How to Get to the Lofoten Islands: 4 Easy Routes + My Pick

Getting to the Lofoten Islands is simpler than it looks once you know where to land. Find the easiest route for your season and starting point, with travel times and costs for each option, plus tips from my firsthand experience.

The Lofoten Islands sit off the coast of northern Norway, well above the Arctic Circle, and there’s no international airport on them. So figuring out how to get to Lofoten was the first real puzzle of my trip planning.

I ended up flying from Oslo to Bodø, a small city on the mainland right across the water, and spending the night there. The next morning I took a 30-minute flight from Bodø to Leknes, a tiny airport in the middle of the islands, where I also picked up my rental car. 

The route made sense for my dates, my itinerary and my budget. Depending on when you travel and where you’re flying from, another one might be easier. So, below I go through the four main ways to reach the Lofoten Islands, Norway, and when each one works best. 

• Anitas Waterfront Cabins: modern red cabins on the water between Hamnøy and Reine, where I stayed for three nights. About an hour’s drive from Leknes Airport.
• Lofoten Apartments: sea-view apartments in Hopen, between Svolvær and Henningsvær, my other base for three nights, with a sauna right on the water.
• Thon Hotel Svolvær ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: a harbor hotel with breakfast included, 6 km (4 mi) from Svolvær Airport. I didn’t stay here, but it’s the easiest pick if you fly into Svolvær.
• More options: I compared ten cabins, rorbuer and hotels across both sides of the islands in my guide to where to stay in Lofoten.

I’ll explain where everything is first, since the routes only make sense once you know that. Or you can jump straight to the map at the end of this section, which honestly does the job faster.

The Lofoten Islands are a chain of mountainous islands off the coast of northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Picture steep peaks rising out of the sea and small fishing villages, all linked by bridges, tunnels and one main road. Most international flights land in Oslo, Norway’s capital, about 900 km (550 mi) south of Lofoten.

Where you arrive in Lofoten

There are three main hubs in the Lofoten:

• Leknes Airport: a small airport in the middle of the islands
• Svolvær Airport: a small airport at the northeastern end
• Moskenes ferry port: a small port at the southwestern tip

During summer, you can fly from Oslo straight to the islands either in Leknes or Svolvær. The rest of the year, you first go to a town on the mainland close to the islands and finish the trip from there, see below.

Where you (may) layover on the mainland

Outside of the summer months, you'll have to choose between these two intermediate stops:

• Bodø: a city facing the islands across the sea. From here you can take a short flight to Leknes or Svolvær, or the car ferry to Moskenes.
• Harstad/Narvik Airport (Evenes): an airport northeast of the islands. From here you pick up a car and drive about 3 hours into Lofoten.

The 4 main routes to get to Lofoten

Put together, that gives you four main routes:

• Route 1: flight to Oslo → flight to Leknes or Svolvær
  One nonstop flight of about 2 hours and 20 minutes. July and August only, and usually pricier.
  Best for: people visiting during summer looking for the easiest and quickest option to get to Lofoten
• Route 2: flight to Oslo → flight to Bodø → flight to Leknes or Svolvær
  Two flights, and the second one takes only about 30 minutes. Runs all year. This is what I did, since I visited Lofoten in September.
  Best for: most trips, especially outside summer or on a tighter budget.
• Route 3: flight to Oslo → flight to Harstad/Narvik → drive to Svolvær
  More flights to choose from, then about 3 hours of driving to Svolvær.
  Best for: when the flights to Leknes and Svolvær are full or too expensive, or for those who prefer a long drive to a quick 3rd flight. For those coming from Copenhagen or Frankfurt, there's actually a direct flight, no Oslo layover needed. 
• Route 4: flight to Oslo → flight to Bodø → ferry to Moskenes
  A flight to Bodø, then about 3 hours and 15 minutes on the car ferry.
  Best for: travelers bringing their own car.

Each route has its own section below, with costs and booking details.

Again, if you’re more of a visual person, check out the Lofoten map below, it shows everything in one picture.

Flying is the quickest way in for most people, and it’s how I got there. All three options start in Oslo.

Route 1: Fly Direct from Oslo to Lofoten (Leknes or Svolvær, Summer Only)

Best for: summer trips, when you want the fewest connections and don’t mind paying more.

• Time: about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Oslo to Leknes or Svolvær
• Cost: usually the most expensive of the three
• Where to book: on the Widerøe airline website, the only airline on these routes
  When it runs: roughly July and August, with dates that change every year

If the price looks reasonable when you search, I’d take it. You land in the middle of the islands with nothing else to catch.

Route 2: Fly Direct from Oslo to Bodø, Then Fly On to Leknes or Svolvær 

Best for: most trips, any time of year. This is the route I chose in September 2026. 

• Time: about 1 hour and 25 minutes from Oslo to Bodø, then about 30 minutes to Leknes or Svolvær
• Cost: my Widerøe flight from Bodø to Leknes was €125 per person, with a checked bag
• Where to book: SAS or Norwegian from Oslo to Bodø, then Widerøe for the short flight. I booked the two separately.

My SAS flight from Oslo to Bodø landed in the evening, so I spent the night at the Radisson Blu Hotel Bodø ⭐⭐⭐⭐, which cost me about €105 for a standard room. The airport is close enough to walk from the center, alternatively bus 1 or 2 will take you there for 45 NOK in under 10 minutes. I spent the evening walking along the harbor, where locals were swimming off the pier and going in and out of the saunas along the water.

My Widerøe flight from Bodø to Leknes the next morning was on a small propeller plane with free seating, so it’s first come, first served. The overhead bins are tiny. I checked my big bag and kept only my hiking backpack with me, which I’d recommend. The flight was smooth and the views were incredible.There are only four or five of these flights a day, and between late June and early September they fill up quickly. This is the booking I’d make first. I made mine about eight months ahead.

Leknes Airport is tiny: one room, one baggage belt and a shared Avis and Hertz desk a few steps away. The rental cars wait in the lot right outside, and I had my keys within minutes. If you’re still choosing a company, here are my tips for renting a car in Lofoten. Leknes sits about an hour from Reine and an hour and 15 minutes from Svolvær, which is why I picked it over the other airports. Two of my favorite hikes start a short drive from the airport, so I did both that same afternoon.

Flying back was just as easy. Check-in and security at Leknes took me about 20 minutes.

Route 3: Fly Direct from Oslo to Harstad/Narvik Airport and Drive

Best for: when the flights to Leknes and Svolvær are full or too expensive, or if you want to avoid a third flight at all costs, or if you're coming from Copenhagen or Frankfurt.

• Time: about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Oslo, then 166 km (103 mi) and about 3 hours by car to Svolvær
• Cost: it varies a lot with your dates, so compare it with Route 2 before booking
• Where to book: SAS, Norwegian or Widerøe from Oslo. In summer, SAS also flies here direct from Copenhagen and Discover Airlines from Frankfurt.

It’s a bigger airport, with more flights and more rental cars to choose from. The drive is the part to plan for. Svolvær is 3 hours away, and Reine is 5 hours away with stops. When I compared the options based on my itinerary and international flights, this route would've ended up consuming too much time, so I didn't pick it.

A new stretch of road on this route is due to open at the end of 2028, and it should cut about 35 minutes off the drive.

I didn’t take the ferry on this trip, so this part comes from planning it and checking the official timetables. I explain why I flew at the end of this section.

Route 4: Fly Direct from Oslo to Bodø, Then Ferry to Moskenes

Best for: travelers bringing their own car, or anyone starting a road trip from Bodø, or travelers without a car looking for the cheapest possible solution (the ferry is free for foor passengers)

• Time: about 3 hours and 15 minutes from Bodø to Moskenes on the direct sailings. A few sailings stop at the small islands of Værøy and Røst on the way and take much longer.
• Cost: 605 NOK (about $60) for a car under 6 m (20 ft), plus 250 NOK (about $25) if you reserve a spot. Passengers in the car and foot passengers travel free.
• Where to book: on the Torghatten Nord website, the company that runs the route

The ferry leaves from a terminal next to Bodø’s train station, a short walk from the center, and arrives at Moskenes, a small port a few kilometers from Reine at the southwestern tip of the islands. The crossing is on open sea, so it can get rough in bad weather.

The timetable is the tricky part. In summer there are multiple sailings a day. From September the winter timetable starts, and some days have only one direct departure. When I checked for my dates in early September, the Reis app showed just one sailing that suited me, which is a big reason I didn’t plan around it.

Reservations work in an unusual way. Only about half the spots on each sailing can be booked, and you have to do it by 8 p.m. the day before. The rest go to whoever is waiting in line at the port. In summer I’d always book, because the queue can mean hours of waiting or missing the sailing.

Other Ferries and Boats to Lofoten

These are less common, but each one solves a specific problem.

• Express boat from Bodø to Svolvær: a passenger-only boat, so no cars. It takes about 3 hours and 25 minutes and usually leaves Bodø in the early evening, with a few stops on the way, including the small island of Skrova. Tickets are on the Reis Nordland website or on board.
• Hurtigruten and Havila coastal ships: these ships sail up and down the Norwegian coast every day of the year, and you can book them for a single leg, called “port to port.” Northbound ships leave Bodø in the afternoon and stop at Stamsund, a village near Leknes, and then Svolvær, about 6 hours later. You can bring a car on some ships.
• Summer car ferry from Skutvik to Svolvær: Skutvik is a ferry port on the mainland, north of Bodø, and useful if you’re driving up from the south. It runs only from June 1 to August 31, with two sailings a day of about 2 to 2.5 hours. Since 2026 it costs 337 NOK (about $33) for a car under 6 m, while passengers still travel free.

Flight or Ferry: Which Is the Best Way? 

If you’re arriving by plane anyway, I’d fly all the way to Leknes or Svolvær. Here’s how my math worked out:

• Total time: the flight from Bodø to Leknes was 30 minutes, plus an hour or so at the airport beforehand, so let's say 2 hours in total. The ferry takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes, plus arriving early and driving off at the other end, so closer to 4.
• Timing: there are several flights a day, so I could pick an early one and arrive with half a day left for two hikes. The ferry had far fewer departures on my dates, and depending on when you land in Bodø, you could wait a long time.
• The car: the rental company I liked best was right at Leknes Airport, which made the whole arrival quick.
• The view: the short flight over the islands was one of the nicest surprises of the trip.

However, the flight costs more. Mine was €125 per person with a bag, while foot passengers ride the ferry for free. If you’re bringing your own car, or your budget is tight, the ferry is the obvious choice.

I didn’t drive or take the train to Lofoten, so I’ll keep this part short and practical.

By car, the drive from Oslo is about 1,700 to 1,800 km (1,050 to 1,100 mi), which means more than 20 hours behind the wheel, plus Norway’s road tolls. Most people split it over three days or more. There are two main ways to finish the trip:

• Through Bodø: drive north to Bodø and take the car ferry to Moskenes, at the southwestern tip of the islands.
• Through Narvik: keep driving north toward Narvik, a town on the mainland, and then head west on the E10. A road with bridges and tunnels connects the mainland to Lofoten, so you drive straight onto the islands with no ferry needed.

If you rent a car somewhere else in Norway for this, check that it comes with unlimited mileage, because the kilometers add up quickly.

By train, you can’t get all the way there. Norway’s railway goes as far north as Bodø: one train a day runs from Trondheim, a city in central Norway, and takes about 10 hours, after about 7 hours from Oslo to Trondheim. The night train on that line was suspended at the time of writing in late 2026, so check the SJ website before you plan around it. From Bodø you continue by ferry, express boat or a short flight.

The short answer: there are no direct flights from the US to Lofoten, so plan for at least two connections and a full day of travel.

The most common way is to fly to Oslo first. SAS flies nonstop from Newark to Oslo, a flight of about 7 hours and 50 minutes, and from Oslo you continue with Route 1 or Route 2 from the plane section above. With a summer direct flight that’s one connection in Oslo. Outside summer it usually means two, in Oslo and then in Bodø.

If you’d like to cut one connection, Harstad/Narvik Airport (Route 3) is worth checking. In summer it has direct flights from Copenhagen with SAS and from Frankfurt with Discover Airlines, both easy hubs to reach from the US. That way you can fly from the US to Copenhagen or Frankfurt, then straight to Harstad/Narvik, and drive about 3 hours to Svolvær.

Two things I’d keep in mind:

• Separate tickets need a buffer. I booked my SAS flight to Bodø and my Widerøe flight to Leknes separately, and I spent the night in Bodø in between. If the first flight is late on separate tickets, the second airline doesn’t have to rebook you, so I’d leave plenty of time or stay a night, especially after a long-haul flight.
• Book the last leg early. The small Widerøe planes to Leknes and Svolvær fill up first, so I’d lock those in before anything else.

Which airport should I fly into for Lofoten?
It depends on where you’re staying. Leknes works best if you’re splitting your time or staying near Reine, and Svolvær is closer if you’re staying on the eastern side, around Svolvær and Henningsvær. Remember that Harstad/Narvik is not technically located in Lofoten, but on the mainland, and is a long drive away.

Do I need to book the Bodø to Moskenes ferry in advance?
In summer, yes, if you’re bringing a car. Outside summer the lines are usually shorter, but there are far fewer sailings, so the timetable becomes the bigger problem. Foot passengers can usually just show up.

Can I get to Lofoten without a car?
Technically yes, by plane, express boat or the coastal ships. Getting in is feasible, but getting around is a different issue. Buses exist, but they run only a few times a day, and don't cover many trailheads and beaches. I’d rent a car for at least part of the trip, and I shared what I learned in my guide to renting a car in Lofoten.

Can I get to Lofoten from Tromsø, and how far is it?
You can, but it’s a long way. Tromsø is a city farther north in Norway, and the drive to Svolvær takes about 7 to 8 hours. Widerøe also flies from Tromsø to Leknes and Svolvær, which is much quicker.

How long does it take to get to Lofoten from Oslo?
About 2 hours and 20 minutes on a summer direct flight. Through Bodø it’s about 2 hours of flying in total, plus the time between flights, which can be anything from an hour to a night in Bodø, like I did.

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