View the northern lights in Vesterålen

Enlightened experiences

Visit the archipelago of Vesterålen and explore the several winter activities on offer. Situated just north of the Lofoten Islands, this peaceful region has a strong fishing culture, lots of interesting art to explore, and a front-row seat to the northern lights (aurora borealis).

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Northern lights and Sami culture

The northern light often illuminates Vesterålen’s polar night. This natural phenomenon is difficult to catch on camera, but if you join a northern light safari, local guides will teach you how to freeze the moment.

A visit to a native Sami family to hear their interpretation of their culture, the polar night, and the starry sky, is also a must when you are in the region. There are several options for getting to Vesterålen and around.

Find more inspiration on Vesterålen’s official website.

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visitvesteralen.com

The man from the sea in Vesterålen.
Photo: Ian Robins

A killer whale outside of Andøy.
Photo: Marten Bril

Gaukvarøy, Vesterålen.
Photo: Marten Bril

Northern lights over Vesterålen.
Photo: Øystein Lunde Ingvaldsen / www.nordnorge.com

Winter in Vesterålen.
Photo: Toni Gjessing

Sea eagle in Vesterålen.
Photo: Marten Bril

Campaign: northern lights offer

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Andenes, Vesterålen.
Photo: Hvalsafari.no

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Other winter activities in Vesterålen

Where to stay in Vesterålen

Northern lights forecast

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

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Getting here and around

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

By boat

The Norwegian Coastal Voyage Hurtigruten calls daily at Risøyhamn, Sortland, and Stokmarknes in Vesterålen.

There is a year-round ferry service between Lødingen and Bognes, and between Melbu and Fiskebøl. In summer, there is also a ferry connection between Andenes and Gryllefjord.

For travel to Lofoten, there’s a ferry connection between Melbu and Digermulen.

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By road

Vesterålen is connected to the mainland and the E6 with two-lane highways. Several bridges and tunnels link the island group of Vesterålen together.

Norway has a unique traffic culture, in the way that it might be the only country in the world where pedestrians cross roads without paying much attention, expecting cars to slow down or even stop. The same goes for cyclists – they use the roads, but often don’t follow traffic rules. There has been reported many dangerous situations and accidents between cars driven by tourists and cyclists and pedestrians. For many car tourists, it can be a new experience to share the roads with these groups.

There are daily buses from larger cities in Northern Norway to Sortland, the largest town in Vesterålen.

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By plane

There are frequent and regular flights from all the major cities in Norway to Harstad/Narvik Airport, which is the closest airport to Vesterålen. Ann airport bus service takes you to Sortland in Vesterålen in about 2 hours.

Other airports in Vesterålen are Stokmarknes Airport and Andøya Airport.

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