4-Day Road Trip in Lofoten Islands, Norway

Lofoten archipelago is truly one of the best places to live on earth. Without any doubt, we can say that the days spent in Lofoten Islands were the best days in our road trip to Norway and specially the greatest experience so far in all our road trips. 

Norway is definitely made for travellers and we believe it should be at least on top 3 countries in every travellers bucket list. If you plan to visit Norway make sure to reserve 3 to 4 days for Lofoten Islands.

Lofoten archipelago is best for;

• Hiking
• Climbing
• Beaches
• Breathtaking views
• Scenic drives
• Families

Arriving to Lofoten Islands

You can arrive to Lofoten Islands by a flight, ferry or driving. Most travellers will use flights to arrive in Lofoten as it is the fastest way. There are three main airports in Lofoten; Harstad/Narvik Airport (EVE), Svolvær Airport (SVJ), and Leknes Airport (LKN). If you arrive to Norway through Oslo airport you need to take one or more internal flight(s) to arrive in Lofoten.

The 3 main carriers in Norway are Widerøe, SAS and Norwegian. If you fly to Leknes or Svolvær most probably you will have a layover in Bodo. Harstad/Narvik Airport is the nearest airport to the mainland and there are direct flights from Oslo to Harstad/Narvik Airport.

While planning the Lofoten road trip, you can consider you journey from any of the airports depending on your budget and time. Since there are direct flights from Oslo, we decided to fly to Harstad/Narvik Airport and started our road trip from there which was the best option among  others. So this travel itinerary has designed to start and end from Harstad/Narvik Airport. If you plan to fly to a different airport you can of course customize this itinerary to match with your timeline.

When to Go

You can visit Lofoten Islands throughout the year. But this itinerary will best match for the summer time. We did our road trip in mid August. Even the weather in Norway can change in sudden, luckily it was fine throughout the all 4 days of our road trip in Lofoten. However if it is a rainy season, it would be  better if you can have an extra day in your schedule, so you may can manage to cover the places you have planned.

Where to Stay

You can choose to stay in hotels or airbnb in Lofoten Islands based on your preference and budget. Normally we prefer to stay in airbnb with a kitchen so that we can prepare some small meal for dinner and breakfast. After arriving at night to Evenes Ariport we stayed in Sure Airport Hotel as it was convenient for us.

Starting from there, we stayed one day in Sakrisøy Rorbuer AS which we can highly recommend. For the rest of the days we stayed in airbnb, where we had a comfy stay with everything as explained. Specially; do not miss out to stay in a fishing hut for at least one day during your road trip, as it will definitely give you an unforgettable experience in Lofoten.

Driving in Norway/Lofoten

As in most of European countries, Norway has right hand driving. Many cars in Norway has manual transmission. So when you reserve a car through a car rental company make sure to select automatic transmission if you need one. Also, you should read about the road signs before you arrive in Norway. In Lofoten Islands most roads are narrow, so some might find it hard to drive around. Some roads do not have a dividing line in the middle of road which can make the driving more difficult if you are not used to.

Road Trip Itinerary

We arrived in Lofoten Islands during night the day before we started our road trip. So we had full 4 days for our road trip. Harstad/Narvik Airport is a small airport so it won't be hard to find things. Once arrived we directly went to the car rental to take over the car which we reserved online beforehand. Comparatively car rental prices in Norway are expensive. So better to reserve well ahead of time soon after you book your flight tickets. We reserved a car from Hertz Car Rental in the airport. Our booking was made through Rhino Car Hire website including an insurance. Even though we booked a small car, luckily received an upgrade at the car rental for a Compact SUV, which made our trip more convenient.

Day 1 - Reinebringen, Hamnoy Bridge Photospot Viewpoint

We started our exiting road trip with a long drive as we stayed in Sure Airport Hotel. We did choose Reinebringen as our first hike in Lofoten. Before the hike we had lunch from Lanternen.

Reinebringen is a 3 km (roundtrip) strenuous hike which takes around 3 hours. It is one of the famous hikes in Lofoten which offers a remarkable panoramic view of the Reine village below. We did park our vehicle in Reine Viewpoint Parking which is also a beautiful viewpoint. It is a small car park and if the car park is full please do not park on the road. You can park here which is a parking space bit far to the trail head. From the place we parked it is only a 500m walk to the trail head.

After the hike we did check in to our hotel, Sakrisøy Rorbuer AS. Sakrisøy is one of the smallest settlements in Lofoten Islands, yet it still offers everything that is characteristic of an authentic fishing village of the North. It is a unique experience you should definitely try in Lofoten.

In the evening we took a short walk to Hamnoy Bridge Photospot Viewpoint which is a famous Instagram location and an attractive viewpoint in Lofoten archipelago, with a collection of red Rorbus (traditional fishing cabins) on the rocks and the Festhelltinden mountain at the back. This rocky mountain along with the crashing waves have added much more glamour to the cabins.

Day 2 - Ryten, Kvalvika Beach, Fredvangskrysset (Bridge), Uttakleiv Beach

On the second day we choose to hike Ryten. Ryten and Kvalvika is an unmatched fusion you can’t afford to miss if you’re going to Lofoten, and it is one of the perfect places to observe the sunset. Hike to Ryten, is one of the most interesting hikes in Lofoten Islands, which is easier compared to other hikes. If you are planning to hike Ryten please read our detailed article here.

Hike is about 8.7 km (roundtrip) which takes about 3 to 6 hours and can be categorized into easy/moderate in Lofoten hiking standards.

After the hike we had lunch from Kafe Friisgården. We did make a photo stop at Fredvangskrysset bridge.

Our last stop for the day was Uttakleiv Beach, one of the most photographed beaches in Norway. You have to pay 50NOK parking fee for 3 hours. Uttakleiv Beach is popular for camping as well.

Day 3 - Svolvaergeita, Svolvaer Fløya / Djevelporten boulder

This was the most exiting day in our Lofoten road trip. We reserved the day to climb Svolvaergeita (Also known as 'The Goat') which was the most adventurous activity in our tour. As soon as we saw photos of Svolvaergeita we wanted to climb it. We made a reservation with Northern Alphine Guides for the climb. They are professional certified climbers and we highly recommend them for this climb.

Climbing Svolvaergeita is not an easy task and it needs lots of courage and energy for the climb. So before considering Svolvaergeita make sure you are fit enough for the climb. In fact, the view from the top is stunning, so climbing is worth the effort. For all the adrenaline junkies out there this will be the favorite attraction in Lofoten.

You can either choose morning or evening for the climb. We choose to climb in the morning and we met our guide Sjur Hauge at Northern Alphine Guide's office. Then followed his car to the parking spot after getting the climbing equipment.

Before climbing you have to make a 45 minute (1 km) approach hike to the base of Svolvaergeita. This hike is challenging with slippery and steep parts. The rock climb is about 50 m long and the time depends on your ability and the availability of the crowd at that time. On the day we went, we were the first to climb so did not need to wait and we were able to climb the top in less than 30 minutes.

Please read our complete guide if you are planning to climb Svolvaergeita (Will be uploaded in the time to come).

After the climb either you can choose to climb Svolvaer Fløya or Djevelporten boulder. But we choose to take a break for the rest of the day. If you plan to climb Svolvaer Fløya or Djevelporten boulder you can read this article for more information. As per our guide climbing Svolvaer Fløya from Svolvaergeita side is dangerous and several people have died attempting climb from that path. So better to hike out and start climbing Svolvaer Fløya from the main path.

Day 4 - Henningsvær Stadion, Festvågtind Yeet

Since our return flight was at 8 p.m. we had plenty of time to explore some more in Lofoten Islands. On this day our main locations were Henningsvær Stadion and Festvågtind yeet which was a 2-3 hour hike including the return walk.

Henningsvær Idrettslag Stadion ( Henningsvær Football Soccer Stadium) is a unique football (soccer) ground and probably one of the most beautiful grounds in the world. You will agree with us after seeing the pictures. If you are a soccer lover, it's worth visiting Henningsvær Stadion during a road trip in Lofoten Islands. This is located on a rocky islet of the Henningsvær fishing village in Lofoten Islands, which is surrounded by the stunning view of scenic mountain peaks, open sea, sheltered bays and several small islets. The football pitch, which consists of an artificial turf, has laid by leveling the solid bedrock of the southernmost part of the Hellandsøya Island, resulting in a very rough landscape, encircled by a devastating number of cod fish drying racks. Around the field is a strip of asphalt that serves both as the crowd stand and as car parking. Around 500 people can easily watch a football game here and that seems sufficient since the village of Henningsvær doesn’t even have that many inhabitants.

Also there is Henningsvær Lighthouse beside the Stadion. We did make a stop in Vista Point near Henningsvaer on the way. After having lunch we were heading to the Evenes airport direction and completed another remarkable hike in Lofoten and stopped at some beautiful locations.

Festvågtind yeet hike is a 3 km (round trip) moderate hike with an elevation gain of about 500 m. For parking look for Festvagtind Car Park in Google Maps. Please note that parking here is not free and you need to download an application to your phone to do the payment. Trail head is about 200m away from the car park.

It's worth hiking the Festvågtind summit, to see the beauty of Henningsvær fishing village surrounded by the sea.

Festvågtind mountain is located in Henningsvær, Austvågøy of Lofoton archipelago and this is one of the peaks in Norway that seems to rise directly from the sea. View from the summit  is fascinating, where you get a panoramic  view of the Henningsvær fishing village along with the dazzling beauty of the Henningsvær Football Soccer Stadium, surrounded by the sea.

It is highly recommended to wear hiking shoes as the trail consists of uneven rocks in most of the parts. Also if there is no much rain, the path will get dried and slippery. But it is not difficult and there is enough trees for sheltering and once you reach the summit it's truly relaxing with the sea breeze. There will have two view points at two different elevations where the highest one is at the left side and the other one is at the right side. Sometimes it's difficult to clearly see the path as there are few foot paths made due to travelling, so better to move forward focusing the summit point.

After the hike we headed to Evenes airport. Of course we did stop in couple of beautiful locations on the way. That marked the end of our awesome road trip in Lofoten. We were lucky that we didn't get disturbed by bad weather throughout the days. We took the flight to Trondheim to continue our road trip in Norway main land.

If you prefer to know more information about our road trip, you can leave a  comment below. We are more than happy to help. Share your experiences about Lofoten Islands and if we miss something important about Lofoten Islands do not hesitate to mention.