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One of the questions that comes up most often when people talk about the Lofoten islands is how to get there, and what’s the easiest way. And just as well, there are plenty of options!
Whether you drive or not, whether you want to come by plane, train or sea, there’s bound to be a simple solution.
So I’m going to explain it all to you, with practical information, companies and timetables. In short, you’ll have no reason not to come! Especially as there’s so much to do on the Lofoten Islands!
Getting to the Lofoten Islands by plane
Flying to the Lofoten Islands is super easy because there are several airports. 3 around (Tromso, Harstad/Narvik, Bodo) and 2 within Lofoten (Svolvaer and Leknes). On the other hand, I’d say it’s convenient but not optimal because the main airports aren’t in the center, so you either have to take the boat or drive. Anyway, I’ll explain it all in detail
Arriving at Bodo airport to go to the Lofoten Islands
So no, Bodo is not located in the Lofoten Islands. On the other hand, it’s just across the road, and you can easily get there by taking the ferry between Bodo and Moskenes. As we’ll see, there are many connections between Oslo/Bergen and Bodo, but no direct flights from France.
The ferry is free for pedestrians, but I’d advise you to rent a car in Bodo directly, which will be cheaper than in Moskenes, and then board the ferry.
Is Bodo worth a visit? Well, there’s not much to do. But the surrounding area is superb, full of mountains. However, if you’ve got limited time, head straight for the Lofoten Islands.
The advantage of doing Bodo – Moskenes is that you arrive at the southern end of the Lofoten Islands, so you can head up the archipelago, and either continue on to the Vesteralen, Senja or Tromso, or come back down to Bodo to make a nice loop.
Flights to Bodo from Paris aren’t particularly expensive. If you look on Kayak, you’ll find return flights from €150. Unsurprisingly, the airlines offering these flights are Norwegian and Scandinavian Airlines.
Air France’s prices are immediately higher, and prices change a lot from one day to the next, so you really need to compare! Kayak is a reliable and clear comparator, in my opinion.
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Harstad/Narvik airport (Evenes) in the north of the Lofoten Islands
This convenient airport is located at the very northern end of the Lofoten Islands, between the towns of Harstad and Narvik (hence the name, no brainer). And its advantage is that it’s super-easy to get to, with numerous connections from other Norwegian cities, notably Oslo and Bergen. However, it’s located in the very north of the Lofoten Islands, 3 hours from Svolvaer, which is something to bear in mind. Especially if you have to leave from this airport, you’ll need to plan well in advance and not leave at the last minute!
After that, I’d say it’s still the main gateway, because the route between Evenes and the center of Lofoten is superb. If you’re arriving and departing from Evenes, it’s not so easy to do a roadtrip in the north, because you have to retrace your steps. But that’s no big deal 🙂
If you arrive in Evenes, your first stop for the night could be Svolvaer, as this is the real gateway to Lofoten in my opinion. You can easily rent a car in Evenes, and if you want to take the bus, no problem! There are 2 buses a day (the 300) to Svolvaer, at 11am and 5pm. You can find all this on the Entur.no, planner, which is super handy. As for prices, they also start at under €170 for a return trip from Paris, with Norwegian and SAS. And it takes between 5 and 7 hours, depending on the stopover. So you really need to compare prices and stopovers to avoid wasting too much time.
Svolvaer and Leknes airports in the heart of Lofoten
I’m including these two airports in the same section because it’s exactly the same information:
- they’re only an hour apart
- they are located right in the center of the Lofoten Islands
- you need to make at least 2 stopovers to get here, usually Oslo then Bodo
- the Bodo – Svolvaer and Bodo – Leknes connections are made by Wideroe
- and it costs around 300€.
So the big advantage of getting to Svolvaer or Leknes is that you don’t have to drive too far, and you don’t have to take a ferry.
On the other hand, it takes a little longer, and it’s more expensive. So I’d say it’s ideal if you just want to visit the Lofoten Islands.
If you want to do a roadtrip around the whole region (Lofoten, Senja, Tromso), you might want to consider another airport. In Svolvaer and Leknes, you can easily rent a car.
4 recommended accommodations in Lofoten
Getting to Lofoten from Tromso airport
Well, it’s not the easiest way. It’s an 8-hour drive from Tromso. So my big piece of advice is that if you only want to go to the Lofoten Islands, don’t go via Tromso, because you’ll have 2 days of transport. So 2 days more or less lost, compared to arriving at the previous airports.
So it’s a good option if you want to take some time, visit Tromso a bit, discover Senja, then get to Lofoten, and then come back. There are more and more direct flights from Paris: Air France, Transavia, Norwegian, Easyjet now. It takes 3h30, prices start at less than 200€, which is really not bad!
But, once again, compare flights, as there are quite a few on offer
If you’d like to linger in Tromso, here are a few resources that should come in handy:
Getting to the Lofoten Islands by train
Be careful, you’ll need to concentrate, as it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The Norwegian rail network is interesting, but not very developed. In the north, you can go as far as Bodo, via the center. You can find information on VY.no.
So from Bodo, you’ll need to take the ferry between Bodo and Moskenes, or you can get to Narvik, but you’ll need to use the Swedish rail network! So coming from Stockholm is feasible, but very time-consuming, and you have to make several changes.
You can find all the routes on sj.se. But Bodo is accessible, Narvik too, but not on the same network, and it’s impossible to get from Bodo to Narvik by train. Well yeah, otherwise it would be too easy:D
Coming to the Lofoten Islands by boat and ferry
The different ferries to come to the Lofoten Islands
From the mainland, there are several ways to reach the Lofoten Islands, with or without a car. The best-known is the ferry between Bodo and Moskenes. Several trips a day, free for pedestrians, super popular, best booked in summer.
There’s a free ferry (cars and pedestrians) between Svolvaer and Skutvik. Find out more here, or take the speedboat from Tromso to Harstad via Finnsnes. More info here.
If you’re from the Vesteralen, then there’s the short ferry between Melbu and Fiskebol, which saves you a couple of hours by car. Finally ,in the far north of Lofoten, there’s the boat between Bognes and Lodingen. More info here.
I’ve listed ALL the boat/ferry routes in my Lofoten Islands map, which can be super useful
Coming to the Lofoten Islands with the Hurtigruten
The Hurtigruten is Norway’s coastal express, an omnibus that was originally used to connect all the country’s cities more conveniently than via the bumpy road. Now it’s used a lot for great cruises, and the company offers total flexibility: you can choose where you get on and off. It’s called“from port to port“, so you can choose where you want to get on and off in Lofoten.
You can choose to bring your own car or not, so it’s really flexible!
Getting to the Lofoten Islands by bus
The Lofoten Islands are well served by public transport, and it’s easy to get here by bus (except on public holidays, when there’s absolutely nothing). The line that crosses the Lofoten Islands from east to west (well, from northeast to southwest) is line 300, which runs from Narvik to A i Lofoten.
So your goal is to catch this line. In general, you catch it in Narvik, and the bus that goes to Narvik is the 100 bus. So if you’re coming from Tromso, you’ll have to do 100+300 (it takes between 8 and 11 hours). If you’re coming from Alta, you’ll have to do 150 (to Nordkjosbotn) + 100 (Narvik) + 300.
This line 300 goes to all the places you need (Narvik, Evenes airport, Svolvaer, Leknes, Reine…), so it’s really this bus that you need to catch 🙂 Go to entur.no for more info on timetables and stops.
And if you’re coming from the south, then stop at Bodo and take the ferry (free for pedestrians), it’s the easiest way 🙂
Getting to the Lofoten Islands by car
If you’re not landing on the Lofoten Islands but are coming by car, you’ll have to do a lot of driving. It’s going to be beautiful, but it’s going to be long, because the Lofoten Islands are a very large archipelago, and it takes more than 4 hours to get from one end to the other.
From Tromso to the Lofoten Islands by car
The classic route. You can do it in one go (I do it regularly), but you should be aware that :
- it takes between 7 and 8 hours to get to Svolvaer
- it’s a sight to behold
- doing it in the middle of winter means you have to leave very early to enjoy the scenery, otherwise you won’t see anything, and that’s a shame
- the roads are well-maintained, so you’ll have no trouble getting around (otherwise, they simply close)
On the other hand, don’t forget that doing the return trip in one go means losing 2 days. There can be some great things to see along the way, so I really recommend this 2-week itinerary between Tromso, Senja and the Lofoten Islands to know where to stop.
Coming from the south to the Lofoten Islands You’ll pass through a superb and little-known region: Helgeland, before arriving in Bodo. My advice would be to take the ferry to Lofoten from Bodo.
To get back, however, you can make the loop from the north, Narvik, back down via the national mountain Stetind. Coming to Lofoten from outside (even from Tromso) means doing quite a few kilometers, so make sure you rent a car with unlimited mileage, or else the extra kilometer will cost you the earth.
I use Discover Cars in Norway (yes, I know, it’s been a while since I should have bought a car, but it won’t be long now!), so you can compare everything and rent with peace of mind.
Lofoten Islands map
In order to help you plan your stay, I have created a map of the Lofoten Islands on Google Maps where I have grouped all the essentials:
- most beautiful places
- ferries and airports
- accommodation
- places to see the Northern Lights
- beaches
- hiking
- and much more!
In conclusion
Now you know everything! There are plenty of airports:
- Bodo and Harstad are further away but cheaper.
- Svolvaer and Leknes are longer, but central.
There are boat options, it’s far but impressive by car, and it’s very easy to get there by bus. So clearly, you can get there without worry!
Above all, it all depends on what you want to do there.
- Do you want to tour the whole region? Go for Tromso or Bodo.
- Focusing on Lofoten? Bodo, Harstad, Leknes or Svolvaer.
- And if you’re coming from the south, then take the boat to Bodo, it’s so convenient and the route is so beautiful!
Don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions 🙂
AH! I almost forgot! THE essential site for bus and ferry routes, timetables and ticket reservations is entur.no.
Other resources on the Lofoten Islands and Northern Norway
I’ve written quite a bit about the Lofoten Islands and many other places in the region. The following articles should be of interest to you, I hope!
- How to travel to the Lofoten Islands: I give you all the info you need to travel there with peace of mind
- What to do in Lofoten Islands: find the best things to do in the archipelago
- The Lofoten Islands map: I’ve mentioned it above, but you’ll find absolutely all the information you need on a single map!
- Cheap accommodation in the Lofoten Islands: here’s a list of good cheap hotels, rorbuer, in short, where to sleep in a nice place!
- How to see the Northern Lights in the Lofoten Islands: here I give you lots of tips, dates and, above all, the best places to see them!
- The ferry between Bodo and the Lofoten Islands: here you’ll find timetables, prices and all the information you need to take this super-practical ferry.
- Everything you need to know about Tromso: all the information you need to prepare your trip to Tromso, places to see and much more.
- What to see in a week in Tromso: a turnkey itinerary for seeing the essentials and doing the best activities
- Tromso hotels: where to stay and where to stay during your stay
- The best winter activities in Tromso: because there are so many things to do in Tromso, I’ve put together a list of my favorites and the best agencies for you.
- Where to see the Northern Lights in Tromso: I’ll show you the best places to go by yourself.
- The best northern lights agencies in Tromso: there are so many to choose from, you can’t go wrong. I’ll show you the best ones to avoid the pitfalls.
- A map of Tromso: on a single map, I’ll show you all the places to see, practical information and accommodation.
- What’s the best time to go to Tromso: you’ll find an infographic that tells you what activities are available month by month, and the advantages and disadvantages.
