If you are planning a trip to the Lofoten Islands, you can take some tips on how to get to the Lofoten Islands, which I will share in this article. How to get to the Lofoten Islands depends on the seasons you are traveling in.
I share some useful tips on how to choose the best way to get there.
There are many ways to get to Lofoten, it is by plane, car, boat, ferry or by bus.
Quick Planing Lofoten Islands Travel Guide
- Find the best flights to Lofoten
- Travel insurance. This is very important especially if your activity involves hiking, biking, kayaking, and hiking in the mountains. I recommend the insurance company Word Nomads
- To rent a car get great deals on Rentalcars
- Lofoten Accommodation: Elisassen Rorbuer in Hamnøy, Reinefjorden Sjøhus in Reine, Anker Brygge located on an island just off Svolvær Harbor, Scandic Leknes Lofoten the best in Leknes, Nusfjord Arctic Resort in Nusfjord
- If you'd like Activities:
- Read Lofoten Islands Travel Guide
- Look into my camera bag
Where are the Lofoten Islands located
The Lofoten Islands are located in northern Norway in Norland. It is located north of the Arctic Circle at the same latitude as Alaska and Greenland.
Despite this, the climate is mild and wet. The weather depends on the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
How to get to the Lofoten Islands
By plane
The best way to get to Lofoten is by plane. Most of Norway's cities have flights in Bodø, Narvik, Svolvær, and Leknes.
There are several airports near the Lofoten Islands, where you can easily fly from Oslo to the Lofoten Islands.
It's airports in:
- Leknes
- Svolvær
- Bodø
- Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes
- And airports in Andenes on the Vesterålen Islands
I suggest you arrive at Leknes or Svolvær airport. The rental cars will be more expensive, but you will save time.
For example, from Narvik to Svolvær, about 3 hours drive by car.
Today, most travelers prefer to fly by plane. Lofoten Islands are very far from European cities. Not all international airlines have direct flights to the Lofoten Islands.
Therefore, this is the best way to get to the Lofoten Islands by plane from Oslo or Tromsø.
Svolvær and Leknes airports are located in the Lofoten Islands and have regular flights to Norwegian airports. It is the best choice to get to the Lofoten Islands by plane.
Besides, there are flights to Bodø. The flight from Oslo to Bodø takes about 1-30, plus 30 minutes from Bodø to Lofoten. Also, there is a helicopter between Bodø and Værøy.
Lofoten Islands airports
There is an interactive Google map of the Lofoten Islands. This will help you plan your trip. Save this Google map in your smartphone or tablet and use during the trip.
This is an exclusive map of Lofoten Islands that I created especially for you. Save it in your Google maps!
The average cost of a 1.5-hour flight from Oslo to Bodø is 460 NOK. A half-hour flight between Bodø and Leknes a city on the largest island of the Vestvagoy archipelago will cost 350 NOK. A ticket for the Bodø – Moskines ferry costs 196 NOK, travel time is 3 hours. The prices listed on this page are for April 2019 but the price changes slowly.
Read More: How to Protect your Camera from Rain
Airlines
WIDERØE
Widerøe is a Norwegian airline company. Widerøe has flights around the country.
There are 5 flights to Lofoten from Oslo a week. You will arrive in Svolvær and Leknes airports.
NORWEGIAN
The low-cost airline Norwegian is a convenient and inexpensive airline. You do not get to the Lofoten Islands. Norwegian flight to Bodø and Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes from Oslo. You can arrive in Andenes in Vesterålen in the summertime too.
It is convenient if you plan to continue your journey.
You can get to Moskenes from Bodø by ferry. You can also start your journey through the Lofoten Islands from Andenes in Vesterålen. And finish it in Moskenes.
SAS + WIDERØE
SAS offers direct flights from Oslo and other cities of the world in Bodø and Tromsø. And you can continue traveling by car or by Widerøe’s airplane to Svolvær or Leknes.
Every day there are flights from Oslo (Gardermoen) to Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes.
Union of SAS и Widerøe
You can buy one ticket for the whole trip. It’s a good solution.
By ferry
Ferry from Bodo to Lofoten
Most tourists traveling in Norway prefer a ferry from Bodo to Lofoten. The Ferries between Bodø, Skutvik, Svolvær, and Værøy run daily all year round. Some of them take cars.
A passenger without a car has no problem getting by ferry.
From Bodø to Moskenes, Lofoten: depending on conditions 3h 15m – 4 hr
- Car Ferry. You should buy tickets in advance in the summertime. The ferry takes 3-4 hours and costs $25 per passenger plus $92 per car.
- Passenger Ferry. Sails from Bodø to Svolvær 3.5 hours.
- Hurtigruten. Fron Bodo to Stamsund and Svolvær.
- Turn up 2 hours ahead of departure if you miss buying a ticket
- Make a reservation in advance with the Torghatten-nord.no
- Out of season, the ferries work on a first-come
Ferry from Skutvik to Lofoten
From Skutvik to Svolvær, Lofoten take 2hr 24m
- Work between June and August
- Book in advance only
Landscape Photography a Comprehensive guide for beginners PDF e-book
Landscape Photography a Comprehensive guide for beginners is an e-book that will allow you to learn the basics of photography and teach you to take beautiful pictures of different types of landscapes in all weather conditions.
Express boats
Express boats from Bodø to Svolvær are a great way to Lofoten Islands. You will see Lofoten and it will be a wonderful sea excursion. Travel time 3,5 h.
By bus
Passenger buses run daily from Narvik, Budø, Harstad, Svolvær and E..
The bus follows E10. The journey time is 7-30 hours. Be careful and take a look at the bus timetable.
The bus is not the easiest way to travel around the Lofoten Islands.
You can travel by bus, but it will be more painful than a full rest or trip. The problem is that the bus runs on E 10. All the interesting places are on the side of this road. Travelers thank the drivers who brought them to their destination, this is the most common situation.
It’s your choice. But if you do not want to complicate your life, a car is a good pick.
All bus information can be found at 177nordland
By train
Trains run from Stockholm and Kiruna to Narvik every day all year round. From here you can reach various towns in the archipelago by bus.
There are also trains running from Oslo to Bodø with a connection in Trondheim and Fauska. The train journey from Trondheim to Bodø is about 10 hours.
Book train tickets Norway NBS
By car
If you prefer to travel by car there are several ways to get to the Lofoten Islands.
There are by car ferry or drive by road E10.
The E10 is a beautiful scenic route through the Lofoten Islands and connects Harstad/Narvik, Svolvær, Leknes, Reine and Å I Lofoten.
- From Harstad/Narvik to Å: 4h 40m
- From Tromsø to Å: 8h 20m
The most popular article on my site NORTHERN LIGHTS IN THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS
TOP 4 TIPS TO RENT A CAR ON LOFOTEN
- Car rental in Kiruna, Sweden. Yes, in Kiruna. Distance from Kiruna to Leknes 450 km. If you travel to the Lofoten Islands and northern Norway for more than 7-10 days, it is a very economical choice. Flying by plane to Kiruna is often much cheaper than flying to any airport in Lofoten. It is cheaper to rent a car in Kiruna. You can buy some items that are cheaper in Sweden. You can come to Tromsø, where the cost of renting a car is lower than in the Lofoten Islands. But the distance to the Lofoten Islands is too great. The distance from Tromsø to Leknes is 490 km. In any case, if you save your money, you should also consider these options.
- Not on a budget. Rent a car at the Lofoten Islands or Tromso airport. It does not make much difference whether you fly to Svolver or Leknes. The distance between the two cities is not great. Both airports have the largest rental companies in the world. You can book any car at any time. They have a big disadvantage, which is a huge price.
- There is another little lifehack. The renting of a used car. Yeah, it won’t be new, but it’s always on the go and fully serviced. It’s a great solution. The company has used car rentals. I have nothing to do with Rentacar-Lofoten with any advertising contracts, but very often I see cars with their stickers. And I haven’t heard any bad reviews.
- If you want to rent a camper in the Lofoten Islands, you can do it at Arctic Campers. These guys convert ordinary cars into campers that can perfectly suit your taste. The cost of renting these cars is slightly higher than that of renting a regular car. But you become the owner of a car that you can live in.
If you rent a car, you must be careful on the road. The roads in the Lofoten Islands are very narrow and have no markings. There are often steep turns. In winter, the snow is wet. The car becomes completely uncontrollable at this time. And you need a lot of driving experience in the Lofoten Islands to drive on this road.
Most popular articles about Lofoten
Wild Camping on Lofoten Islands
Northern Lights in the Lofoten Islands
30 Tips for Photographing Amazing Arctic Landscape
This is FREE e-Book about my practical experience as a landscape photographer for traveling North.
These are 30 simple tips on how to catch a good shot in all weather conditions in places like Northern Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and any other location.
Ms Kristine Nerison Collins says
Thanks so much – or, Tusen takk, Marat! Am planning a trip in 2023 and this was sooo helpful. I know it was a lot of work, and we appreciate it!