See the northern lights in the Lofoten Islands

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The wild nature of the Lofoten Islands is just as beautiful in winter as the rest of the year, especially when the northern lights come out at night. Every outing in the region is framed by rugged mountain tops that rise straight from the sea.

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For a thousand years, fishermen have come to Lofoten from near and far to take part in the renowned cod winter fishing in Northern Norway. It is a living history that is confirmed by the numerous typical fish drying racks in the villages.

Lofoten is situated just beneath the auroral oval, a belt of light that encircles the geomagnetic poles and provides some of the best chances of seeing the northern lights.

Get to know Lofoten’s colourful fishing villages with the characteristic “rorbuer” (fishermen’s cabins), local handicrafts, and rich history that dates back to the Vikings. It is easy to get to the Lofoten Islands.

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Northern lights over Hamnøy, Lofoten.
Photo: Alex Conu / Visitnorway.com

Northern lights over Henningsvær, Lofoten.
Photo: Vidar Lysvold / Visitnorway.com

Boating in Lofoten.
Photo: CH / Visitnorway.com

Hiking in Lofoten.
Photo: Alex Conu / Visitnorway.com

Winter light over Reine in Lofoten, Northern Norway

Moskenes, Lofoten.
Photo: Christian Bothner / www.nordnorge.com

Skiing in Lofoten.
Photo: Espen Mortensen / www.nordnorge.com

Boat safari in Lofoten.
Photo: CH / Visitnorway.com

Svolvær, Lofoten.
Photo: Making View / Visitnorway.com

Winter activities in Lofoten

Where to stay in Lofoten

Northern lights forecast

The NorwayLights app provides the best prediction for when to see the northern lights in the area.

Getting here and around

Get in-depth travel information on Lofoten’s official website.

By train

There are daily trains all year between Stockholm, Kiruna, and Narvik. From there, you can catch buses to the Lofoten Islands.

There are also trains from Oslo via Trondheim and Fauske to Bodø. From Trondheim, the train takes around 10 hours to Bodø. From Bodø, you can take a ferry or speedboat to Lofoten.
By boat

There are daily scheduled express passenger boats operating all year between Bodø, Svolvær.

There are car ferries from Bodø to several places in Lofoten and between some of the islands in the archipelago, like Svolvær, Skrova, Moskenes, Værøy and Røst. The Norwegian Coastal Voyage Hurtigruten calls at daily Stamsund and Svolvær in Lofoten.

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By bus

There are public buses every day from Narvik, Bodø, and Harstad to Svolvær. The Airport Express Bus is also running regularly from Harstad/Narvik, Evenes Airport to Lofoten-Svolvær.
By car

If you choose to go by car, there are several options of getting to and from Lofoten.

A boat-free connection from the north of Lofoten, or from Sweden, takes you between the mainland and Lofoten.

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Local travel

The E10 (King Olav V’s road) is the main road connecting the Lofoten archipelago from west to east. Travelling by public transport requires some planning, especially if you want to go anywhere off the E10, so check the timetables carefully.
By plane

There are frequent and regular flights to Bodø Airport, Harstad/Narvik Airport, Svolvær Airport, Leknes Airport, and Røst Airport.

Flight time from Oslo to Bodø is approximately 1,5 hours and an additional 20–30 minutes from there to Lofoten.

There is also a helicopter service between Bodø and Værøy.

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