All information about the ferry between Bodo and the Lofoten Islands + Vaeroy

To reach the lofoten Islands , probably the most beautiful place in Norway there are a number of options. You can either arrive directly by road from the north, the road coming from Tromso, or by plane directly to Harstad/Narvik (Evenes airport).

But a very common option is to arrive in Bodo, which offers many advantages:

• direct flights from Oslo
• road access from central Norway
• above all, a ferry to Lofoten

The ferry from Bodo to southern Lofoten in Moskenes is super convenient. It only lasts 3h15 (sometimes a bit more). You don’t have to go up from Bodo to the entrance to Lofoten, much further north, and then drive another 3 hours to go back down to Svolvaer. So that saves a hell of a lot of time!

But is it always the best solution, how much does the ferry cost, how long does it take and how often? Let’s find out!

When is it best to take the ferry from Bodo?

As I said in the introduction, there are two ways to enter the Lofoten Islands:

• from the north of the Lofoten Islands
  • via Harstad/Narvik airport (there are also airports in Leknes and Svolvaer, but these are rarer), located at the entrance to the Lofoten Islands, you’re easily 3 or 4 hours (with photo breaks)  away from the center of the Lofoten Islands, the most interesting part of the island
  • by road, via the E6 which becomes the E10. The Lofoten Islands are very large, all in length, and it takes 6 hours to get from one end to the other!
• From the south, via the ferry from Bodo, this ferry reaches the Lofoten Islands (Moskenes) and Vaeroy. We arrive at the very south of the islands, on the fabulous island of Moskenesoya, not far from Reine and A i Lofoten.

1. You’re only visiting the Lofoten Islands
   • In that case, it’s probably best to arrive in Harstad/Narvik. It’s quicker because you arrive directly at Lofoten, can rent a car there and then head further south.
   • Arriving in Bodo and taking the ferry doesn’t really offer any advantages: the plane takes the same amount of time, car hire is the same, but you’ll have to take the ferry. So a bit more expensive (with the car) and takes more time. Unless you want to visit the city, that’s the only advantage I can see. After that, the ferry ride is great fun too, and the views of the mountains are very pretty!
2. You can also visit the north (Tromso, Senja, Finnmark)
   • Unless you make a huge detour from Narvik to Bodo (more than 5 hours’ drive), you’ll have to come to Lofoten by road. In general, you’ll arrive in Tromso to visit the region (Alta too, but that’s rarer)
   • On the other hand, what could be interesting, at least to take advantage of both options, is to arrive by road to the north, drive down to the Lofoten Islands and, once you’ve finished, take the ferry back rather than driving all the way up. And you take another route up from Bodo, passing the Stetind, the “national” mountain
3. Coming from the south, by car or train
   • The easiest way to do this is to take the ferry from Bodo to Moskenes, as you’re coming from the south. So you need to take the ferry, and from there head up to the Lofoten Islands. As you’ll probably be visiting other places in the north of the country, you’ll take the road back to Vesteralen, Senja and Tromso.
   • If you’re traveling by train, this is perfect, as Bodo is the end of the Norwegian rail network. So you can easily get to the pier. What’s more, as we’ll see, it’s free for pedestrians!

How to take the ferry from Bodo to Lofoten / Moskenes

The company operating this route is Torghatten Nord this is where you’ll find all the information you need (which we’ll go into in more detail below), and also where you can make your reservation. This company also manages a number of routes in the north of the country, such as Senja-Tromso.

So, here’s how to make a reservation on this site, which is, let’s face it, not the prettiest out there:

• First of all, you’ll need to switch the site to English, in the top left-hand corner (the little flag)
• Enter the port of departure (Bodo), the port of arrival (Moskenes) and a date, then click on “search ticket price”

• Now you’re on a page in Norwegian again, so you still have to click on the flag at the top left to switch to English (otherwise right-click and translate to english works fine)
• Be careful, because clicking on the flag again removes all the data you’ve just entered, so you need to enter the port of departure, arrival and date again, then choose the type of ticket:
  • click on the + corresponding to what will be traveling
  • then the quantity for each
  • EL stands for “electric vehicle”, which is distinguished because it’s cheaper
  • A vehicle necessarily includes a driver
  • For example: if you are a car and 2 people, you need to add a vehicle and a person (passenger)
• Then click on “search price and departures”

• The results are now displayed, showing what’s sold out (in red) and what’s available. With a price summary on the right

• Once you’ve selected the time, you need to enter the vehicle and passenger details (MC driver, MC being the vehicle)
• You have the option of paying online or using the code of your Autopassferje number if you have ordered it before
• Finally, you’ll be asked to pay by credit card on the next page, a secure payment

• Book your ferry ticket on Torghatten Nord

What are the ferry schedules between Bodo and the Lofoten Islands?

The ferry is available all year round, with more or less rotations depending on the season. You can already find all timetables here for 2023:

• low season: September 4 to June 1 (winter schedule, usually 2 departures per day)
• high season: June 2 to September 3

Careful, it’s not easy, we’re going to separate low season and high season and the days (yes, why make it simple when you can make it complicated):

• • Direction Bodo – Moskenes:
    • monday, Wednesday, Friday
      • high season 3:15am / 6am / 7am / 11am / 1:30pm (Friday) / 4pm / 5:15pm / 6:45pm / 10:30pm (Friday)
    • tuesday, thursday
      • high season 3:15am / 5:30am / 6am / 11am / 3pm / 5:15pm / 6:45pm
    • saturday & sunday
      • high season 3:15am / 7am / 8am (saturday) / 11am / 1:30pm / 4pm / 4:45pm (sunday) / 6:45pm / 10:30pm
    • Low season (attention, this REALLY changes every day)
      • Monday 4:45pm
      • Tuesday 1am / 4:45pm
      • Wednesday 1:45am / 3:15pm
      • Thursday 00:15am / 4:45pm
      • Friday 1am / 4:45pm
      • Saturday 4:30 pm
      • Sunday 1pm / 9pm
  • Sens Moskenes – Bodo
    • monday, Wednesday, Friday
      • high season 7am / 9am / 9.45am (via Vaeroy) / 11am / 2:45pm / 6pm / 8:30pm / 11:45pm / 12:15am
    • tuesday, thursday
      • high season 7am / 10.45am / 9am / 2:45pm / 6pm / 11:45pm / 2am
    • saturday
      • high season 7am / 9am / 12pm / 2:45pm / 6pm / 8:30pm / 11:45pm
    • sunday
      • high season 7am / 9am / 11am / 2:45pm / 6pm / 8:30pm / 11:45pm / 12am

• • • Low season
      • Monday + Tuesday + Thursday 7am / 8:30pm
      • Wednesday 7am / 7pm
      • Friday + Saturday 7am
      • Sunday 3:30pm

Important, the ideal website/app to plan your routes is Entur.no which of course includes ferry timetables. Super convenient!

Summer schedules, hover over the image to zoom in, or click here to to download the file

Winter schedules, roll over the image to zoom in, or click here to to download the file

How much does the ferry cost?

Here are the prices for the different types of vehicles:

• normal vehicle, under 6m, with driver and 1 or more passengers: NOK 979
  • between 6 and 8m: 2173 NOK
  • between 8 and 10m: 2642 NOK
• electric vehicle, under 6m, with driver: NOK 602
• motorcycle with driver: 446 NOK
• vehicle + caravan: 2058 NOK

Pedestrians:

• it’s free for pedestrians IF you go directly without booking on the site. We’ll take your name in the traditional way, but that’s all
• if you reserve your place in advance as a pedestrian, then you’ll have to pay (225 NOK), so I guess the choice is pretty easy to make
• it’s also free for bikes!

You can download the price list here

Do I need to book the ferry in advance?

ATTENTION: Only 50% of the places are on sale on the website. The other 50% are for cars arriving on site. But in this case I recommend arriving early, especially at weekends and especially in high season.

In high season, yes, you MUST reserve your slot. And several days in advance, sometimes 2 weeks if you want a precise crossing time, and even more when it’s the weekend. For example, it’s early June when I’m writing this article, and some times (usually 11am and 1pm) are already booked up for 2 weeks from now.
Moreover, I’m looking at tomorrow (early June), and more than half the slots are full, leaving 3am and 5/18pm. And tomorrow is Monday. So I really think it’s best to secure a place and make a reservation. It seems that most people, in June and outside weekends, book the day before or 2 days before.

In low season, from mid-September to April, I’d say it’s not worth booking in advance. As a precaution, I’d still only do it at weekends, but don’t forget that 50% of places are available on site, so at worst, out of season, arrive early 🙂

How to get to Vaeroy

Vaeroy is the super-pretty little island just below the Lofoten Islands. It’s also served from Moskenes and Bodo, but there are far fewer daily trips.

• You can bring your car / camper
• Moskenes – Vaeroy: 1h30 and 315 NOK
• Bodo – Vaeroy: 5h15 and NOK 698
• In low season: there is an evening arrival and every other day a morning arrival (one from Moskenes, but not daily)
• High season: at least 2 connections, including one to/from Moskenes
• The timetables change every day, so you really need to look at the Bodo/Moskenes timetables I’ve put up before. Vaeroy is also indicated there