8 Best Sights in Bodø, Trondheim to the Lofoten Islands

Kjerringøy, located 40 km (25 miles) north of Bodø, is well worth visiting. This gem on the Nordland coast is famous for its pristine fjord landscape used as the location for several feature films. Check out the Knut Hamsun Gallery, dedicated to the Nobel Prize–winning author. Kjerringøy is great for hiking, cycling, boating, fishing, and much more. To get here, take the 10-minute ferry across a fjord at Festvåg.

Amid narrow fjords edging the peninsula, the Old Kjerringøy Trading Post has 15 well-preserved 19th-century buildings where Erasmus Zahl once made handsome profits buying and selling fish. Take a guided tour of the manor—many of its original furnishings are intact. There is an on-site café where you can enjoy fresh coffee and baked goods.

About 15 minutes from the town's center, the massive Norwegian Aviation Museum is housed in a building shaped like a propeller. The high-ceilinged rotunda illustrates "Man's Primeval Dream of Flight." On either side are smaller exhibition halls, one for civilian aviation and the other for military aviation. Here you'll find a Spitfire, a CF-104 Starfighter, a Junkers Ju 88, a U-2 spy plane, and much more. Take a turn on the flight simulators for a glimpse of the controls of an F-16. Climb the control tower for an unforgettable view of the wild landscape.

Truly magnificent, this 3-km-long (2-mile-long) and 500-foot-wide strait joins the inner fjord basin with the sea. During high tide, the volume of water rushing through the narrow sound is so great that powerful whirlpools form. This is one of Norway's legendary maelstroms, and here you can see the strongest one in the world. The rush of water brings an abundance of fish, including cod, saithe, wolffish, and halibut, making this a popular fishing spot.

About 30 minutes north of the city, this beautiful beach is reached via a short hike once you reach the parking lot. It's popular during the summer months with nature enthusiasts. Mjelle Beach can be found on the way north to Festvåg. Amenities: parking; toilet. Best for: solitude; sunset; walking

Housed in one of the city's oldest buildings, the Nordland Museum includes a fascinating exhibit on Sámi culture that features a 350-year-old wooden box inscribed with mysterious runes. There's also silver that dates back 1,000 years to the Rønvik era: these English and Arabic coins and jewelry were discovered in 1919. The "Byen vårres" ("Our City") exhibition reveals the history of Bodø. An open-air section has 14 historic buildings and a collection of boats, including the Anna Karoline af Hopen, the sole surviving Nordland cargo vessel, or jekt.

If you're an art lover, you can plan encounters with Artscape Nordland, an art project involving artists from 18 countries. The idea behind the project was to collect modern art and place one sculpture in every municipality in Nordland, with the landscape as the backdrop to the art. Sculptures—including Uten Tittel by British artist Tony Cragg, which is on the breakwater in Bodø—are in beautiful locations along the coast in 33 Nordland municipalities.

Author Knut Hamsun visited Kjerringøy in 1879 and found plenty of inspiration. Several movies based on his novels were filmed here, including Benoni & Rosa, The Telegraphist, and Pan. An exhibition here includes clips from more than 20 films made since 1921. There is also locally produced art for sale, as well as a boatbuilder's workshop.