How to Get to Lofoten: Flights, Ferries, and the Ferry-Free Drive In
We took the ferry, drove and flew in. Here’s our experience and everything you need to know.
Arriving to Lofoten from Bodø on the Hurtigruten ferry. Magical!
Lofoten looks like it should be hard to reach: a chain of islands hanging off the top of Norway, ringed by open ocean. In practice it isn't, and you have more options than you would expect given the remoteness. You can fly straight into Svolvær or Leknes, take the Bodø ferry with your rental car, ride the Hurtigruten in past the incredible "Lofoten wall," or, and this surprises people, drive in without a ferry at all. Here is every way to get to Lofoten — we tried them all!
🛌 Where to stay:
• Rostad Retro Rorbuer, Reine — we stayed here on a last-minute deal and it turned out to be one of the best views we've ever had.
• Skarungen, Kabelvåg — we stayed here and it's one of Lofoten's best wellness stays.
• Kaikanten Rorbuer, Sennesvik — we stayed here in October and got a northern lights show right by the pier. Great value.
• Eliassen Rorbuer, Hamnøy — the red cabins from every Lofoten photo you've ever seen.
🇳🇴 Top experiences:
• Midnight sun kayak — paddle past rorbuer and mountain peaks straight into the fjord.
• Northern lights tour from Henningsvær — small group (max 7), guided by a local who tracks the forecast in real time.
• Snowshoe hike — Enjoy the still, frozen beauty of Lofoten without the crowds
🚗 You need a car in Lofoten. The islands stretch 170km and public transport isn't great. Book your rental in Bodø before you cross — significantly cheaper than picking one up on the islands.
Jump to: Flights to Lofoten · Is there a train to Lofoten? · The ferry from Bodø · By Hurtigruten and Havila · Driving in without a ferry: the Lofast connection · From Tromsø · From Bergen and other cities · FAQ
How to get to Lofoten: quick answer
Flying is fastest: straight into Svolvær or Leknes via Bodø, or into Harstad-Narvik Evenes and driving the rest of the way without a ferry. The Bodø-Moskenes car ferry is the classic route if you're bringing a rental car up from further south. There's no railway to Lofoten itself; the nearest stations are Bodø and Narvik. And if you're not in a hurry, the Hurtigruten or Havila coastal ferry from Bodø is a scenic way in. We loved it!
Flights to Lofoten
The Lofoten in winter are stunning from the sky! View from our window on our way to Svalbard
Svolvær Airport (SVJ) and Leknes Airport (LKN) both have Widerøe flights connecting to Bodø, several times a day, about 25 minutes in the air. This is the simplest way to land directly on the islands, and it’s also extremely scenic if the sky is clear.
Harstad-Narvik Airport, Evenes (EVE) is the other option, and it's worth knowing about even though it isn't in Lofoten: Evenes has direct flights from Oslo and better international connections than Bodø in some seasons, and thanks to a fixed road link, more on that below, you can drive from there straight into Lofoten without a ferry. It's about 165 km to Svolvær and 235 km to Leknes, roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours by car or bus.
Widerøe has at times run direct seasonal flights from Oslo straight to Svolvær and Leknes, but they're not daily and tend to depart early morning, so don't build a trip around one without checking current schedules. For most people, connecting through Bodø or Evenes is the more reliable plan.
Is there a train to Lofoten
No, and there never has been, as the islands aren't connected to Norway's rail network. The nearest stations are Bodø, at the end of the Nordlandsbanen from Trondheim, and Narvik, at the end of the Ofotbanen from Sweden. From either one, you finish the trip by ferry, bus, or rental car, covered below.
The ferry from Bodø to Lofoten
Our car disembarking from the ferry in Lofoten
The Bodø-Moskenes car ferry is the main route if you're bringing a vehicle up from the south without driving all the way around. Crossing time runs 3 to 4 hours, with up to 8 sailings a day in summer and fewer the rest of the year, so check the season before you plan around a specific departure. Moskenes sits right at the Reine and Hamnøy end of the islands, which makes this the natural choice if that's where you're headed (read our guide to Where to Stay in Lofoten if you’re not sure about the best base).
There's also a passenger-only express boat from Bodø to Svolvær, useful if you're not bringing a car and want the eastern islands instead. Schedules here shift by season and route, so check current departures before you book anything around it.
A couple of smaller, lesser-known options exist too: a summer-only Skutvik-Svolvær ferry that's been free since 2022, and the Bognes-Lødingen ferry on the E6 further south, part of the classic overland route for anyone road-tripping up from the rest of Norway rather than flying first.
By Hurtigruten and Havila: the coastal ferry
So excited to be on a Hurtigruten ship (even for a short leg) I even took a photo of the itinerary!
We took the Hurtigruten from Bodø, getting off at Stamsund (we stayed at Kaikanten Rorbuer in Sennesvik, so super convenient) rather than riding all the way to Svolvær, and it's a completely different way to arrive. We absolutely loved the experience, especially because I (Eli) had been dreaming of boarding Hurtigruten since I mentioned it in my master thesis on polar tourism!
It's just one stretch of the ship's full multi-day Bergen-Kirkenes run rather than a dedicated Lofoten ferry: the published northbound schedule has it departing Bodø at 15:20 and reaching Stamsund at 19:15, so under 4 hours, cutting straight through the stretch locals call the "Lofoten wall," the wall of peaks that seems to rise straight out of the sea as you approach (wow). The same sailing continues on to Svolvær a couple of hours after that. Both Hurtigruten and Havila Voyages run this route roughly once a day in each direction, and Hurtigruten also sells it as a standalone multi-day port-to-port package from Bergen for anyone who wants to sail the whole west coast rather than fly in.
It's slower than any other option on this list and costs more than a standard ferry, but it's a real way to get here, not just a cruise, and locals use it too. Getting our rental car in Bodø and transporting it on the ferry was cheaper than renting one in Lofoten.
Driving in without a ferry: the Lofast connection
Driving doesn’t get more scenic than in Lofoten (ok, maybe in Senja…)
This is something most people don't know: you can drive to Lofoten without boarding a ferry (great if you get seasick!). The Lofoten Mainland Connection, known locally as Lofast, opened in 2007 and links the islands to the mainland near Narvik via a chain of bridges and tunnels along the E10. Before Lofast, this same route needed a ferry across to Vesterålen; now it's a straight, if long, drive.
Coming from Evenes Airport, that's the roughly 165 to 235 km, 2.5 to 3.5 hour drive to Svolvær or Leknes mentioned above. Route 300, covered by the Travel Pass Nordland, runs a bus along the same road a couple of times a day if you'd rather not drive it yourself. We drove to Lofoten via Abisko and Narvik, and it was a super scenic drive, but we would still choose the ferry over it.
🐧 Penguin tip: It’s usually cheaper to rent a car in Bodø than renting in Lofoten. Read our full Car Rental in Bodø Guide for all details.
Coming from Tromsø
If you’re a mountain lover, we strongly recommend combining hikes in the Lofoten and trails in Senja — here hiking Hesten
If you're already in Tromsø (read our guide to the Best Things to Do in Tromsø), driving down is a practical option: our our full How to Get to Tromsø guide covers the route in detail, but the short version is a roughly 420 km, 6 hour drive via Nordskjøsbotn and Bjerkvik with no ferry needed, or a longer, more scenic run through Senja with a couple of crossings. If you’re not in a rush, we highly recommend a multi-day trip between Tromsø, Senja and Lofoten. Bus service covers the same route in more hours than driving it yourself.
From Bergen and other cities
There's no direct flight from Bergen straight onto the islands, but Widerøe flies Bergen to Bodø nonstop, about 1 hour 50 minutes, several times a week, and you connect onward from there by plane, the Moskenes ferry, or the coastal ferry. From everywhere else, Oslo is the usual connecting point: Oslo to Bodø runs about 1 hour 30 minutes on Norwegian, SAS, or Widerøe, with onward connections to Svolvær, Leknes, or the ferry.
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FAQ: How to get to Lofoten
What's the fastest way to get to Lofoten? Flying directly into Svolvær or Leknes via Bodø, about 25 minutes in the air once you've reached Bodø.
Can you drive to Lofoten without a ferry? Yes. The Lofast road connection links the islands to the mainland near Narvik, so driving in from Evenes Airport or Narvik needs no ferry at all.
How long is the ferry from Bodø to Lofoten? The car ferry to Moskenes takes 3 to 4 hours, with up to 8 sailings a day in summer.
Is there a train to Lofoten? No. The nearest stations are Bodø and Narvik, and you finish the trip by ferry, bus, or car from either one.
Can you take the Hurtigruten to Lofoten? Yes, both Hurtigruten and Havila stop at Lofoten ports including Stamsund and Svolvær on their coastal route. The Bodø to Stamsund leg takes under 4 hours, and continuing on to Svolvær adds a couple more.
How do I get to Lofoten from Tromsø? By car, about 6 hours via the ferry-free inland route, or longer through Senja with a couple of ferry crossings. Bus service also runs the same route.
Every route into Lofoten trades speed for something: time, cost, and some of the best views Arctic Norway has to offer. Flying into Svolvær or Leknes is fastest, driving in via Lofast skips the ferry entirely, and the Bodø ferry or coastal ferry are both worth the extra hours if getting there is part of the trip rather than just the commute to it (we’re a bit biased here as we love slow travel).
Looking for activities? Read our favorite Things to do in Lofoten. Not sure where to base yourself? Read our guide Where to Stay in Lofoten by Area. Finally, explore all our Northern Norway Travel Guides here.
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