Lofoten itineraries for three to seven days

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Lofoten is a chain of islands joined by bridges and tunnels, with the E10 running from the Raftsund bridge in the east to Å at the western end. The distances look small on a map, but the drive from Svolvær to Å is about 135 km and takes roughly two and a half hours without stops. Guided day tours cover the whole length there and back in about nine hours, which leaves little time at each stop. The plans below work best if you think of the islands in two halves.

East and west

The eastern half centres on Svolvær, the largest town, with the airport, the most tour departures and daily Hurtigruten calls. Kabelvåg, Lofoten's oldest fishing village, is 6 km away, Henningsvær about half an hour, and the boats to the Trollfjord leave from Svolvær harbour. The western half, from Nusfjord to Å, holds the old fishing villages of the far west: Hamnøy at the mouth of the Reinefjord, Reine below its mountains and Å at the end of the road. The ferry from Bodø lands at Moskenes, 5 km from Reine. Vestvågøy with Leknes and the beaches at Haukland and Uttakleiv lies in between.

Three days

With three days, stay in one half and see the other on a day tour. Based in Svolvær, the first day can be a cruise into the Trollfjord, a narrow fjord arm about 2.5 km long, with a walk around Svolvær afterwards. On day two, join a minivan tour to Reine and Å or drive there yourself and stop at Hamnøy and Sakrisøy on the way. Spend day three on the eastern loop via Kabelvåg, Gimsøya and Haukland Beach to Henningsvær.

Five days

Five days let you split the stay and move once. Spend the first two or three nights around Svolvær or Henningsvær and the rest in the west.

• Day 1: Svolvær and Kabelvåg, with the SKREI centre and Vågan church
• Day 2: Trollfjord by boat, and an aurora tour in the evening from September to April
• Day 3: Henningsvær, Gimsøya and Haukland Beach, then west via Lofotr at Borg
• Day 4: Nusfjord and Ramberg, evening in Reine or Hamnøy
• Day 5: Reine and Å with its fishing village museum and stockfish museum; ferry from Moskenes or drive back east

The SKREI centre near Kabelvåg, run by Museum Nord, combines the aquarium, a gallery and the Lofoten Museum and explains the cod fishery. It opens daily, from 10:00 to 18:00 between May and August and from 11:00 to 16:00 between September and April. The Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg, built on the site of a chieftain's farm, has reduced opening days in autumn and winter, so check before you plan day three around it. Nusfjord, one of the oldest and best preserved fishing villages, still has 28 rorbuer, the old fishermen's cabins.

A week

A week gives you time for the outdoors and a spare day for bad weather. Add a hike, for example to Ryten, 543 m, with the view down to the long beach at Kvalvika, or up Mannen above Haukland. Reinebringen, at 484 m, is one of the most popular trails in Norway. In winter, guided snowshoe hikes run instead, the one to Ryten from October to April. Leave a day free for a ride on Icelandic horses at Hov on Gimsøya, a fishing trip from Svolvær or simply a slower day in Henningsvær.

Winter and summer versions

In winter, plan your sightseeing for the light hours and leave the evenings for the aurora. Around Christmas there is no sunrise at all, and in Svolvær civil twilight on 21 December lasts from 09:24 to 14:35. Combine a Trollfjord cruise by day with an aurora evening from Svolvær. Roads and ferries need more time, and the Moskenes ferry runs less often in winter.

In summer the light lasts through the night from late May to mid-July, which frees the schedule completely. A day to Reine and Å can end with a late-evening paddle across the Reinefjord from Hamnøy. Ferries are busy in summer, so book the crossings and tours that fix your route first. Our pages on getting around and the best time to visit help with the details.