The Lofoten Islands were a destination that had not crossed my radar until I began researching Norway. I had originally looked at us ending our Norwegian road trip with a trip to the Faroe Islands, but once I discovered the magical land of the Lofoten Islands, I looked no further. 

EXPERIENCE

The Lofoten Islands were without a doubt the highlight of our trip to Norway. Like many of the world’s most magical places, the Lofoten Islands are isolated and extremely difficult to get to. We flew into the airport from Bergen and hit the road immediately for the four and a half hour drive out to Reine near the end of the isles.

The majority of this destination is about enjoying the scenery along the way. We passed through the island’s many regions exploring the few small towns, mountains, lakes, rivers and coastline along the way. Vestvågøy was probably the most lovely region. We also stopped in Vagan, Austvagoy Town, Haukland Beach, Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach.

The next day we checked out the popular historic fishing town of Nusfjord. From here we headed down to the end of the line to experience the Village of Å and peer out over Værøy Island. We visited the Norwegian Stockfish Museum, which is worth a quick stop. We chose not to take the ferry out since were a bit burnt out on driving by this point in the trip, but it might be a fun experience for next time.

We were a bit hiked out from our time on the mainland this trip, but next visit I’d love to check out some of the island’s popular treks. One is the Svolværgeita Hike and another is the Reinebringen Hike (2-3 hrs) leaving from outside Reine.

STAY 

Our original plan was to spend one night in a traditional fisherman rouber on the water and to camp the other night. However, we enjoyed our stay so much at Reine Rorbuer that we decided to stay both nights. These cabins are cozy with a stunning view. Another wonderful thing about these cabins is that they all have full kitchens, which we utilized to cook fresh seafood both evenings.

EAT

We stuck to cooking while in Lofoten. Our first night we struck good fortune along our drive and found a beach full of clams and mussels we collected when the tide went out. We cooked them in our cabin with pasta and enjoyed them with delicious Scandinavian ciders. The next day we had a wonderful croissant breakfast at a little bakery next to our hotel in Reine then cooked fresh salmon and haddock fish tacos the next evening. Anita’s was a great place to buy seafood on the island, though we would have preferred to catch our own.

We had a wonderful time exploring this magical place. While the rest of Norway was nice, the Lofoten Islands really took the cake. I think in the future I will plan a fall or winter trip to the northern most portions of Norway in Svalbad and include snowy return trip to these islands. On the next visit I would be sure to again stay at Reine Rouber but this time plan a fishing trip in advance with Aqua Lofoten Coastal Adventures.