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As one of the most beautiful places in Norway, the island of Senja is well worth a visit.
Except that Senja isn’t like Lofoten or Tromso, it’s not a place where everything is clearly identified and signposted. Senja is nature, it’s being alone in the world in a fantastic place and not seeing a car for hours. Senja means exceptional hiking, a parade of fjords and mountains. But Senja also means few infrastructures.
There aren’t many hotels in Senja, and even fewer restaurants and cafés, so I’ve created this map of Senja, which includes :
- the most beautiful places on the island
- accommodation, hotels and houses
- essential hikes
- gas stations
- restaurants and cafés
- supermarkets and mini-markets
Let me show you what’s on the map and how to use it 🙂
Tromso map presentation
Specifically, here’s what you’ll find on this map:
- The most beautiful places in the region!
- Senja is Norway’s second-largest island, and there are things to see just about everywhere. So distances are long, but the advantage is that there are only 3/4 roads, so it’s hard to miss out! I’ve put it all on this map, but don’t forget the west of the island! Very useful to build your itinerary in Northern Norway.
- The best places to see the Northern Lights
- Well, the most beautiful places on the island are generally also the best places to see the aurora. Bergsbotn, Tungeneset… I’ll give you these places, but it depends on the weather and the auroras.
- Hiking in Senja
- These are snow-free hikes. Unless you’re experienced, in which case you’ll need crampons, snowshoes or cross-country ski. But when there’s no snow, the Senja mountains are a hiker’s paradise, with some pretty exceptional high vantage points!
- Activities and agencies!
- That’s a tricky one, because as the island has very little infrastructure, there aren’t many service providers offering outings/activities. In fact, imagine that the island is empty of tourists for almost 9 months of the year! It’s nature, just for you.
- The best quality, inexpensive accommodation
- Accommodation on Senja is fairly straightforward, as there isn’t much choice. A few quality hotels, a few family houses for rent, and that’s it. But as it’s not super-touristy, you’ll always find something to sleep in. On the other hand, given the island’s attractiveness, prices rise pretty quickly.
- Bistros, restaurants and cafés
- Good luck. Hotels have restaurants, and they’re generally good (Hamn, Mefjord brygge, Senja Fjordhotell, for example). You need to book a table. Apart from that, it’s not easy. A burger king in Finnsnes, a grill in Gryllefjord, a few little things in Finnsnes and Silsand, but otherwise, in the fjords, it’s complicated.
- Supermarkets and petrol stations
- This is super important. The big supermarkets are in Finnsnes. Otherwise, in small villages there’s a mini-market (Joker, Matkroken…), which is expensive and has limited opening hours. But it does the trick. As for gas stations, there are a few in the fjords, otherwise it’s Finnsnes.
How to use Senja’s Google Maps
Well, it’s pretty straightforward. First of all, you need to know that this map is organized in layers. A layer is a set of points of interest, which I’ve arranged thematically, i.e. the most beautiful places, activities, accommodation… are grouped by category.
Why do I do this? Because it allows you to deactivate the layers one by one, i.e. if you’re not interested in the activities, or only want to see the accommodations, you can hide the others by unchecking the corresponding boxes (see example just below, it’s super simple).
This works just as well on mobile as on computer.
4 recommended accommodations in Senja
The INDISPENSABLE map for road conditions
Because the weather in Norway, both in the north and in the center, can be very complicated, roads can be closed at any time due to storms, avalanches or simply roadworks (they redo the roads a lot).
You’ll absolutely need to know which roads are open, what the weather conditions are, and whether the roads you’re about to take are closed or not. It’s indispensable, really. So your companion for road conditions will be the VEGVESEN.NO website. Which you’ll need to check almost every day.
In conclusion
And that’s it! I think I’ve put as much information as possible into this map, everything you’d normally need to plan your stay in Senja, and why not your itinerary in northern Norway. The great pleasure in Senja is discovering the landscape, taking in the sights at every fjord. Enjoy the nature, the views, the hikes.
If you’d like to find out more about Senja and northern Norway, here’s a small selection of articles to whet your appetite:
- What to do in Senja
- Hotels in Senja
- How to get to Senja
- All about Tromso
- Where to sleep in Tromso
- The best things to do in Tromso
- The best agencies to see the Northern Lights in Tromso
- The most beautiful places to see the Northern Lights
- 2-week itinerary in Tromso, Senja, Lofoten Islands
- Discover Norway!
- Everything you need to know about Lofoten Islands