Silent hybrid-electric cruise to Trollfjord
Hybrid-electric ship, indoor lounges · 3.5 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €143
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Discover the Lofoten Islands
Plan your trip from Svolvær to Å, then book the tours that suit the season: boats into Trollfjord, northern lights in winter, kayaks and horses under the midnight sun.
Midnight sun about late May to mid-July · Northern lights season September to April
Three tours to start with
A morning on a hybrid-electric ship from Svolvær into Trollfjord, a nine-hour minivan day out to Reine and Å, and, between September and April, an evening hunting the aurora with a guide who helps with your camera settings.
Nine-hour minivan day to Reine and Å
Minivan, headset commentary · 9 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €191
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Aurora chase with bonfire and photos
Small vehicle, guide photographer · 5 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €158
Book on GetYourGuideA chain of islands above the Arctic Circle
Lofoten runs for about 200 kilometres out into the Norwegian Sea, and from a distance the islands look like a single wall of mountains, which Norwegians call Lofotveggen. Six municipalities with 24,849 inhabitants share them. From the north-east, the main islands are Austvågøya with Svolvær, Kabelvåg and Henningsvær, small Gimsøya, Vestvågøya with Leknes and Stamsund, Flakstadøya with Nusfjord and Ramberg, and Moskenesøya with Reine, Hamnøy and Å. Our page on Svolvær covers the largest town.
The E10 crosses the islands by bridge and tunnel and ends in Å. From Svolvær it is about 135 km and two and a half hours to the end of the road, and the Nappstraum tunnel between Vestvågøy and Flakstadøya is under roadworks at the moment, with traffic let through once an hour in each direction. Svolvær is the starting point for most boat trips into Trollfjord, which lies just across the strait in Hadsel.
The light shapes every trip. Svolvær has a short polar night from 7 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, with about five hours of twilight around midday, and from late May the sun stops setting. The climate is mild for the latitude, with monthly averages close to 0 °C in winter, but the weather changes fast and autumn and winter bring a lot of rain. The month-by-month guide shows which tours run when.
The year in twelve months
Average temperature at Svolvær airport (1991–2020) and the time from sunrise to sunset in Svolvær on the first of each month, from November 2026 to October 2027, with the seasons that matter for tours.
January0.3 °CPolar night until 5 JanNorthern lights
February−0.4 °C5 h 46 minSkrei, northern lights
March0.3 °C9 h 44 minSkrei, northern lights
April2.7 °C13 h 50 minSkrei, last aurora month
May6.6 °C18 h 05 minMidnight sun from 26 May
June10.1 °CMidnight sunAmong the driest months
July13.3 °CMidnight sunUntil 18 July
August12.7 °C19 h 50 minLight nights early in the month
September9.8 °C15 h 11 minAurora season begins
October5.6 °C11 h 13 minNorthern lights
November3.3 °C7 h 01 minNorthern lights
December1.5 °C2 h 09 minPolar night from 7 Dec
Sources: yr.no climate statistics (MET Norway) for Svolvær airport and Leknes airport, US Naval Observatory sun data for Svolvær, Visit Lofoten (northern lights season), Store norske leksikon (Lofoten fishery). Month-by-month guide
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Lofoten?
It depends on what you want. For the midnight sun and long hiking days, come between late May and mid-July. For the northern lights, Visit Lofoten names September to April, and the skrei fishery runs from February to April.
When is the midnight sun in Lofoten?
In Svolvær the sun stays above a flat horizon from 26 May to 18 July 2027, in Reine from 28 May to 17 July, according to US Naval Observatory data. Visit Lofoten recommends travelling between 28 May and 14 July. High mountains hide the low sun in many places.
How do I get to Lofoten?
Widerøe flies several times a day from Bodø to Svolvær and Leknes. From Harstad/Narvik airport at Evenes it is about 170 km to Svolvær by road, with an airport bus all year. The direct ferry from Bodø to Moskenes takes between three and three and a half hours.
Do I need a car in Lofoten?
Not if you stay in Svolvær and book tours: boats leave from the harbour and several day tours to Å pick you up there or in Leknes. Local buses run as far as Å, with different timetables in winter and summer. For remote beaches and stables a car helps, and Visit Lofoten advises rental cars with winter tyres in the winter months.
Is this the official tourist office?
No. Lofoten Tourism is an independent guide. The official destination company is Destination Lofoten AS in Svolvær, which runs Visit Lofoten at visitlofoten.com.
Tours from €76
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