If you want to explore as much as possible of Lofoten I recommend you to go there with a car or to rent a car when you get there. Having a car will give you a lot of freedom and the opportunity to explore the off beaten paths as well. Check out my guide 8 day Road Trip in Lofoten to get some travel tips & hacks to plan your perfect trip. In this post I will share some beautiful places we found when we explored Lofoten by car in August/September 2022.
If you’re planning on hiking in Lofoten make sure to check out my guide on 5 easy hikes in lofoten.
Svolvær & Kabelvåg
Driving to Lofoten is beautiful and I would highly recommend you to not only drive on the main road E10, do detours and take the smaller roads if you have the time. One of the first towns you will reach is Svolvær, it’s the biggest town in Lofoten and have been an important fishing port for many years. Today it’s a big tourist hub since many tourists flies into Svolvær. The town has a lot of restaurants, shops and also a good hike to the famous Djevelsporten and Fløya. We intended to do the hike but the trail got to busy with big tour groups and school classes so we decided that we would’t enjoy it.
Tip: Go early and avoid weekends!
If Djevelsporten and Fløya seems to be to busy there is an easy hike south of Svolvær called Tjeldbergstinden. We met less than 5 people on the trail and at the top you have a nice view over Svolær and the town Kabelvåg.
Henningsvær
You’ve probably seen pictures from Henningsvær and it’s famous for its football field located in the Norwegian sea. It’s been considered one of the most beautiful football fields in the world. I thought Henningsvær was a really pretty town with cute cafes, shops and the harbour with the mountains in the background. There is a paid parking just after the bridge.
If you have time you can hike to Festvågstinden, from there you will have a nice view over Henningsvær.
Haukland & Uttakleiv Beach
Did you know that Lofoten have some incredible beaches? I was tempted many times to take a swim after our hikes but always found it to cold. Uttakleiv beach is one of the most well known beaches in Lofoten and has been named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Uttakleiv is beautiful with the surrounding mountains and the white sand beach.
Haukland Beach is located just before Uttakleiv and is also one of the best beaches in Lofoten with white sand beach and turqoise water. To get an even better view of the two beaches hike Mannen and you will have a great view. If you’re enjoying hiking there is another hike close by called Offersøykammen, which gives you nice views over the surroundings. There is also a beach close by called Unstad, where it’s possible to surf.
There are paid parking spots and you’re allowed to camp in a van or in a tent. For updated prices check here. If you’re going off season there are also a chance to find free parking spots around.
Nusfjord
This is a nice little hidden gem we found a rainy day while driving around, we spotted Nusfjord on the map and decided to take detour and check it our. We weren’t disappointed! It’s a small village with colourful traditional fisherman huts and it was pretty even if it was raining. In the little village there is an old shop Nusfjord Lanthandel, they sell cute souvenirs and also have a little cafe. We went to Hansines Bakeri, it’s tiny and really cozy. We tried their cinnamon buns and they were delicious, a must try if you go!
Hamnøya, Sakrisøya & Reine
In the south of Lofoten you have three small picturesque fishing villages and you’ve probably come across pictures of the famous red fisherman huts (rorbruer). This area is very beautiful and we decided to park our car on Sakrisøya and walk over the bridge to have a look around, it’s a pretty walk over to Hamnøya.
Reine is located south of Sakrisøya and Hamnøya, it has a repuatation of being “the most beautiful place in the world”. The town has breathtaking views and is surrounded by granite mountains. To get the best view of Reine you’ll have to hike up to Reinebringen, from there you’ll se the town, the mountains and Reinefjord. It’s breathtaking and I definitely think it lives up to its reputation.
Sørvågen & Å
This is the most south you can drive on Lofoten and it’s definitely worth the drive down. Sørvågen is another small fishing village and from here you have a lot of hiking trails, among them the trail to Munken. Because of the weather conditions we decided to go for a walk around Stuvdalsvatnet, the nature is beautiful and you can also see Sørvågen Waterfall.
Tip: If you got the time I would higly recommend you to walk around the little peninsula of Sørvågen, we didn’t meet any other people on our walk around, the nature is beautiful and the walk is easy.
If you continue driving south you’ll reach the town Å which is one of the best-preserved traditional fishing villages in Norway. The town dates back to early 1800s and you’ll also find the oldest fish oil factory in Europe. Walk around the cute wooden fishermen’s cabins and consider staying a few nights in one of the places.
Kiruna to Riksgränsen
We started our trip to Lofoten in Kiruna, Sweden because we wanted to take the opportunity to explore a little bit of the north Sweden at the same time. If you’re interested what to do around Kiruna check out my guide, Things to do in Kiruna & Abisko.
Driving to Lofoten from Kiruna takes approximately 5-6 hours and will take you through some beautiful landscapes. The Swedish side is quite barren and you will drive pass lakes, valleys and mountains. After driving 2-3 hours (130km) you will get to Riksgränsen, this is where you cross the boarder between Norway and Sweden.
Riksgränsen to Svolvær
After a few hours drive you will slowly enter Lofoten Islands and the main route is to follow the E10 but we decided to take a little detour and drive the coastal way through Gratn and Tovik. The landscape is amazing and it’s a beautiful drive along the coast.
We