Imagine a place where the sun never sets, where rugged mountains rise out of the ocean and where pristine beaches are lapped by crystal-clear, turquoise waters. Welcome to the Lofoten Islands, a breathtaking archipelago in the north of Norway that offers an unparalleled blend of natural beauty and unique cultural experiences. From awe-inspiring hikes and scenic drives to quaint fishing villages and beautiful beaches – there’s much to do and to see in these magnificent islands. So, here’s how we spend 3 days in Lofoten Islands during midnight sun.
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What is the midnight sun in Norway?
The northern part of Norway, including the Lofoten Islands, lies within the Arctic Circle where two natural phenomena called the polar night and the polar day occur every year. Polar night is a period of darkness when the sun doesn’t rise at all for a couple of weeks during winter. In contrast to that, polar day is a period of 24/7 daylight during summer, because the sun doesn’t set below the horizon, not even at midnight. That’s why it’s also called the midnight sun. In Lofoten you can witness the midnight sun from late May until mid-July, which makes it possible to explore the islands even at night and avoid the crowds.
How to get to Lofoten Islands?
The easiest and best way to travel the Lofoten Islands is by car. We drove all the way up from Germany exploring other parts of Norway on the way to Lofoten. But if you are flying into Norway, rent a car or camper to make the most of your trip. The closest airports to Lofoten are Harstad/Narvik Airport and (EVE) and Bodø Airport (BOO). You can also fly into Tromsø Airport (TOS) and drive down from there, especially if you want to see even more of Northern Norway and not just the Lofoten Islands.
When driving to Lofoten Islands by car, take the E6 to Bjerkvik and then change onto the E10 that runs along Lofoten. Most islands are reachable by car without needing a ferry. Another common way to reach the Lofoten from the mainland is by taking the ferry from Bodø to Moskenes. The ferry ride takes 3-4 hours, and you can find the timetable and prices on their website. We took the ferry on our way to Lofoten and drove all the way back via Bjerkvik when leaving the islands.
Budget Tip: If you have time and want to save money, don’t take the ferry from Bodø to Moskenes. Take one from Bodø to Værøy, stay there for at least one night and then take a ferry to Moskenes from there. Both ferries are free as they have less than 100.000 passengers per year.
Spending 3 days in Lofoten Islands in summer
For first timers it’s hard to choose what to do and see on the Lofoten Islands as they have so much to offer. If you have more time, I’d recommend you stay at least a week here. But if you want to see even more of Norway like we did, 3 days in Lofoten Islands is enough to do some hikes, explore the villages, relax at a beach or two and enjoy the breathtaking views. And you can always come back right?
Day 1
Our ferry had arrived in Moskenes in Lofoten late in the evening the day before, so we had just driven for a couple of minutes to a small car park to spend the night. The parking space is located between Moskenes and Reine, before a bridge and directly by the sea. It’s often used during the day to start the hike up to Reinebringen. Even though it’s directly next to the road, you should consider staying there, because you might be lucky and spot some Orcas as they frequently swim along the coast here. We didn’t expect that at all, and it was the most amazing surprise when they appeared right in front of me and super close to shore that evening. In the morning, we could spot them again when they were on their way back.
Exploring the fishing villages Reine and A
Even though the view from Reinebringen is amazing, we didn’t do the hike up there as just climbing up 1566 steps to the top seemed boring and we wanted to save our energy for more exciting hikes. Instead, we walked into Reine from the car park, explored the picturesque little town, its harbour with the drying cod hanging around there and spend some time in a cute café. Afterwards we went back to our van and went to see the town of A at the very tip of Lofoten islands.
Midnight sun hike to Offersøykammen
After exploring Reine and A, we drove a little further, stopping a few times along the way to admire the beautiful view until we reached a slightly bigger car park from where I started hiking up Offersøykammen. Thanks to the midnight sun I could start the hike later that evening and had the top of the mountain completely for myself for around half an hour when another solo hiker joined me. The 360 degrees view you have from up here is one of the best on Lofoten in my opinion with beautiful turquoise water underneath you.
Day 2
After a peaceful morning at the car park close to Offersøykammen, we drove back a bit to do the famous hike up Ryten and to Kvalkvika Beach. Just driving through this stunning scenery in Lofoten is amazing and you need a while to get somewhere as there are so many spots where you want to spontaneously stop and take in the view.
Hike up Ryken and to Kvalvika Beach
The hike up Ryten is quite popular, and I’d generally recommend you to either start your hike early in the morning or in the late afternoon or even evening as most people are coming back then. I was a bit surprised that most people still started and ended their day early even though you have all the time in the world during midnight sun.
We were lucky and got a spot at a small free car park close to the main parking spot with a campsite. The moderate hike up Ryken takes about 2 hours one way and 1,5 hours to the beach, so you’re likely to spend some hours here depending on if you’re just hiking up the mountain or if you are going down to Kvalvika Beach as well. You don’t even have to hike up all the way to the top to a have a great view on the beautiful beach below.
After the hike we drove back towards Offersoykammen where we had spotted a nice little parking spot earlier that day. It was located directly by the sea close to Vareid and we could spot some seals and a porpoise while having dinner in our van.
Day 3
We had a slow morning at our nice little parking spot by the sea, which turned out to be a popular viewpoint as we had a beautiful mountain range in the back as well. A cruise ship had arrived that morning and lots of tour shuttles were stopping next to us to take pictures while we were having breakfast.
Taking a dip at Haukland Beach
Our first stop that day was at Haukland Beach where a went for a short swim in the sea as we had perfect weather that day. It was 13 degrees and with only 7 degrees water temperature it was quite cold but refreshing. The scenery with white sand, crystal clear, turquoise water and some mountains in the back was more than stunning. You wouldn’t think that you can find Caribbean-like beaches within the Arctic Circle.
Hiking Festvagtind at Henningsvaer
After spending some time at the beach, we continued driving to Henningsvaer to hike up Festvagtind. It’s a steep climb and takes about 1,5-2 hours one way, but the views from the top are more than worth it. As we started the hike in the late afternoon, most people were coming down and only a few went up with us. We stayed at the top for quite a while and ended up having it all to ourselves. With such great weather, we even had a perfectly clear view on the mountains of the Norwegian mainland in the back. From Festvagtind you can go a little further and take a narrow path to Presten from where you have a stunning view down on Djupfjorden.
Watching the midnight sun on Gimsøy
We wanted to stay up longer that day to fully witness the midnight sun during the night. But before that, we had a quick ice-cold shower at a small beach not too far from Henningsvaer. Finding a shower is usually easy in Norway, except in Lofoten where it can be a real struggle. It’s best to find a campsite to shower as there are no other shower facilities available at gas stations etc. as it often is on the mainland.
Feeling fresh again, we drove to the north coast of Gimsøy where we found a spot to park for the night. The carpark was close to shore, so we could spend some time at the beach and see the midnight sun when it was at its lowest point around 1am at night.
I hope that this travel itinerary on how to spend 3 days in Lofoten Islands helps you to plan your own incredible trip there . Go check out more of my blogposts to get more travel tips and inspiration.