Lofoten is an archipelago in the north of Norway. Picture perfect with its charming fishing villages, high mountains and tranquil fjords and its rugged coast with sandy beaches, Lofoten has been under scrutiny by island travelers and travel experts alike, for its pristine beauty as well as for remaining strongly rooted in its cultural heritage. The Norwegian determination to prevent the dilution of traditional culture with commercialized tourism has only helped increase Lofoten’s popularity with discerning travelers worldwide. The UNESCO, National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Washington Post and many such world famous entities have admired Lofoten Islands.
The snow falls in Lofoten even in the summer season. The attractions offered by Lofoten are countless, the Maelstrom, Å, Reine, museums, galleries number among them. The art scene in Lofoten is pretty well developed. Hiking, trekking, fishing, kayaking, sailing are popular activities. People come here in droves to see the northern lights and midnight sun. The magnificent vistas offered in this archipelago are incomparable. Make sure you try the delicious Stockfish.
The Midnight Sun
Lofoten is a perfect location to enjoy the midnight sun. In Lesknes Island, the sun is seen above the horizon from May 26 to July 17. The beaches in Vestvågøy Island like Utakleiv and Eggum are the best locations to see the midnight sun.
The Maelstrom
The Maelstrom is a powerful whirlpool like tidal current located near Vaeroy and Meskeneso Islands. It is well known through out the world and warned against by sea charts, and has been made famous in the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Jules Verne and Petter Dass.
The Maelstrom is called Moskstraumen by the locals. To see the Maelstrom, you can take one of the scheduled adventure trips by boat to Refsvikhula Cave, which by passes the Maelstrom.
Refsvikhula cave
The gigantic Refsvikhula cave was discovered by university students in 1986. It stands 50 meters tall and is 115 meters deep. It inspires pure awe, and has various mysterious paintings on its wall, sketched by cavemen more than three thousand years ago.
Lofotr Borg Viking Museum
The Lofotr Borg Viking Museum is situated in Borg in the Lofoten islands, and is an excellent place to gain knowledge about the Viking era. It is located 55 kilo meters from Svolvaer and 14 kilo meters from Leknes. The route E10 can be used to reach the museum.
Norwegian Fishing Village Museum
Founded in 1987, the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum showcases life in the fishing village and the Lofoten Fishery over the past 200 years. It is an excellent coastal museum and is worth visiting.
Reine Village
Reine is a small rural settlement in south Lofoten. Jagged mountains flank the beautiful village. The scenery is extremely pleasing to the eye and is popular with nature photographers. There is an interesting fishery harbour in Reine. A lot of restaurants and café’s line the village; these are actually remodeled fishing cottages.
Lofoten House Gallery
Also known as Galleri Lofotens Hus, the Lofoten house gallery houses works painted in the 19th century and early 20th century. This was a remarkable era for Norwegian Oil Paintings.
There is also a virtual visit to the four seasons Lofoten have.
The beaches
Lofoten has some famous beaches. The Utakleiv beach was placed as the most romantic beach in Europe by The Times. Hauklandsstranden beach was placed number one among the beaches in Norway by Dagbladet, a Norwegian newspaper. Eggum Beach was chosen as the millennial beach in Vestvågøy and it has a splendid amphitheater designed by famed architects Snøhetta.