TRAVEL GUIDE TO LOFOTEN ISLANDS, NORWAY

Outward journey

Firstly we booked the flight from Italy to Oslo Rygge with Ryanair for 55 € (return ticket), landing at destination at 12 o’clock. To get to Oslo is necessary to catch a shuttle bus to Rygge's station and then a train.
Afterwards, we checked flights for Bodø on Widerøe and Norwegian websites, the fares were quite expensive and we should have had to consider an extra overnight in Bodø, since connection to the islands would have been possible only from the next morning (during summer the service is more frequent).
Eventually we choose trains: in this case travel price from Rygge to Bodø was 40 € (698 Nok) with 18 hours travel time and 3 changes of train, the last one of whom was the night train, departing from Trondheim, that allowed us to save money for the overnight. Trains are comfortable and for the night a blanket, pillow, ear plugs and eye mask are supplied. (Further info for online reservation are explained later).
Arrival at destination was due the next morning at 09:00, so we choose a Widerøe flight for Leknes at 55 € departing from Bodø airport at 11:00.
We checked also ferries's timetables but the first available was departing only at 13:00 with 4 hours travel time …while the flight just half an hour long.
Total cost of the entire journey was 122,50 €

We made train bookings on NSB website, it is only needed the print of the tickets and show them to the controller. Minipris tickets are cheaper because they are valid just on the specific route (day and time) and it is not possible any change. Login credentials on the site can be used for access to the free wi-fi onboard.
We made also the booking for the flight Bodø-Leknes online on the Widerøe website, check-in can be done at the airport using kiosk or desk.

Return journey

For the return travel we have retraced our steps:

• Flight Widerøe from Leknes to Bodø, 80 €
• Trains from Bodø to Oslo Central (train change in Trondheim), 40 € (698 Nok minipris).
• Train from Oslo Central to Oslo Rygge (the next day), 20 € (no minipris on this route).
• Flight to Italy, 27,50 €.

Total for return journey: 167,50 €. In the prices of all flights were included just a hand luggage + a small bag.

Useful links

Ferries to islands
Widerøe airline
Norwegian airline
Train NSB
VisitNorway.com

1° Day - In viaggio verso Bodø

Alarm set up at 07:30, everything ready, let’s go! The first of a long series of means of transport was a lift by my wife to the airport, where at 09:30 the flight took off…destination Oslo Rygge.
We landed on time at 12:00, just outside of the airport there was the free shuttle bus that every half an hour leaves for Rygge train station; with our minipris tickets we could travel to Oslo Gardermoen airport through Oslo Central. It is also possible to buy train tickets on the shuttle bus.
Norwegian trains are very comfortable, nothing to compare to the italians, there is a bar, “futuristic” toilettes, wi-fi, very clean and tidy and the controller always checks tickets of every passenger.
After a visit of the shops at the train station, we caught the train to Gardermoen airport, where we waited for the departure of Norwegian flight at 19:00. In an hour flight, with wi-fi on board of the aircraft (first airline in the world to offer the service) we landed at Trondheim at 20:00.
Our dinner has been a sandwich with spicy salami in a airport bar, even though they looked more like plastic than salami slices! We then caught a train to Trondheim central station, a this point we were feeling rather tired.
After some hours of waiting at 23:00 we caught the night train, with which at 09:00 of the following day we would have arrived in Bodø. Sleeping on a train is not surely comfortable , seats are little reclinable, but at least we have been offered a bag with blanket, inflatable pillow, earplug and eye mask.

2° Day - Arriving at the Lofoten Islands

I can’t say I had a good night sleep, anyway I have had few hours rest. In the early morning I enjoyed the sunrise that lighted a quite bare and cold landscape, characterized by snowy mountains e semi-frozen lakes, this is the Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park area, we have passed the Arctic Polar Circle.
We just have had time for a breakfast with an american coffee and waffle, and soon we reached Bodø train station, the northest stop on the Norwegian railway. The city centre was literally deserted, almost looked like a ghost town, no cars, few people. We reached the airport in a 30 minutes walk, in the southern part of the city, approximately 3 km from the station.
We have stamped our boarding passes at the automatic kiosk near the entrance, we were ready to take off on the small Widerøe airplane, engines running and…they have stopped! “Due to a technical problem it is necessary to change airplane”. Nooo! Luckily, there was another plane available so just after ten minutes wait we took off.
During the journey it is possible to admire the islands from above, it was a clear day and the view ranged up to the furthest coasts. We landed with an half hour delay at 12:00 in Leknes, where there was the renter for the delivery of the car.
Finally we arrived at the Lofoten islands!!! Summarizing: car, bus, 4 trains and 3 airplanes for a total of 28 hours journey!
Picked up our car, a 2003 Kia Shuma equipped with spiked wheels, we left towards Å (pronounced O). The temperature was pleasant, around 10°C, even though it was midday the lighting was warm, as if it were permanently sunset… and it was really like that! The days in October are short and the sun doesn’t rise much above the horizon, pretty much it rises and sets almost at the same point.
The landscapes are unique and spectacular, with high mountains that plunge into the sea, caribbean style beaches, picturesque villages.
There is just one main road (E10), whose construction with a series of tunnel and road bridges has permitted to link the most important islands of the archipelago, making them accessible to the vehicles.
Be very careful to respect speed limits, since in Norway are very strict in enforcing the rules.
After many stops for taking pictures we arrived at the hostel’s reception, where we were given keys and the linen. The building was over the sea, and when I say over the sea, I really mean it!! It is actually a palafitte such as the typical rorbu, just with bigger dimensions. Our room had two single beds and a small living room with a sofa and couches where it was also possible to have a meal, the view from the windows was incredible.

Å i Lofoten is a tiny fishermen’s village, mainly built with rorbu used mostly for turistic use linked by a series of characteristic wooden bridges.
There are few shops, the stockfish's museum only opened during summer; when we arrived the place was actually deserted.
We left our luggages in our room and went to visit Reine, probably the most famous and most portrayed village in all Lofoten islands.
It is a fishermen’s village situated on a small headland on the side of the main road, characterised by the classic rorbu placed in front of mount Olstind, with its unmistakable piramid shape. The scenery is really epic, used as cover for many turistic guides of this area, and it is considered to be the most beautiful village in the northern Norway.
Since it was Sunday the only shop opened was a minimarket/fast food in the centre near the harbour, the menu was quite limited, our choice eventually was a classic hamburger with fries, replicated later for dinner!
In the evening the sky was perfectly clear and it was ideal for admire the aurora.
The first time you don’t even know how to expect it to be, neither where it appears, when, how…also taking pictures is not easy since it is a completely new subject.
Some green glow on the horizon made us very hopeful so we took the car for pursuing these strange lights thinking that we might be able to see better outflanking the mountains we had in front of us.
There was nothing to do. The “Aurora hunters” went back home empty-handed.
Also my app and different sites indicated a low level chances for that night, and with our tails between our legs we went back to the hostel, where finally there was a comfortable bed where to sleep.

3° Day - Trekking at Reinebringen and Kvalvika

We woke up at dawn (go figure…the sun rises at 08:30) in order to climb mount Reinebringen, from whom is possible to admire a fabulous view over Reine and the nearby islands. For breakfast we treated ourselves with some biscuits bought in Italy, but Ivan, wanted to feel like a real native, has crunched a “stockfish snack” bought at the market. The smell that spread by opening the package was dreadful. (It was delicious! - note of translator Ivan)
The rising sun painted the surroundings in red colour, the scenery that we enjoyed from the bridge at the entrance in Reine was spectacular. It is right at the bridge that we parked our car, heading on foot to Reinebringen. Follow the main road towards Å, nearby the tunnel, leap over the guardrail and take the path on the left. This path becomes a paved road (it comes from the other entrance of the tunnel), after roughly 200 metres an arrow mark painted on the asphalt indicates the starting point of the climb.
The first part of it develops amongst shrubs and small trees, the ground is dangerous because of the protruding roots and slippery rocks, specially during wet months.
There are not precise marks but the path is beaten so the climb is quite evident…if it’s a bright day. Further the slope increases, as increases the landsliding of the path, mostly composed by tiny rocks; it is necessary to pay attention to the falling rocks.
After one hour and half we got to the peak, where a very strong and cold wind was blowing, but the view was really incredible! After a short rest admiring the panorama and taking some pictures, we started the discent. While climbing, I just wore a fleece, moving helps to stay warm, but once arrived at the top the hooded thermal jacket proved to be necessary because of the wind.

Once we came back to the car we went to the supermarket “Coop” to buy some bread and cured meat for lunch and grocery shopping for the following days. The prices are roughly double than italians standards, and for some products triple, alcoholic beverages for instance. We have found pasta and Barilla pesto sauce at a price just a litte more expensive compare to the italian one.
After we had enjoyed our sandwiches by the sea, we moved towards Ramberg for trekking to Kvalvika beach. Just before reaching the village get on the bridge that leads to Fredvang, pass the homes and then follow to a small parking place on the left, while on the right a wooden sign indicates the starting point of the path.
The latter is well maintained and of hiking level, it raises gently to the pass and than it goes down up to the beach, for 2 hours walk. The environment is wild and unspoiled, I was mainly impressed by the enormous cushions of green moss that form on the rocks, they are more comfortable than an armchair!
The october sun could not reach the beach because of the surrounding mountains, and furthermore the sky was clouding, so we weren’t able to fully appreciate the colour and the water’s transparency.
Back to the hostel we cooked our pasta with pesto sauce, it must have been for the long walks taken during the day, but half kilo of pasta disappeared in no time! After our dinner the sky was clearing so we went out hunting the aurora and we took place in a dark area near Reine, where the racks for drying the stockfish are placed.
We parked the car with the front pointing towards the direction of the previous night lights, after half an hour with no signs of lights, the sleep was taking over.
Maybe we were looking in the wrong direction?
At a certain point I turned to look at the sky behind us and I saw a strange bright glare, we went out of the car and a few minutes later the show had begun! A succession of moving green lights that appeared in every part of the sky, creating bright shapes and contrails from one side to the other on the horizon. We moved in different places to find one particularly dark, where it was possible to take some pictures, it wasn’t easy since the aurora was very intense and it was moving very much.
After a few hours we went back to the hostel, where we attended to an incredible show, for a few seconds appeared in the sky a green and red vortex that left us agape!
While we were out other guests had arrived: a Korean couple that stopped for a night, they too were admiring the show offered by the northern lights. Looking at reports on-line we discovered that the phenomenon was particularly intense, level 6 out of 9, so we can consider ourselves very lucky.

4° Day - Nusfjord

When we woke up the sky was mainly covered by clouds, but we already knew it because weather forecasts predicted worsening for the following days. For breakfast we went to “Bringen Kaffebar”, a shop with snackbar in the centre of Reine near the minimarket, the owner was very pretty and kind and the cakes were really tasty. (We spent for a coffee and a slice of cake 130 Nok, around 7,50 €.)
Satisfied we regained the road towards Nusfjord, one of the most ancient fishermen’s villages and better preserved in Norway, placed in an area particularly isolated even if not too far from Ramberg. The village is used as a museum and during summer a fare has to be paid for visit it, almost all of the rorbu are accomodations for turists and the locals can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Walking around the streets of the village we met Michele Sarno, an italian that has been living here for many years, he creates silver jewelry that sells in his shop. During the introductions and “life stories” I told him that I work as a computer technician, then he invited us to his laboratory so I could check to his PC…
As in any artistic laboratory the chaos reigns: tools, materials, draws and drafts were everywhere. He showed us his handworks, some of them made with shards found on the beach; glass, metals and even pieces of dishes marked with Nazi swastika, how did they end up on the Nusfjord beach it is not known.
After two hours working on the PC, coffee, tales and projects of how to modify his house, we left the village… and I have learned something: never say that you work as a computer technician. A valid answer would be butcher, unless you carry an ham in your backpack, it is unlikely that someone could ask you to slice anything. Joking aside it was an alternative and quite funny day.
Once we arrived in Ramberg we stopped at the restaurant “Ramberg gjestegard”, that also offers accomodation, we enjoyed a tipical Norwegian fish lunch: a mix of different kind of salmon, cod tongues, prawns and whale. The latter consisted in smoked meat and served thinly sliced, dark violet coloured, it was quite greasy and in my opinion not particulary good.
Later that evening we went back to the hostel, for dinner we had a very bad pasta with tuna, since we mistakenly bought a tomato sauce flavoured with unknown spices…orrible.
We were gifted of another aurora that night, even if with an inferior intensity compared with the previous night, and furthermore the sky was partly cloudy. I spent my time following the lights, running in and out from the room, it didn’t want to be photographed.

5° Day - Leknes, Museo Vikingo, Henningsvær

Left behind us Å i Lofoten, we headed to the north of the islands, where for the following nights we were hosted by an italian friend whom lives and works in Svolvær. The sky was cloudy, the wind was blowing strongly and it was starting to rain.
After a quick breakfast in Leknes, we went visiting the Viking museum, in Bøstad, that luckily opened on Wednesday. The current building, resembling to an overturned ship, is built on the ruins of an ancient house of the Viking age, the biggest and important ever discovered. In the building are housed a banquet hall, a living area and an exposure. Following the paths in the outside area it is possible to reach the sea with a little walk, where there is a replica of the boat Gokstad, during summer many activities are organised, very interesting specially for children.
For lunch we stopped at the restaurant near the tourist information centre on the main road, halfway between Leknes and Svolvær, where we had an excellent and rich lamb served with potatoes and a fried cod fillet. (25 € water and coffee included)
Our next stop was Henningsvær, one of the most renowned touristic places on the islands. It is a small harbour built on a group of islets nearby a cliff that plunges into the sea; very beautiful to admire from the top, along one of the numerous trekking on the close mountains. The rain became snow so we went to the friend’s house to leave our luggages.
For dinner we went to a restaurant in Svolvær, where I enjoyed a great reindeer fillet with a blueberry sauce, the taste is obviously wild similar to deer, the place was really characteristic, rustically furnished. (We paid roughly 40 € each course)

6° Day - Kabelvåg, Svolvær

In the morning the snow fallen during the night had covered the surrounding mountains, creating a suggestive arctic atmosphere. In the northern islands the spaces are wider compared to the southern instead characterised by great valleys and majestic mountains.
We spent the morning visiting the village of Kabelvåg, walking on the pier with the chill wind blowing was really a challenge! In the afternoon we went on a easy walk around the lake Kongsvatnet near Svolvær, it was drizzing and with the fresh snow there was no chance for an altitude hiking.
In the evening we visited “Magic ice”, a tiny museum near the harbour that displays ice sculptures, some of which are really well done and deserve to be visited. We were given thermal cloaks and at the inner bar a glass of wine served in an ice glass!

7° e 8° Days - Return to Oslo

Last hours on the islands, at 11 o’clock after having delivered the car at the Leknes's airport, we caught our flight to Bodø and the mainland. Compared to our arrival the city teemed with life, with traffic and crowd, shops and activities abuzz.
The centre doesn’t offer great attraction, so after a wander around the streets, on the harbour, in a bar and the shopping centre we waited for our night train to Trondheim at 21:10. In the station, as in the tourist office in the centre, there is a luggage store, useful to leave them safe and walk around easily.
The train arrived at destination on time at 07:50 in the morning, and after a short wait we caught the connection to Oslo at 08:20 that in seven hours took us in the capital.
Along the way is possible to admire the classic norwegian landscapes, from snowed mountains to great lakes, passing by Lillehammer, a city known mainly for having hosted the winter olympics in 1994.
For the night we had booked on booking.com a room at the Citibox hotel (80 €), a very beautiful refurbished building near the station, very convenient for visiting the centre.
Left our luggages we went for a wander around the harbour, the fortress and the royal palace, classic touristic destinations in the city.

9° Day - Oslo and departure

We concluded our visit to Oslo at the National Gallery, taking advantage of Sunday’s free entrance. It exhibits works of great artists and one of the four copies of famous “Scream” by Munch.
After another walk in the centre we caught the train to Rygge, where the flight back home was waiting for us.
This holiday was made unforgettable by the unique landscapes of the Lofoten, the people’s hospitality and the aurora borealis. And also…Do you remember the train cancelled? After our request on-line we have been refunded by NSB the plane tickets that we had to buy, although the minipris was not refundable, I take my hat off to norwegian transports.