Reine is the name on every Lofoten postcard, but it's not really just one place. What people mean by "Reine rorbuer" usually stretches across a string of small settlements tucked along the same stretch of coastline, Hamnøy, Sakrisøy, Olenilsøy, Toppøy, Andøy, each with its own rorbuer (read fisherman’s houses), its own dramatic view, and its own personality. Here’s our guide to the best rorbuer in Reine and around, because it’s the most authentic and picturesque accommodation you can stay at.

Rovaniemi is Finnish Lapland's main gateway, and it's built for it: an airport that runs seasonal direct flights from all over Europe, an overnight train from Helsinki with a spot for your car, and a bus network that reaches deep into the rest of Lapland once you've landed. We've done this trip both ways ourselves, flying in for a quick visit and taking the train up from Helsinki when we wanted to visit our friend Altti. Here's how each option works, and how to get around once you're here.

Lofoten isn't one destination; it's a chain of islands strung together by bridges and a single road. And where you sleep decides how much of it you see, especially if you have a short amount of time. Base yourself wrong and you'll spend half your trip driving back and forth for dinner. Base yourself right, and everything from the Reinebringen sunrise to the last ferry out is fifteen minutes away. This is a village-by-village breakdown of where to stay in Lofoten, built around what each area is good for.

For the full list of specific hotels and resorts across the islands, our Best Hotels & Resorts in Lofoten guide has the complete picks; this one is about choosing the right base first. We stayed at a few!

Kiruna, Swedish Lapland, is definitely small enough to walk across, but the moment you want the ICEHOTEL, Abisko, or a run at the aurora somewhere darker than town, you'll want your own wheels. Here's your guide to rent a car in Kiruna. We’ve been there 7 times!

Sommarøy, Arctic Norway, is the kind of place that looks photoshopped until you're standing on it: turquoise water, white sand, and mountains right behind the beach, all an hour from downtown Tromsø. It's earned the nickname the Caribbean of the North for that reason… although the water temperature will quickly bring you back to reality.
We went on a sunny Sunday in May and the place was packed with locals. We did it as a day trip between Kvaløya and Senja, but you can just as easily stay the night. And you probably should. Here are the best things to do in Sommarøy, and everything else you need to know!

Tromsø, Norway, is better connected than its latitude on the map suggests: a busy airport, a long-haul bus that runs all the way into Finnish Lapland, and a coastal ferry route that's been calling here for more than a century. What it doesn't have is a railway, which throws off a lot of people planning a Norway rail trip around it. Here's how to get to Tromsø, whether you're flying in from Europe or working your way up through Norway, Finland, or Sweden.

Abisko sits about 94 kilometers northwest of Kiruna, Swedish Lapland, on the same rail and road corridor that continues on to Riksgränsen and across the border into Narvik, Norway. Most people making this trip are headed for Abisko National Park, the Aurora Sky Station, or a stretch of the Kungsleden, and there are three ways to get from Kiruna to Abisko: train, bus, or car. We did the three, and here's how each one works.

Do you need a car in Tromsø to go hiking? Not always. Our full best hikes in Tromsø guide covers everything, including the ones you need a car for, but plenty of the best trails are doable in Tromsø without a car at all. This is the shorter, more specific version: the 9 hikes here are reachable on Tromsø's local buses, and we added 4 with an overnight stay.

Some of these hikes are possible year-round (with snowshoes or skis in winter), and some are only accessible from late spring to early fall. Also note that buses are infrequent during the weekends and national holidays (sometimes not running at all). Check on Svipper to plan ahead!

Bodø, Norway, doesn't get talked about as a road trip base the way Lofoten does, but it's often the smarter place to actually pick up your rental. It's a bigger city with more cars and companies; it sits right at the ferry crossing into Lofoten, and its own surroundings are worth exploring by car too, whether you've got an afternoon or a week (or a lifetime?).

Every year, some people pay somewhere around 400£ to 600£ a person (or more) for an 18-hour coach-and-flight day trip to Finnish Lapland. A flight to Rovaniemi on its own can cost less than a taxi ride across London, if you book it right. Obviously, the Nordics are never cheap, but this guide will help you plan your trip to Lapland “on a budget". It's Finland-focused throughout, since that's what almost everyone searching for "Lapland" actually means.
If you're curious about the Swedish side, particularly Kiruna, we've covered that separately, and you’ll find lots of resources in our Lapland Travel Hub.

We've visited the ICEHOTEL, Swedish Lapland, seven times, and it's a different icy museum every time! The whole thing melts back into the Torne River each spring and gets rebuilt from scratch the next winter by artists from all over the world. We’ve visited other ice hotels in other countries, but this one is admittedly our favorite.

Sure, it’s pricey (and definitely worth it). But if you’re on a budget, you don't have to sleep on ice to visit. Here's the quick version, then the details. Ice ice baby!

Senja, Norway, gets compared to Lofoten constantly, and the comparison holds right up until you notice how empty the roads are. Same jagged peaks, same fishing heritage, same beaches that shouldn't exist this far north, but far fewer people, far fewer signposts, far fewer villages, and long stretches where you won't pass another car. It's less “developed” as a destination, in the best way. Here are the best things to do in Senja beyond the hiking trails, whether you're not up for a strenuous summit or you just want to fill the days between hikes.

Tromsø, Norway, gets treated as a hiking base camp for the Lyngen Alps or Senja, and a lot of visitors never hike anything closer than the cable car queue at Fjellheisen. That's a shame, because the city itself sits between two mountains, backs onto a forested ridge, and is a short drive from an island (Kvaløya) with some of the prettiest and overlooked trails in Northern Norway. This Tromsø hiking guide covers what's walkable from downtown, what's a short drive or bus ride away, and where to go if you want something bigger.

We had four days on Senja, Norway, with variable weather and a rotating window of clear skies. We hiked Hesten, Husfjellet, Knuten above Mefjordvær, and Utsikten near Hamn i Senja. And we can’t wait to go back for more!

This Senja hiking guide covers those four trails from our own experience, plus the big ones we didn't do — Segla, Barden, and Breidtinden — because they deserve their own introduction.

We split our time on Senja across different corners of the island, and the conclusion was fast: everything is spectacular, close to a fabulous hiking trail, and each accommodation is part of the experience.

Norway's second-largest island sits about two to three hours from Tromsø by car and ferry. The question isn't whether Senja is worth the detour. It is, and we’re pretty confident you’ll agree. The question is which part of it you want as your base.

This guide covers the best hotels in Senja, including the ones we stayed at, plus one bonus option just outside the island that's too well-positioned to leave out.

If you live in Southern Europe like us, you’re probably really, really hot right now. So, this summer, go up north!

Most people think of Tromsø, Norway, as a winter destination: northern lights, dog sledding, snow-covered peaks. And yes, that version of the city is real and a bit too crowded for our taste. But summer in Tromsø is different!.

The midnight sun runs from mid-May through late July. That means golden light at midnight, warm enough afternoons to swim (brave souls do, and not just Norwegians), wildflowers on the ridgelines, and an incredible energy in the air. You can hike at 11pm and still have hours of light ahead of you. The beaches — with white sand and turquoise water — fill up with locals who wouldn’t even dream of spending the summer in Spain. Oh, and less tourists!

This is our guide to the best things to do in Tromsø in summer.

Kvaløya sits twenty minutes from Tromsø by car, connected by a bridge most people cross on their way somewhere else. Most treat it as a northern lights parking spot in winter, or a stepping stone to Senja or Sommarøy. We visited several times, and eventually stayed a couple of nights. And it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary places we've been in Northern Norway — wild, nearly empty, and completely underrated.

Tromsø, Norway, works perfectly well without a car for a lot of visitors. The city is walkable, the buses are functional, and most of the big tour operators will pick you up from your hotel. If you're spending a few nights chasing the northern lights on guided tours and doing daytime activities in the city, you can get by just fine on foot and public transport.

But if you want to actually explore the region — drive out to fjords on your own schedule, stop where you want, visit Senja (unless you take a day trip), push further toward the Lofoten Islands or the North Cape — a rental car changes the entire trip. Northern Norway is one of the great road trip destinations in the world. A car doesn't just add convenience; it opens up a completely different way of travelling, and absolute freedom.

This guide covers everything you need to know about renting a car in Tromsø, from picking it up at the airport to driving on snow-covered roads in the dark.

Mefjordvær doesn't announce itself. There's no big sign, no tourist infrastructure, no car park full of coaches.

It's a fishing village of about 150 people on the northwest coast of Senja, gathered quietly around a small harbor with the fjord in front and peaks dramatically rising behind. Actually, it’s technically a settlement belonging to Senjahopen.

And right at the water's edge, where the old brygge once stood, is Mefjord Brygge — a resort that has grown up organically around the village.

Tromsø isn't one place to stay — it's five, and the one you pick changes the trip. A central hotel on Tromsøya means walking to everything, but a cabin on Kvaløya means darker skies and a completely different pace. Tromsdalen puts you next to the Arctic Cathedral with a quieter feel than the city. Håkøya Island offers a level of seclusion that's hard to find that close to an airport. And further out — Sommarøy, Malangen, Lyngen — it’s a whole different universe.

This guide covers all of them, with our personal picks at every price point. For aurora-specific recommendations, see our dedicated best hotels in Tromsø for the northern lights guide.