Here are our best tips for how to get to Lofoten and Lillevik by plane, local ferries, cars, the coastal ferries, etc. And information about local Lofoten rental car companies, plus driving directions to Lofoten.

Traveling to Lofoten from abroad takes time, but with the right flights you can get from Oslo city centre to Lillevik in 5 hours.

See the official tourist information: How to get to the Lofoten islands. If you need help and/or recommendations, in addition to the information below: Contact our booking agency: Lofoten Vacation.

Travel to Lofoten by plane

Flying is definitely the fastest way to get to Lofoten. There are two airports in Lofoten (Svolvær and Leknes) and four “local” airports in total:

The airports closest to Lofoten. We recommend flying to Svolvær.
  • Svolvær airport (small propeller airplanes only, requires a short stopover)
  • Leknes airport (small propeller airplanes only, requires a short stopover)
  • Evenes airport ( domestic and international, requires a bus or car ride)
  • Bodø airport (domestic, requires a short flight to Svolvær or Leknes airport, or a ferry)

Fastest: Fly to Svolvær airport (or Leknes airport) via Bodø airport

Widerøe’s 39 seat propeller plane at Svolvær airport.

Fly from Oslo to Svolvær with SAS or Widerøe (direct in summer, and with a short stopover in Bodø in winter). If you check your bags all the way to Svolvær, a 30 minute stopover in Bodø is fine – it’s a small airport. We recommend buying the tickets together, not as separate purchases, so you get better help in case of delays. Rent a car at Svolvær airport, drive 45 minutes to Lillevik.

  • 00:00: Airport express train from Oslo city centre to Oslo airport
  • 00:20: Arrive at the airport
  • 00:30: Check in, make sure bags are checked all the way to Svolvær (with fast track you can of course check in later than ~1 hour before the flight)
  • 01:30-03:00: Fly Oslo – Bodø with SAS or Norwegian
  • 03:00-03:30: 30 minute stop in Bodø (it’s a small airport)
  • 03:30-03:50: Fly Bodø – Svolvær with Widerøe
  • 04:15: Pick up bags, pick up car, drive to Gimsøy
  • 05:00: Arrive at Gimsøy

So: 5 hours “door to door”. You can also fly to the equally small Leknes airport instead of Svolvær, the total time (and other things) will be about the same.

Also fast: Fly to Evenes airport, then drive

Fly from Oslo to Evenes (Harstad/Narvik) airport with SAS or Norwegian ( or with international flights), rent a car and drive 3 hours to Lillevik. Or take the airport bus, Flybussen, to Svolvær – which also takes about 3 hours. Evenes is not in Lofoten, but together with Bodø it’s the closest airport where “normal” planes can land.

International flights to Evenes airport:

The above can change on short notice. See more at Visit Lofoten’s official “Fly to Lofoten” page. Flying to Evenes can be almost as fast as flying to Svolvær. The 3 hour drive is scenic, but can be “difficult” in winter and if there is a car accident on E10, there may not be any alternative routes.

Public transport and ferries to and from Lofoten

The entur.no website is great for public transport all over Norway. The reisnordland.no website, made by the people who actually operate the ferries to and from Lofoten is, sadly, not very user-friendly. Torghatten Nord runs all(?) the ferries and express boats in the area, but their website is also very bad.

This is very good: Ferry routes in Lofoten: Information and timetables.

Getting around in Lofoten: Get a car

An nice evening drive at Gimsøy.

We strongly recommend having a car in Lofoten, unless you are travelling by bicycle or motorcycle. Public transport is extremely limited, does not go to the most popular tourists places, and you risk wasting a lot of time waiting. There are several local rental car companies.

See: Driving in Lofoten: All-year information and tips, with links to even more info.

There is some useful “getting around” information at 68North. Guide to Lofoten has a lot of good information: Getting to the Lofoten Islands by plane, car, bus, or ferry. And: How to get around Lofoten without a car.

All drives in Lofoten are scenic and the main road E10 is an official Norwegian Scenic Route. It can be smart to have some extra time to stop along the way when you see something interesting.

The Gimsøystraumen bridge when closed in 23 m/s wind. There is no physical barrier, but it is closed.
A road in Gimsøy in October, just after the first snowfall.

Lofoten rental car companies

There are several local rental car companies, in addition to the common larger ones. The local companies may be easiest to reach by phone.

Avinor’s official website has rental car info for Svolvær and Leknes airports.

There is one taxi company, Lokaltaxi, but taxi is not really an option for getting around, except for short or one-off trips near the towns. Use the Taxifix app.

See driving distances below, and also Location for more inform including popular sights in Lofoten. You can also use Google Maps and the “Direction” functionality:

Travel by plane to Bodø, then by ferry to Lofoten

Travel with the coastal ferry: Hurtigruten and Havila

There are two companies operating the coastal ferry along the Norwegian coast: Hurtigruten and Havila. Their routes are identical, they run on alternating days. The ships are large and comfortable, but they are not cruise ships: Port stops are short, just long enough for people, cars and goods to get on and off.

Check the “port to port” trips to Svolvær (or Stamsund), not the “packages”: Hurtigruten port to port and Havila port to port.

This gives a good overview: Norway Coastal Cruise: Hurtigruten & Havila Voyages Explained.

Travel by car, from anywhere

Drive to Bodø (ca. 17 hours from Oslo), then take one of the ferries. Although some people think Tromsø is near Lofoten, it’s still a 6.5 hour drive in good conditions.

If you’re driving to Lofoten from the south of Norway: The Coastal Road (RV17) is really nice, and highly recommended. You drive on small roads near the ocean, and get to see a lot of beautiful nature and small towns. There are a lot of ferries, so it will take much longer than the more boring E6 highway – but it’s worth it. From the kystriksveien.no website:

Kystriksveien (The Coastal Road) stretching from Steinkjer to Bodø – a total of 650 km. This is a scenic road and most of the stretch is a National Scenic Route. You can expect breathtaking views and you will cross the Arctic Circle along the way. There are thousands of islands along this coastline and you should take the time to visit a few of them.

Don’t confuse the coastal route with the Atlantic Ocean Highway, which is only 8 km long, starts around 1000 km south of Lofoten (between Kristiansund and Molde), and is – to be honest – over rated.

Driving directions to Lillevik and Gimsøy

From Svolvær airport

It is fastest, and simplest, to fly to Svolvær with a short stopover in Bodø.

Hurtigruten: Svolvær and Stamsund

The coastal ferry (Hurtigruten and Havila) stops at both Svolvær and Stamsund.

Evenes airport (Narvik/Harstad)

International flights, larger planes and cheaper than Svolvær, but also a longer drive to get to Lofoten. The airport is “in the middle of nowhere”, between Narvik and Harstad.

Leknes airport

As small as Svolvær airport, with different timetables.

Haukland beach, Vik beach, Offersøykammen, etc. seen from Mannen (400m).
Henningsvær in March, at the height off the fishing season.
The lighthouse at Brenna. Hoven is on the right in the background.