Visiting Gryllefjord, the superb fjord in Senja

It’s still one of Norway’s best-kept secrets. Even though its popularity grows year after year and I see more and more tourists there, the island of Senja is Norway’s paradise. Picture the Lofoten Islands without the tourists. Picture a road winding along fjord after fjord, surrounded by impressive mountains rising straight out of the water. Senja is unspoilt nature with barely a few thousand inhabitants (mostly in summer) on the country’s second-largest island. In other words, a huge playground crossed by one of the most beautiful roads in the country, scenic route 862.

One of my favourite spots in Senja is without a doubt Gryllefjord. Named after the village and the fjord that lie west of route 862. A wonderfully pleasant fjord, very photogenic, as peaceful as can be and the perfect spot for chasing the northern lights 🙂

We won’t really cover it here, but Gryllefjord is the departure point of the famous ferry that takes you to Andenes, in the Vesterålen Islands. So handy!

One of the most beautiful fjords in Senja

5 reasons to stop in Gryllefjord

• The little village is lovely — there’s even a mini-market!
• Quite a few short hikes nearby
• Plenty of spots to see the northern lights
• But also sunrise and sunset
• Going right to the end of the fjord and feeling all alone in the world

Where is Gryllefjord

In the north-west of the island of Senja, the country’s second-largest island, the famous route 862 runs from fjord to fjord. At the western end of the 862 lie the fjord and the village of Gryllefjord. A peaceful little town of 300 souls (in summer)

What to do in Gryllefjord

The village of Gryllefjord

Gryllefjord is a cute little village of around 300 souls (probably fewer in winter). One of the rare places on the island where you can find a mini-market and fuel, which is pretty great. It’s also a village that, in winter, lives mainly off fishing, and in summer has more going on thanks to the ferry linking the island of Senja to Andenes, in the Vesterålen and therefore the Lofoten just below.

But Gryllefjord also has some lovely viewpoints. For a start, with the village sitting in “its own” fjord, it’s quiet and very well located. The harbour offers a pretty view over the fjord and the village.

The view into the fjord from the little harbour is stunning

The village really does sit at the foot of the mountains!

The Gryllefjord bridge

During the day, this bridge is a must because it offers two magnificent viewpoints. One over the head of the fjord, the other over the opposite side of the fjord with the village in the distance. And thanks to the orientation, the two are nothing alike. During sunset, when it’s blood-orange on one side, it’s deep purple on the other. If there’s no wind, this view lets you play with the reflection of the mountains in the water. Go in the morning above all, as there’s generally less wind. And for the northern lights, we’ll see how that turns out below 🙂

Gryllefjord at sunset

This is clearly one of my favourite spots for sunset. The Gryllefjord bridge offers an exceptional view because it faces just the right way, to the north-west. And what’s striking is that on one side you have the gorgeous orange hues while behind you there are completely different colours, even though you’re in the same place. It’s simply stunning and not to be missed! On top of that, it’s a different show every single time 🙂

Going to the head of the fjord

There aren’t many people around here as it is, but if you want to be even more on your own, you have the option of going right to the head of the fjord once you’ve crossed the bridge. People stop at the bridge (which offers a lovely view, that’s for sure), but there’s a little path that lets you go properly into the fjord for an even better view. Well, as long as there isn’t too much snow! Otherwise you’ll need to strap on the snowshoes 🙂 And down there, an even more beautiful view awaits you!
And that’s not all! Once you’re right at the end, there’s still the option of taking a little path that lets you gain quite a bit of height, along the axis of the fjord, if there isn’t too much snow, and it’s really lovely. Otherwise, you can always carry on along the road that runs along the fjord, which, after a good little walk, takes you to the top of the mountain, the pass that was the old road before the tunnel was built.
If you have a drone, this is also a lovely spot to fly it.

Peaceful — you can see neither the bridge nor the village

A general view over the fjord by drone

Seeing the northern lights in Gryllefjord

Let’s just say it’s not the place with the least light pollution. The bridge is lit at night, and properly so. Still, I wanted to try spending an evening there to see what it might give. Because lighting like that really isn’t easy. Lots of streetlamps with strong brightness, that’s hard to manage with ultra-wide angles. But luckily, there was one bulb that had blown, which gave just the right amount of dimness not to be bothered. So the result is pretty cool 🙂

The village is very brightly lit (a real fishing port) and now they keep at least one salmon farm in the fjord.

So there aren’t many spots without light. At the head of the fjord, if you can get there, it’s not bad.

Otherwise, you’ll always have lights. So I’d recommend other spots on the island. Unless you want to make the most of the fjord’s ultra-photogenic side, but then you’ll have to deal with the lights — it’s not always easy!

• In the following article I list the best places to see the northern lights in Senja.

A few short hikes around Gryllefjord

There are (at least) 4 hikes to do around Gryllefjord.

The old road

First of all, you should know that the tunnel and the bridge are recent and that before, there was a road that climbed up to the pass running above the tunnel. This road is of course closed, but sometimes accessible on foot, when there isn’t too much snow. If you’re fit, you can take it before the tunnel, climb up to the top of the pass and enjoy the gorgeous panoramic view, come back down and walk around the fjord. I’d say it’s a good 3 hours. And you have to come back once you reach the bridge :p

Around the fjord

If you don’t want to do it all, once you’ve crossed the bridge you can leave the car at the car park on the left and walk around the fjord. A very beautiful view, right at water level. You can add a layer of difficulty at the head by taking the little path that gives you a lot of height. You can even go all the way to the top — it’s an official multi-day hike.

Behind Gryllefjord

You can leave the car at the end of the village by the rubbish bins, then carry on along the little path. The length of the walk will depend on the snow cover, because wandering over snow-covered rocks at the water’s edge can be a touch hair-raising.

From Gryllefjord to Torsken

You don’t actually set off from Gryllefjord itself; you need to take the road that goes to Torsken before the village. And you stop at the big car park once you’re up on the plateau. There you have a magnificent hike with a view over the Torsken fjord, completely forgotten by tourists. You can go all the way to Torsken — it should take about 1h30 there and 2h back, I’d say. The best is to do it at sunset, for some pretty incredible colours. It faces due west, so it’s ideal!

Sleeping in Gryllefjord

Surprisingly, there are very few options for sleeping in Gryllefjord. Within the village itself you’ll find a few apartments and houses, but in terms of hotels, there are some adorable little houses to rent called the Kaikanten (around €170 a night for 5 people) by the water. Honestly top, especially with 3 bedrooms.

Otherwise, a bit further away, 10 minutes by car, there are several options. First of all, in Torsken there are two lovely lodges: the Torsken Brygge, and the Senja Fjordcamp. I haven’t personally tried them (for now), but the reviews are very good.

On the other side, there’s the famous Hamn i Senja hotel on its magnificent peninsula. I’ve stayed there a few times — it’s where I stay when I come back to Senja for a night or two, the setting is exceptional.

There are other really interesting places to stay further out on the island. So here I’ll point you to the dedicated article on hotels and houses to rent in Senja.

All these hotels sit by the fjord in a really top setting, which is why I’d rather suggest you stay in the fjords, in the north, rather than the ones lower down in Finnsnes, in “the city” (around 5,000 inhabitants :D), which isn’t pleasant at all.

4 recommended places to stay in Senja

Find your accommodation in Gryllefjord

FAQ and practical info about Gryllefjord

How long to stay in Gryllefjord

You can walk around the village in an easy 10 minutes, yes. But if you’re there in summer, take the time to go around the fjord, at least by car. So a couple of hours, including time to grab a coffee at the Matkroken (or, if the café with its odd opening hours is open).

Do you need to sleep in Gryllefjord to catch the ferry

Yes! Because there aren’t many ferries a day. In peak season, you won’t catch the morning ferry by arriving 2 hours before. So my real advice is to arrive the evening before and sleep on site, parking the car on the ferry boarding lanes. That way, you’ll be fine! In the following article you’ll find all the info (prices, timetables) for the ferry between Gryllefjord and Andenes.

Can you visit Gryllefjord without a car

Phew, it’s complicated. You have… ONE single bus a day to come here. And on site the distances are quite big if you want to climb, if you want to go to the bridge. So you need time. A lot of time. And in the following article I explain how to get to Senja, and you’ll see that a car is pretty much essential

When to visit Gryllefjord

Any season! In summer it’s beautiful and top, in winter I love it because with those black mountains and that snow, it gives an end-of-the-world feel. The fjord is so unusual that you can come at any time and you’ll always get a surprise.

Can you base yourself in Gryllefjord to visit Senja

So sleeping in Gryllefjord is a good idea but it’s not ideal for fanning out and visiting the whole island. You can. That is to say it’s really lovely for staying around, towards Hamn, Torsken, maybe Bergsbotn, but if you want to head out to Tungeneset every day, it takes time.

Where to eat in Gryllefjord

Well, err, you’ve got a Skreispiseri, a fish restaurant that also does coffee, and there’s also a grill that smells nicely of grease. Otherwise that’s it! It’s really nothing fancy.

Conclusion and extra resources

An exceptionally beautiful and deep fjord, the chance to climb up the sides and right to the head, hikes and plenty of spots for the northern lights — the Gryllefjord fjord has everything going for it, because on top of that it has its lovely little village with all the amenities. And the cherry on top, it’s very easy to reach. Anyway, I explain in the following article the ways to get to Senja.

And Senja fits in beautifully with a 2-week itinerary in northern Norway (Tromsø, Senja, Lofoten)!

If you’d like more information to plan your stay in Senja, then I recommend the following articles:

• What to do in Senja – discover the essential information for your stay
• Where to sleep in Senja – a few really lovely hotels, great houses in the fjords, there’s plenty of choice!
• How to get to Senja – every mode of transport to reach this superb island
• The ferry between Sommarøy and Senja – to avoid a 3-hour drive, the ferry is super handy
• The ferry between Senja and the Vesterålen Islands – it only runs in summer but it saves a huge amount of time!
• The map of Senja – all the key points are on this interactive map
• A day in Senja from Tromsø – you want to visit Senja but you only have one day? then this article is made for you!