10 of the Best Things to do in Lofoten

The Lofoten Islands of northern Norway are a picturesque wonder of nature. Travelers from all walks of life come to Lofoten every year and leave with a newfound appreciation for this remote corner of the world. With moderate year-round temperatures and endless discoveries to make, there is something for everyone in Lofoten.

Here are the 10 best things to do in Lofoten on your next visit.

1. Go on a fjord cruise

Norway is world-famous for their fjords, with towering mountain faces that dive down straight into winding rivers of deep blue Arctic water. One of the most popular natural attractions in Lofoten is the stunning Trollfjord, with its glacier-capped peaks reaching up to 1,100 metres (3,608 feet). The best way to experience this area is by taking a fjord cruise.

The Lofoten Islands are home to Europe’s largest seabird colony, and taking a seabird safari cruise on Trollfjord is an ideal way to catch a glimpse of the bustling birdlife in the area.

Focused on sustainable tourism, hybrid electric-powered cruise vessels are becoming more common in Lofoten. You can enjoy the beauty of the fjord while feeling good about leaving a smaller environmental footprint behind.

2. See the northern lights

Due to its location in the Arctic Circle, Lofoten is a prime location to see the northern lights. These colorful displays of brilliant lights and dynamic flickers make regular appearances between October and March when there are many hours of darkness (24 hours of darkness per day during some of the winter months!).

While you can see aurora borealis from just about anywhere in Lofoten, the best views are out of town, away from light pollution. This allows the colorful ribbons in the sky a chance to shine their brightest. Another great way to get the full experience is to go on a Northern Lights Tour where guides take small groups out on one day or multi-day expeditions to find the best vantage point to see the lights.

3. Join a photography tour

With so much to see in Lofoten, capturing experiences in photographs is a fantastic way to look back on these memories for years to come. Photography tours and workshops allow for a fun, unique way to experience the area and are a good fit for both experienced photographers to push their skills to get the ultimate shot and for novices to learn something new while enjoying the views.

If you visit in the summer, you can take advantage of 24 hours of daylight shining down on Lofoten. During the winter, you can experiment with low-light techniques to snap stunning long-exposure night shots.

Subjects for photography may include:

Rocky islands
Tall mountains
Deep fjords
Colorful fishing villages
The northern lights
Unique arctic plants and animals

4. Take in the midnight sun

Between the end of May and mid-July each year, Lofoten and other areas located in the northern Arctic region experience a phenomenon where the sun never fully drops below the horizon. Called the midnight sun, this means it stays light 24 hours a day on the Lofoten Islands!

To help you make the most of the extra hours of sunlight, many local attractions and stores stay open during the night hours so visitors can partake in nighttime activities that are usually done in the daytime.

5. Stay in a traditional fisherman's cabin

Quaint red cabins lining the coast are a staple of every fishing village in the Lofoten Islands. These traditional fisherman’s cabins, called Rorbu, are from a bygone era where fishermen visiting the area would stay in order to be close to their boats. Now, fishing boats have room for the fishermen to sleep on them so these cabins have now been converted into tourist accommodations.

Now, these stilted red cabins allow visitors to stay along the water with unobstructed views of the beautiful mountains and crystal clear waters. What more authentic way is there to experience Lofoten?

6. Have a beach day

Northern Norway may not be what comes to mind when you think about spending a day at the beach, but did you know that Lofoten has some of the best beaches and surfing in Europe? Lonely Planet named Haukland Beach as the best in Europe for its blue water, white sand and surrounding mountains. While the beaches of Lofoten don’t have the warm waters of southern Europe, they deliver when it comes to beauty and solitude.

7. Experience the Lofotr Viking Museum

Lofoten is an area rich with tradition, culture and history. The Lofotr Viking Museum is located in Bøstad and is the biggest tourist attraction in the area. Visitors are taken back in time over a thousand years to the Viking Age and are given the chance to experience how ancient Norse people lived.

In the 1980s, Europe’s largest Viking longhouse was uncovered here and the 83 metre (272 feet) long settlement is now the central feature of the museum.

In addition to learning about history and archaeology, some of the activities you can participate in at the museum include children’s horseback riding, rowing a Viking ship, ax throwing and shooting a bow and arrow.

8. Explore Svolvær

The Lofoten Islands' capital city, Svolvær, still maintains its small-town-by-the-sea charm. Having one of Lofoten’s two airports and being a docking port for cruise ships, this is often the starting place for tourists visiting the area.

There are plenty of things to do in the capital city. Food lovers will enjoy exploring the street cafés and bakeries and eating delicious meals at some of the best restaurants in Lofoten. History buffs should make a point to visit one of the many museums and galleries, such as the Lofoten War Memorial Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of WWII artifacts.

9. See the cod fish drying racks

For over 1,000 years, the Lofoten Islands have been deeply invested in the fishing industry. Specializing in cod fish, a traditional way of preserving the cod caught by fishermen was drying them on large triangular racks. Lofoten experiences winter temperatures just below freezing, which are the perfect conditions for the fish to be preserved naturally by the sun and wind. This creates a product called stockfish, which is one of Norway’s major exports.

When you visit Lofoten you cannot miss seeing this process in action by looking up to the sight of thousands of cod fish hanging overhead.

10. Go on an epic hike

One of the best ways to take in the beauty of Lofoten is by immersing yourself in nature. Challenging yourself with a mountain hike on one of the many trails is an enjoyable way to experience the area and get some fresh air. The most popular hike is Reinebringen, probably because it ends with a spectacular mountain-top view over the villages of Reine, Sakrisøy and Hamnøy.

Other popular hikes with beautiful scenery and breathtaking views include Mannen Mountain in Haukland, Svolvær’s Fløya Mountain and Festvågtinden Mountain in Henningsvær.

No matter what brings you to the Lofoten Islands—the scenery, the fjords, the villages, the culture, the people—you'll find so much more once you arrive.