Reine, Hamnøy and Sakrisøy on the Reinefjord

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Reine is small. Store norske leksikon counts 296 inhabitants for 2025, yet it is the administrative centre of Moskenes, the municipality at the western end of the road. It has been a trading post since 1775. Part of the village was burned by the Germans after the British raid on Lofoten in December 1941. The encyclopedia sums up its appeal in one line: the place is known for its wild and beautiful surroundings.

Hamnøy lies on an island of the same name at the mouth of the Reinefjord, on the south-east side of Moskenesøya, and had 60 inhabitants in 2016. Sakrisøy, between the two, is a former trading post on the E10 just north of Reine. Both are known for their rorbuer, the old fishermen's cabins that are now rented to visitors. The three places are only a few minutes apart by car, so most people see them together.

Reinebringen and the Sherpa steps

Visit Lofoten calls Reinebringen one of the most popular hiking trails in Norway and gives its height as 484 metres. The path follows the Sherpa steps: in January 2024 there were 1,974 of them, with benches on the way. The round trip is about 2 km and takes one to two hours. Visit Lofoten still rates it as medium and demanding, because the steps are very steep.

The trailhead is by the Ramsvik tunnel. Visit Lofoten sends hikers to the Reinebringen car park in Reine's outer harbour, about 30 minutes' walk from the start. Parts of the summer may see the mountain closed while work on the steps continues, so check the current status with the tourist information before you go. In winter Visit Lofoten is blunt: for safety reasons the hike is strictly not recommended in the winter season. It also advises against the hike for small children and dogs.

Kayak and SUP on the Reinefjord

The paddling bases sit right in the villages, and beginner trips are on offer. Saga Adventures has its own harbour about three minutes from the Hamnøy bridge, with changing rooms, lockers and free parking, and picks the route each day by wind and light. Reviews mention that preparation can take more than an hour of a three-hour slot. Reine Paddling meets in the garden of Catogården in Reine for a beginner trip in double kayaks, and from Sakrisøya a third base sends double kayaks out among the orange cabins. The SUP safari leaves Reine guest harbour by the Circle K for groups of at most five; you have to be able to swim.

Paddling does not stop in winter. Saga hands out dry suits, kayak shoes and waterproof gloves for a three-hour winter trip, and in summer the same base runs late-evening paddles in midnight sun season. All kayaking around Lofoten is on our kayaking page.

Winter hikes from the western villages

Guide to Lofoten picks up guests between Å and Ramberg for a five-hour winter hike to the Ryten viewpoint above Kvalvika beach, with just over 500 metres of ascent, a hot meal and gear provided. It runs from October to the end of April. Visit Lofoten counts Kvalvika and Ryten, 543 metres high, among the most visited hikes in Lofoten. A shorter and gentler winter walk near Reine lends snowshoes or microspikes, down jackets and winter boots. Saga's three-hour winter hike stays within 30 minutes of Reine and sends the meeting point the day before.

Lofotodden national park was set up on 22 June 2018 and covers 99 km² of land and sea in the municipalities of Flakstad and Moskenes. Kvalvika and Ryten lie inside it. Camping is allowed there according to Visit Lofoten, drones are not, and in summer 2026 the park board rebuilt the paths to keep walkers on one line. More routes are on our page about hiking and snowshoeing.

Light, weather and seasons

Reine lies further south than Svolvær, so its dark period is shorter. Over a flat horizon the last sunrise of 2026 is on 9 December, the sun stays below the horizon from 10 December to 2 January, and it returns on 3 January 2027. In practice the high mountains around the village keep it in shade for longer. In summer the sun stays up from 28 May to 17 July 2027.

The nearest long-term weather station is Leknes airport. There, the wettest month is December with an average of 274 mm, and June and July are the driest at around 40 mm. In spring, one tour operator notes, stockfish hangs on the drying racks along the road. In storms, a photo tour operator warns, the bridges between the islands can be closed.

Getting to Reine and Hamnøy

From Svolvær, Reine is about 125 km along the E10 and roughly two hours and twenty minutes by car; from Ramberg it is about 26 km. Tour operators currently report construction in the Nappstraum tunnel on the E10, with traffic let through only once an hour in each direction, which affects every drive west from Svolvær or Leknes. The ferry from Bodø docks at Moskenes, about 5 km and seven minutes from Reine. It runs daily in summer, when Visit Lofoten recommends booking a place at the latest the day before, and less often in winter.

Without a car, the full-day minivan tour from Svolvær to Å takes about two and a half hours each way and can drop you along the route on request. Cruise passengers landing at Leknes or Gravdal have shore trips with stops at Hamnøy, Sakrisøy and Reine. For more about the end of the road, see our page on Nusfjord and Å.