Getting to Vesterålen and around

By car

Five bridges and two tunnels link the island group together and connect them to the mainland. The road network is well-developed and ferry-free all the way to E6 at Bjerkvik/Narvik in the east, while there is a ferry connection from Lødingen in the south. The intermediate road across Bjørnefjell connects with the Swedish road network. To get to Lofoten you can follow the road "Lofast" (E 10) from Gullesfjordbotn in Kvæfjord municipality to Fiskebøl in Hadsel Municipality (altogether 51 kilometres).

By ferry/boat

There is a ferry connection from Lødingen in the south. For travel into Lofoten, there are ferry connections from Melbu and Digermulen.

Ferry and express boat companies in Vesterålen

• Helgelandske (email: epost@helgelandske.no)
• Senjafergene
• Torghatten Nord

Hurtigruten (the Norwegian Coastal Voyage) calls daily in Vesterålen at Risøyhamn, Sortland and Stokmarknes.  

By air

It is the aeroplane that is the most important communication link to and from the outside world; the short runway airports at Andøya Airport Andenes and Stokmarknes Airport are the portals to the larger airports in Tromsø and Bodø.

There is are two airport bus services between Sortland and Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes - Flybussen Sortland and Den Kvite Bussen.

Distances to Sortland from:

• Bodø: 286 kilometres
• Evenes: 130 kilometres
• Fauske: 223 kilometres
• Harstad: 80 kilometres
• Narvik: 200 kilometres
• Skagen: 23 kilometres
• Svolvær in Lofoten: 79 kilometres
• Tromsø: 411 kilometres 
• Oslo: 1,387 kilometres