered one of the world's most beautiful train journeys. Carved through Flåm’s valley, passing waterfalls and beautiful vistas, it was as pretty as promised. We connected on our final transport of the day, a train from Myrdal for the final leg back to Bergen. We arrived around 9:30 PM, grabbed a quick meal, and called it a night.
Lofoten Islands!!!
Day 1 in Lofoten: Airport to Svolvær
Time to go to Lofoten! We cabbed to the airport and it was a speedy ride (~20 minutes, ~600 NOK). We breezed through security in approximately 8 minutes and boarded our SAS flight. This flight operated kind of like a train or a bus – it took off from Bergen, landed in Trondheim, where people disembarked and boarded the plane while we stayed on, and then we took off again to Narvik/Harstad airport (EVE), one of the few airports that fly in/near Lofoten. I don’t know why, but our ‘train/bus’ plane experience really amused me! Love new travel experiences.
Our camper van from We Camp was waiting for us at the airport and would be our home for the next few days. It came equipped with a bed, very effective blackout shades, a cooler/fridge and stove for cooking. It was cozy and perfect for a couple.
The nearest town is Svolvær, a 3 hour drive from the airport. It was stunning at every turn! We stopped at a rest stop, Austnesfjorden which was beautiful but WINDY! It is probably that much more gorgeous on a clear sky day but the pit spot gave us a taste of the beauty ahead of us.
The rain accompanied us for the entire drive and our first night. We had a delicious and warming dinner at Bacalao . Justin enjoyed the namesake dish, while I savored the chowder – both warm and perfect for a cold, rainy evening. Feeling unsure of what to do in such cold and rainy weather, I had the genius idea to go to a nearby Sauna. Luckily, there was one just a short drive away at Svinøya Rorbuer. We discovered that many boutique hotels throughout the islands offer hourly sauna rentals – a highly recommended experience and one you’ll see we did several times, particularly since the van didn’t have a shower! This particular sauna floated on the fjord, with the daring option to jump into the chilly water. We warmed up with some drinks before heading to our campsite, Kabelvåg Feriehus and Camping, which was adequate but lacked a particularly noteworthy view.
Day 2: Floya hike, Henninvsvaer, and Lofoten Beach Camp
The next morning, we drove to a cute café for coffee Hjørnet Kafé Kabelvåg and started our hike for the day: Floya + Djevelporten – I clocked 3.65 miles and 3 hours, 1,835 feet! The trail started with steep steps, transitioned to boulders, and finished with a mix of dirt and rock scrambling. When the clouds cleared - the view at the top of the uninterrupted ocean and the surrounding archipelago was jaw dropping and we were so joyful to get that reward at the top. I felt like I was actually on top of the world.
After the hike, we drove to Henningsvaer, a quaint coastal town off the main highway, for lunch. We got pizza and beer at the trendy Trevarefabrikken hotel. Henningsvaer had a distinctly hipster vibe, and the Trevarefabrikken hotel reminded me of a cool coffee shop in Bushwick. They also had a sauna that would have been awesome to use. This would be an excellent hotel recommendation for anyone not traveling by camper van! We also checked out the local soccer field, which probably offers a more impressive view from above.
Our next stop was Lofoten Beach Camp! Lofoten Beach Camp was a HIGHLIGHT of our camper van experience. Situated right on the stunning Skagsanden Beach, we had immediate access to a long, white sand beach with breathtaking views of the ocean and surrounding mountains and excellent facilities - showers and bathrooms were adequate, but we particularly enjoyed relaxing in the stunning, reflective, triangular beach bar & cafe to order a warm meal and a cold drink. The campsite was bustling with tents and camper vans. The following morning, we enjoyed a relaxing coffee on the beach, courtesy of Justin, and enjoyed a lovely beach walk.
Day 3 in Lofoten: Ryten/Kvalvika, Hamnøy
Nearby the campsite is a turquoise blue water beach called Rambergstranda which we made a quick stop at before our hike. The water wasn’t quite turquoise while we were there, but it was still pretty!
We drove to the next hike, Ryten overlooking Kvalvika Beach. We parked alongside the road at Kvalvika Beach and began our trek. This hike was CRAZY cool. The hike starts out as a grassy meandering hike with wood panels and some rocks, and when you get to the top, a beautiful vista of the ocean and Kvalvika Beach appears! The way down is a long rock scramble, and when we finally get to the sand, we began the long ascent up to the top of Ryten/Kvalvika Beach Trail. From the summit of Ryten, the view of jutting mountains hovering over the white sand beach and endless Atlantic ocean was nothing short of iconic. With a optical illusion of a cliff that appears from the right angle to jut out over the cliff, we took one of the most iconic photos that scared our mothers half to death. We could have sat there for hours, but it was time to retrace our steps. My apple watch died but it was probably a 7-8 mile hike and 2,000 vertical feet one way!
Even though it felt like we already experienced a lifetime of epic views, once we got back to the van we made our way south towards Hamnøy Scenic Viewpoint . We stopped at Anita's Sjømat for dinner, which was so delicious we went here twice! We had intended to park at Moskenes Camping, but by the time we arrived it was full! Fortunately there are many places you can just park and use Norway’s parking app to pay, but we were seriously needing a shower after that hike. We audible and booked a sauna session at Catogården and parked in a parking lot (Camping Wasser-Versorgung/Entsorgung) for the night that had a gorgeous view and a bathroom. We spent all night playing cards and drinking wine under the midnight sun.
Day 4 in Lofoten: Reine, Reinebringen, Å, Lofoten Beach Camp
Our parking spot was super close to Reine | Reinebringen Hike, so we made our way to the start of the hike on foot. The ‘hike’ is essentially stone steps the entire way up, so prepare for one long stairmaster, but you’re rewarded with yet another ‘I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes’ view! Proof - it’s still Justin’s phone background nearly 2 years later.
Finally, we ended our drive in the southernmost point of Lofoten, the Viewpoint at Å, marking the end of our incredible journey through this stunning part of Norway.
We retraced our steps back up towards Lofoten Island Beach Camp for the night, and then the next morning made the drive back to Narvik/Harstad airport to return our camper van and begrudgingly board a plane out of Lofoten towards Oslo.
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