Being people of nature, we were always in our element when we visited countries with beautiful landscapes and slow paced lifestyles. Wanting a trip that would take us away from our hectic lifestyle, what with Amber nearly 5 months pregnant at that point of time, we did some research and decided to fly ourselves to Norway’s Lofoten Islands and spend a good 14 days there — where we could enjoy the scenic landscape, the mountains, and endless norwegian sea views. If you have been wondering if Lofoten Islands is worth visiting, we highly recommend you add it to your bucket list!

Lofoten is also renowned for its fishing villages. And the quaint towns are absolutely insta-worthy with small fishing cabins filling up the landscape. Being May, it was spring, and we got to enjoy Lofoten where it wasn’t too hot nor too cold (around 10-20 degrees). There was also a little midnight sun situation going on, so if you happen to hate light when you sleep, be sure to pack along an eye mask just in case. Being off-peak, there were also not a lot of tourists in town, a definite plus if you ask me!

Travelling to Lofoten islands

Kick starting our trip to Lofoten was an estimated 15 hours flight to Oslo through Qatar. Upon arriving, we made our way to Bodø. Due to our late arrival, we stayed the night in Bodø and collected our car rental before catching an early morning ferry to Moskenes which would take us 3 hr 30 mins to reach.

P.s. The best way to travel Lofoten is by car. The place isn’t entirely public transport friendly and a car would conveniently get you to your points of interest without much of a hassle. Depending on how many days you spend in Lofoten, you can decide renting your car either at Bodø or Lofoten itself, where the latter may be pricier. However do note that if you rent your car in Bodø, you would have to pay for taking the car over to Moskene on ferry.

the places of lofoten islands

During the 14 days, we spent our time self-driving to the various scenic locations of Lofoten. Being a relaxing and laid back holiday, we were pretty slow-paced on our itinerary and we spent as much time as we wanted at one location instead of rushing from place to place. Lofoten Islands is all about its mystical landscapes after all and it was a breath of fresh air even though we did not cover many things. Lets not go into too much details and let the pictures do the talking about our trip to Lofoten Islands!

hamnøy

Eliassen Rorbuer

When in Lofoten, a stay at the Eliassen Rorbuer to experience staying in a fishing cabin was a must, and that was exactly what we did. Booking a 3 nights stay in their Traditional Sea View lodge, we were transported to the history of Lofoten’s fishing villages. The cabin itself felt just like home, there were even kitchen facilities if you wanted to whip up your own meal! Don’t worry about the cabin smelling like old fishing huts as they were once used by fisherman’s during their largest annual cod fishing event, Eliassen Rorbuer was extremely clean and is fully renovated to fit the needs of tourists coming from all over the world to visit Lofoten.

If you heard about Lofoten’s fishing culture, seeing fish heads dried up on racks is a common sight and we sure did spot a fair few. This one was just right outside Eliassen Rorbuer.

reine

Bringen Kaffebar

We took our time at Bringen Kaffebar in Reine for breakfast, where they served coffee and homemade cakes and pastries. Ordering ourselves drinks, we settled down in the café, where we just enjoyed the morning sun shining in and the view outside.

A short 10 mins drive from Eliassen Rorbuer is an iconic sight of Lofoten Islands — Reinefjorden, famous for hiking amongst its visitors. It was an initial plan before our departure to take a hike here, however, as Ember was pregnant, we decided against it. If you do come by Reine, be sure to add this place on your itinerary if you are an exercise junkie! For photography lovers, the sight when you reach the peak would definitely not disappoint as well.

svolvær

Svinøya Rorbuer

One of the bigger towns on Lofoten Islands, we made this town our base and stayed at Svinøya Rorbuer. Our accommodation was in Rorbu M, a 2 bedroom fishing hut which was perfect for the four of us. Just like Eliassen Rorbuer, expect clean and fully equipped huts over here. Svinøya Rorbuer prides themselves in maintaining the authenticity of the cabins, where the huts are made of traditional craftsmanship and timber to give the feeling of how “rorbu life” feels like back in the days of oars and sails.

Anker Brygge

For food, you can check out Anker Brygge, an outdoor bar which serves Norwegian food. We highly enjoyed sitting at the waterfront while having our meal — the best views of the ships docking at the pier actually. Get yourself a chess set and spend your time playing (or try to play for Leia and Lauren) chess with your partners.

Codfish Heads

If you have made it a necessity to see codfish heads hung up on Lofoten Islands, Svolvær is a good place to see them. We did stop by to see frames after frames of dried codfish heads here in Svolvær.

Henningsvær

Henningsvær Lysstøperi & Cafe

The 4.6 stars with nearly 500 reviews on Google says its all. A popular café in Henningsvær, expect good coffees and bakes when you step foot in here. We ordered cinnamon buns to share and seated ourselves on cushioned sofas to enjoy them. Did you know, cinnamon buns is actually a Norwegian thing, and you can expect bakeries to be lined with this sweet snack. Having these for breakfast or tea on a cold weather is definitely a good pick me up.

Henningsvær Stadion

If you think football stadiums are boring, the one at Henningsvær might just change your mind. One of the most unique football stadiums you will ever see in this lifetime, the Henningsvær Stadion is surrounded by the Norwegian waters and you can have a clear view of the nearby mountains as well — a sight to behold indeed.

Bøstad

Unstad Arctic Surf

The name of the place would give you an idea of what they do. Surfing! At Unstad Arctic Surf, you can get lessons on surfing from instructors and also rent surfing equipments. But no, we were not here for those — we were here for their cinnamon buns! Before entering the café, you would be greeted with a signboard that reads “World’s Best Cinnamon Buns” and we were definitely there for their scrumptious freshly made buns which Leia and Lauren thoroughly enjoyed.

The backyard of Unstad Arctic Surf has endless green pastures with sheeps where the kids loved running around!

P.s. Unstad Arctic Surf is the world’s most northerly surf school. The cold weather may seem daunting to surf, but this does not stop surfers from around the world to make a pit stop here and challenge themselves with the arctic waves where waters are an average of 7-9 degrees. What’s more, during summer, the sun never sets, and that means you could be surfing late at night too. Definitely insane if you tell me.

Lofotr Viking MUSEUM

Take yourself back to the history of when Vikings lived on Lofoten Islands. The Lofotr Viking Museum is a reconstruction of the Chieftain’s house where you can see how the Vikings used to live and their living quarters. The museum also consists of an exhibition and even a children’s play corner! We got to see how the Vikings used to cook and also, Leia and Lauren got to make their own traditional bracelets out of yarn. Although it wasn’t a kids exhibit, we felt that the museum offered enough engaging activities to feel the children busy!