Getting to the Lofoten Islands with the Bodø to Moskenes Ferry
Back in 2021 Sean and I did a road-trip around Northern Norway, beginning and ending in Trondheim. When it came time to plan the section for the Lofoten Islands, I knew I wanted to take the ferry. I’d heard about the Bodø to Moskenes Ferry and decided to do that ferry.
It was such a beautiful journey! Originally I was apprehensive to take ferries in Norway because I feel they slow down the road-trip and I struggled figuring out how they work. This road-trip was great for me because we were taking 2-3 ferries a day, so now I feel like I’m an expect on ferries.
Earlier this year I got to fly into the Lofoten Islands for the first time, and while the flight from Bodø to Svolvær is short (20 minutes!) I still can’t get behind flying there. So, I’ve written this overview of how the ferry works to try and encourage you to do the same!
In this article...
Flying is Expensive
Well, I should begin by saying all options to the Lofoten Islands are expensive, including the ferry. However, flying is the most expensive option. While there are airports at Svolvær and Leknes, they are operated by the regional airline Widerøe and have few departures. The small planes plus few departures drives the price up. Also, if the wind is too strong the planes can’t fly at all.
This makes Bodø an excellent alternative. Bodø is a major airport with Widerøe, SAS and Norwegian all flying there. Bodø has direct connections to Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø and other cities, so it’s easy to get to. At the airport you’ll find all the major rental companies for cars.
Why Should I Go to Moskenes?
If you are road-tripping in Lofoten, it’s likely that you’ll be doing the Lofoten Tourist Road. This is one of the 18 national tourist roads in Norway, and arguably the most scenic.
The tourist road begins at the southern tip in Å and ends in the north in the Vesterålen region.
Moskenes is located about a 10 minute drive north of Å, so if you take the ferry to Moskenes, you arrive practically at the beginning of the tourist road. This makes it easy to then take the tourist road north. You can choose to spend the night in Å, or if you drive 10 minutes north of Moskenes you’ll be in one of the most famous villages in Lofoten: Reine.
Our road-trip guides:
- From Å to Svolvaer on the Lofoten Tourist Road Guide
- From Svolvaer to Harstad on the Lofoten Tourist Road Guide
Compared to flying, you’ll have to drive about two hours south from Svolvær to get to Reine or Å, and then drive back on the same road. It gets a little repetitive, and your time is best spent doing the trip one way.
Are there other ferries?
There is one other car ferry that will take you to the Lofoten Islands, and that is the Hurtigruten. The Hurtigruten departs Bodø at 3:10pm and arrives in Stamsund around 7pm. Stamsund is located midway between Moskenes and Svolvaer.
Hurtigruten can be an expensive alternative, and if you are travelling in the high season (or middle of winter) it’s likely that their limited car spaces will be full.
What if I'm travelling without a vehicle?
If you don’t have a vehicle, it is possible to take an express ferry from Bodø to Svolvær. Svolvær is the largest town in the Lofoten Islands so it has the best public transport connections. From here, you’ll be able to take a bus to most other major villages in the islands.
Views along the way
The ferry isn’t especially fast, but the journey is very scenic. We were fortunate to take the ferry on a clear and calm day, so for the first half of the journey were could see the Norwegian mainland. As you leave Bodø, you get an excellent view of the Bodø skyline and the mountains behind it.
You can start seeing the Lofoten Islands about halfway into the journey. It was so clear for us that we could see where the Lofoten Islands and the mainland meet!
The approach into Lofoten is spectacular, of course.
The Onboard Experience
The ferry is a little dated and basic (the company has recently announced they have signed the contract for new ferries to be built), but it has everything you need for the journey.
There is a large seating area with chairs and tables as well as a cafeteria serving coffee, sandwiches, hot dogs, and snacks. If you have been on a Norwegian ferry before, it’s very much the same time of food.
A highlight of the ferry is that you have a lot of open space to walk around. On the smaller express ferries, you often can’t go outside at all. We spent a lot of our time outside taking pictures.
Ferry Timetable
The ferry timetable can be found on their website: http://ruteinfo.thn.no/en/default.aspx?rnr=86
Booking Tickets
I strongly recommend booking your ferry ticket in advance. In 2019, the ferry made headlines for selling out and for people being unable to get on board. In summer it is likely the ferry will sell out. It is possible to also buy tickets at the ferry, but you can’t be guaranteed that the ferry hasn’t sold out. Additionally, those who have prepaid board the ferry first, which means you’ll be able to leave first.
You can book tickets on the Torghatten-Nord website: https://www.torghatten-nord.no/
On the top left side, you’ll see an option to change the language to English.
There is an option to search for ticket prices. Put that in and add a car + passenger. You’ll have to select the size of your vehicle plus how many passengers you have. After that, you’ll be able to choose a time.
The website will ask for a registration plate for the car, but if you are renting a car just write ‘rental car’.
As you’ll see, the tickets are quite expensive! 950 NOK – 1250 NOK. However, it can cost over 2000 NOK to fly into Svolvær, and when I tried looking for prices on Hurtigruten nothing was available. So, it seems like it is the cheapest option of them all.
You might be saying “well, I can just drive to the bottom and then drive back up”, but remember fuel in Norway is quite expensive and you would pay about 900 NOK just to drive from the top of Lofoten to the bottom anyway.
How long does the ferry take?
The ferry journey takes around three and a half hours. You’ll notice there are different durations corresponding to different departures on the website. Thisis because sometimes the ferry makes some stops along the way, especially to the small islands of Røst and Værøy. Ideally, you’d like to leave early in the day so you have extra time to explore Lofoten.
Røst & Værøy
These are two small little isolated islands off the coast of Lofoten. While it is possible to fly to them, it would be such an amazing experience to take the ferry there as well. You can add them to your Lofoten road-trip. I have never been, but am hoping to get there some day.
Recently the government passed a new law making some vital ferry services free, and this includes the ferry to Røst & Værøy. So now you can travel there for free!
Tell Me What You Think!
If you have taken the ferry, or have any questions, please use the comment section below.
Planning our visit in june this year (yes just a few weeks away). Without a car, is the ferry from bodo to svolvar free? Thanks!
Ms./ Mr.
we plan to go loften next September.
and will take ferry from –MOSKENES to bodo.
do you have timetable for 2023 September between oskenes to Bodo?
many thanks.
Best regards,
Sofi Liao
We flew into Bodo,took the ferry to Moskenes without a car, and it was free for passengers without cars! The we rented a car from Moskenes Car Rental, a privately owned small agency. Very affordable all around. We stayed two nights in Reine and visited A. Then we drove to Leknes and stayed six nights. We got as far as Svolvaer,visiting many small villages along the way. Then we headed back to Moskenes, dropped off the rental car, and took the ferry back to Bodo. On our return trip we opted to take the night train from Bodo to Trondheim instead of flying.
Just a comment for you about Røst and Væroy: if you take that stop, tickets are free. We went from Moskenes to Bodø in two days, with a stop in Væroy and paid 0 NOK.
Abuse this to your liking for as long as it works 😉