Looking for suggestions. Only have 3 days in Lofoten Islands next summer. Places to stay and visit with transport suggestions.

It all depends on where you will arrive from, Harstad/Narvik - Tromso - Bodo but I would not miss Henningsvaer and from there I would travel on to Reine or Aa. Try to stay at some local Rorbu (They are everywhere), and stay overnight in Henningsvaer if possible. There are lots of adventures to take. Try not to rush and make as much out of your trip as possible. Take a look at <BR>www.henningsvaer.com<BR><BR>Transport: Using the local bus service mainly following E10, is the natural choice even if driving by Car is the easiest (You can make side trips on some small hard to reach roads with a car). The Lofoten is not that big, and depending on what you want, you might even have time to a journey to the island Rost. I also enjoy Vesteralen, but with your timeframe I would focus on Lofoten. I would not stay in Leknes, it does not have as much to offer.<BR><BR>If travelling by train to the area from Oslo/Trondheim (It does take time..), I would take the train to Bodo, ferry to Rost and Moskenes, Local bus in Lofoten, Speed boat from Svolvaer to Narvik and finally train from Narvik to Stockholm. Narvik is not my favourite town but the small train to Sweden goes from there. <BR><BR>Please have me excused for my not so good English grammar.<BR>

<BR>I have some comments on Helen's suggestion about Rost:<BR>1. The ferry and boats have very limited time tables and it is extremely difficult to find the right time on the right day.<BR>2. It is a long trip from Bodo.<BR>3. The sea is rough and choppy almost all the time. Many passengers get sea sick. This is true also for the trip from Moskenes to Rost.<BR>4. Due to the scheduling problems I don't believe you'll have enough time to go to Rost.<BR><BR>Staying in rorbus is a must! As a matter os fact there are not too many hotels in Lofoten (except Svolvar) and the rorbus give you the real true feeling of Lofoten. We visited the area in June and were almost the only tourists everywhere we arrived. I am not sure about the summere, you may have to reserve those fishermen huts in advance.<BR>I second all other suggetions that Helen gave you.<BR>AA <BR>

If you e-mail me I will send you some URLs for stuff I and others have put on the web with photos.

Thank you AA, you are right. I must admit that my only trip to Rost was by air, and the island felt isolate and windy (that is why I liked it). The journey from Bodo to Moskenes is not what I look forward to either, but I do manage. Try staying out on deck as much as possible if you have a tendency to get seasick. Another tip would be taking Hurtigruten from Bodo to Stamsund (bigger boat), but it would involve some backtracking if going to Reine. On the other hand if renting a car this may be the way to go?

Another option is going by speedboat Bodo-Svolvar, renting a car in Svolvar:<BR>http://www.ovds.no/engelsk/timetable/<BR>Click on FAST FERRIES, and choose timetable.<BR><BR>But you would probably not need a car if going out on fishing/other adventures.

<BR>Helen,<BR>Remember! Stan has only 3 days!<BR>We had 5 days and were unable to fit Rost into it due to the very strange schedules of the ferry. It doesn't operate every day, and someimes you have to stay overnight because there is no other way to leave the island with a car. I think that driving through all the islands of Lofoten from Svolvar to Aa and back, staying in rorbus and absorbing the atmosphere, is such a relaxing and enjoyable experience, so why try the impossible and miss Lofoten?<BR>My suggestion to you, Stan, is to look up &quot;rorbus&quot; in the internet and follow all other Helen suggestions.<BR>By not going to Rost you'll miss seeing the puffins, which ofcourse is sad. I finally saw them in Iceland...<BR>AA<BR>

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We are flying from Oslo to Tromso and arrive around 6:30pm. We have 3 days to spend after arrival and not counting departure date. So 5 days in all if you count that way. How to get from Tromso to Henningsvaer? Can we rent at car in Tromso, Henningsvaer, or Svolvaer and where to return it?<BR>We plan on catching the Hurtigruten in Stamsund going to Trondheim on the departure date. In between Tromso on arrival and departure in Stamsund for 3 days is where we need specific ideas. I like the idea of the Rorbus. Should we stay in Henningsvaer for the 3 days or stay in a different Rorbu each day as we go south on Lofoten? I also saw some listings for Rorbus in Svolvaer and in Reine. Please keep sending your comments. Thanks to all.<BR>

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We are flying from Oslo to Tromso and arrive around 6:30pm. We have 3 days to spend after arrival and not counting departure date. So 5 days in all if you count that way. How to get from Tromso to Henningsvaer? Can we rent at car in Tromso, Henningsvaer, or Svolvaer and where to return it?<BR>We plan on catching the Hurtigruten in Stamsund going to Trondheim on the departure date. In between Tromso on arrival and departure in Stamsund for 3 days is where we need specific ideas. I like the idea of the Rorbus. Should we stay in Henningsvaer for the 3 days or stay in a different Rorbu each day as we go south on Lofoten? I also saw some listings for Rorbus in Svolvaer and in Reine. Please keep sending your comments. Thanks to all.<BR>

Stan, driving from Tromso is not a good idea, too far. You can take a fast ferry to Harstad and rent a car there, but I do not recommend it even if you had enough time (and you don't). The only choice is really Hurtigruten.<BR><BR>I would probably do it this way:<BR>Arrive Tromso 6:30 pm - Catch Hurtigruten in Tromso at 01:30 am - Stay overnight in Svolvar or Henningsvaer - Stay two nights in Reine or Hamnoy - Get back to catch Hurtigruten in either Svolvar 7:30 pm or Stamsund 9:30 pm. Or you can just focus on the southern part of Lofoten. It is up to you.<BR><BR>I would probably stay in a rorbu on Hamnoy or Sakrisoy (small islands just a few miles outside Reine). For me it feels more authentic, but Reine is nice as well. Nusfjord is also a very picturesque place to stay, with a small cliff of seagulls? Naturally built into the wharf by the Fisherman's cottages. That must be noisy at night!<BR><BR>Activities: If you are into seabirds, there are sightseeing boats from 'A' to a nearby bird cliff on Vaeroy. Or join a fishing boat in Hamnoy (or A) and try to catch some cod. There is also a boat trip from Reine to some old abandoned caves. If it interests you there is a dolls house with 1000 dolls and old teddies on Sakrisoy in Reine. In Henningsvaer a visit to the Gallery Lofotens Hus with paintings by Karl Erik Harr is an absolute must! and if time watch the slideshow of Lofoten in the old days. <BR><BR>Car rental: There is not much to choose from but there is an Avis office in Stamsund. In Svolvar you can choose from Avis, Hertz and Budget. The distance from Reine is 124 km to Svolvar or 70 km to Stamsund. Both destinations are easy with a car. <BR><BR>Tourist information:<BR>www.lofoten-info.no<BR>www.lofoten-rorbu.com<BR>

I agree with Helen. If you arrive in Troms&oslash; and want to visit Lofoten Hurtigruten is the best alternative. Then you will see Vester&aring;len as well, and you will see Raftsundet and Trollfjorden.<BR>wish you a pleasant trip!!

This is for you AA. You will discover that I did not mentioned visiting Rost at all this time! Are you satisfied? And I never wanted to force it upon him either. To make one thing clear he does not have to make any other adventures by boat to spice up the stay either. It is only a suggestion.<BR><BR>One more question, where did you stay, and what did you think of it? – or did you see any really special place when you visited? I remember my first stay, foggy, rainy and windy. I did not se a thing. Weather has a lot to say, but it cleared for a moment in Nusfjord making it breathtaking. When we arrived 'A' a German couple staying on the wharf invited us into their rorbu. They had got one of the larger cabins overlooking the wharf and sea, really nice. I think however the area round Reine is more centrally located. It all depends on what you are planning to do.

Stan, you also have to take in consideration the opening hours of the car rental agencies usually 8am to 4-5pm.

Helen,<BR>Thanks. We will take the Hurtigruten but we are flying from the US to Oslo to Tromso all in one day. We must spend the night in Tromso. IF we take the Hurtigruten, we have to wait until midnight the next day. I was hoping that we could catch some express boat the next morning. The reason we are flying to Tromso is that it is a direct flight from OSLO and the time fits in with our arrival in OSLO. Is there another airport closer to Svolvaer? Perhaps, we could fly from the same day. Also we plan to take the Hurtigruten back to Trondheim or even to Alesund--2 days. We could fly from Bodo but I will check to see if we can fly to Alesund to shorten our trip. <BR>Helen, the others in our party want to stay in one place for the 3 days and take day trips and return. Which place would you recommend? Svolvaer, Stamsund, Henningsvaer, Reine, or ?? I really appreciate everone's comments. I have found a lot of sights and photos by looking for Lofoten on the internet. <BR>Thanks.

There is an express boat leaving from Tromso at 7am arriving Harstad at 9:45am. Then probably rent an expensive car rental with a drop of in Stamsund, or go by bus to Sortland for a change of bus. <BR><BR>The closest airport is probably Harstad-Narvik Evenes (EVE) or Bodo (BOO). If choosing (EVE) you have a choice of renting a car or taking the airport buss to either Harstad (40min) or Sortland (2hours). In Harstad you can take Hurtigruten at 8:30am next morning. If you have spent the night in Sortland take a bus next morning to Svolvar (2hours+). You could rent a car at EVE, Harstad or Sortland but it would cost. (The journey going to Sortland is beautiful)<BR><BR>If flying into (BOO) your choice is ferry or train-bus to Lofoten.<BR><BR>If staying put for three days, arriving with Hurtigruten, Stamsund may possibly do. One day driving north, one day going south. It is maybe the best choice for you? Reine is my personal favourite, but Svolvaer are more of a small town (shops and all). Henningsvaer is nice and you get better a feel of it spending a night, than just passing thru<BR><BR><BR>

With the closest airports, I did of course mean major airports with connections from Oslo (OSL). There are smaller airport in Svolvaer and Leknes with connection from Bodo (BOO), but that would probably be expensive.

Helen,<BR>When we arrive in Svolvaer by Hurtigruten from Tromso it is too late to rent a car. We will have to stay at least one night in Svolvaer. Or we can take the express boat the next morning as you suggested. I found that we must return the car where rented. If we stay 3 nights in Svolvaer, can we use bus transport to tour both north and south to Reine and back to Svolvaer each day instead of a rent car? Is Svolvaer more practical place to stay than others? We saw the Svinoya Rorbus in Svolvaer and the Nyvagar Rorbus, which looked very beautiful, not too far from Svolvaer. We will definitely visit Henningsvaer.<BR>We can take the Hurtigruten from Svolvaer instead of Stamsund to Trondheim. Instead of arriving in Bodo early am and plane or train, we are also considering staying on the Hurtigruten to Alesund then to Geiranger where we will stay 2-3 days, then on to Balestrand for 2 days. Does this itinerary make sense to you.<BR>Stan

It is possible to get to Reine by bus, but it would take you 3 hours. Getting back would be another 3 hours. While Reine is a nice place to start boating trips there is not much else than stunning nature. If the weather is bad I do not think it would be enjoyable being stuck in Reine, 'A' is a little better. I think is madness doing two daytrips to Reine with Svolvar as a starting point. If the weather is bad I think it is better to use a car, then you can just go on when you are satisfied. If staying in Svolvar I think it is better to use 1 day exploring the area of Henningsvaer and Kabelvag. This day you can use the local bus with a little planning. Day 2, rent a car and visit the southern part of Lofoten, with many small hidden bays like Nusfjord. With a car you are more flexible. In the long days of summer and you can get more out of you visit, when not having to think of timetables getting back to Svolvar in time.<BR><BR>I do not know whether you should take the train from Trondheim to Andalsnes or Hurtigruten to Aalesund. It is faster by train, but you do not have to log around with luggage if staying on Hurtigruten. Only drawback on the Hurtigruten option is that you arrive very late in Aalesund. <BR><BR>Timetables in Lofoten last summer:<BR>www.177nordland.com/upload/lofotsom2002.pdf<BR>

Helen,<BR>Thanks. Looking on the internet I found some interesting Rorbus in Reine, Hamnoy, and Sakrisoy. Earlier, you indicated the southern part of Lofoten was very scenic. We could stay the first night in Svolvaer and drive to Reine, Hamnoy, or Sakriskoy and spend 2 days in a Rorbu there? IF we went on a bus, we would have to take the ferry to Bodo then Hurtigurten from there. Taking luggage around on buses is not too thrilling that is why I though staying in one place for 3 days was best but if the place to go at least for 2 days is the southern part, then we will. We also could go to Stamsund the first day on the Hurtigruten just arrive later and spend 1-3 days there in a Rorbu. If we rent a car, we would have to return to Stamsund or Svolvaer. If we take the bus, we could just ferry to Bodo from Hamnoy? or Moskenes?

I have sometimes rushed thru Lofoten in a day to get to my destination, but once I get there I always want to stay on in the peaceful southern part. As a first time visitor the Northern part may be just as rewarding. The northern part is scenic as well, and more populated. Lots of painters and other artists are known to stay in Kabelvag when they visit Lofoten. Follow your instincts and go with your gut feeling. You can’t really go wrong.<BR>There are lots of possibilities going on a fishing vessel or even go golfing in the north too. If into Vikings there is a museum at Borg, near Leknes. I found it very touristy and pricey, but it is some time since I visited and it may have gotten better. <BR>