From Trondheim to the Lofoten Islands
(and back again)
In June 2021 Sean and I decided to take advantage of the lack of tourists and head up to the Lofoten Islands. This was during the tail end of COVID and we wanted to enjoy one of the most popular places in Norway but at the same time have it to ourselves. However, we didn’t just want to fly straight to Lofoten. In my mission to do all of Norway’s national tourist roads, I decided that we should try the Helgeland Coastal Road – Norway’s longest tourist road. We split it up over several days, choosing overnight towns based on Hurtigruten ports so I could explore them a bit more.
After doing Lofoten I wanted to cross off some of the other tourist roads, and luckily they were also some of the most stunning islands in Norway – Andøya and Senja. Just wow. If you want to see the best of Norway, don’t skip those two islands. In Andøya we did a puffin safari which was spectacular. They also have whale safaris but unfortunately none were operating when we were there.
To head back down, we took the E6 highway – which is the main highway running through Norway. It wasn’t as exciting as the coastal road but it’s fast and doesn’t have all the ferries that the coast has.
This guide is designed for those who really want to explore Norway off-the-beaten-path. While Lofoten and Senja are famous, the Helgeland Coast is virtually unknown to outsiders but is definitely one of the most spectacular places in Norway.
How much time to allow?
We did it over 10 days. This is crazy. We were driving fairly full days, as you’ll see below, and the ferries slow you down considerably. I would allow for at least two weeks – three if you want to really take your time and enjoy each location.
Make adjustments
I strongly recommend keeping Andøya and Senja. You could fly to Bodø and start the drive from there if you want to skip the Helgeland Coast, though I don’t recommend it.
It’s a lot cheaper to pick up and drop off the rental car from the same place – so consider doing a loop.
Day 1: Trondheim to Namsos
Drive time: 3 hours 49 minutes
Length: 178km (110 miles)
On this day we flew into Trondheim from Bergen, picked up the car, and off we went! The drive wasn’t so long today so we got to enjoy ourselves and do a ton of detours, which I’ve written about below. We got into Namsos in the mid afternoon and then did a small hike before heading to an excellent sushi place for dinner.
We stayed at the Scandic Rock City which offered free parking. However, it was stinking hot in the hotel so we didn’t sleep so good.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 2: Namsos to Brønnøysund
Drive time: 3 hours 27 minutes
Length: 198km (123 miles)
This drive was also relatively short, so we actually took a detour out to Rørvik where we had lunch at a cafeteria inside the shopping mall Amfi. This is also where we saw a moose on the road, but of course this was the day I accidentally deleted the footage we were recording on the GoPro. Typical.
The scenery becomes spectacular as you approach Brønnøysund – the contrast between flat land and the tall, rocky mountains is incredible.
We were going to hike Torghatten but were too sleepy. Also, our accommodation was so good we didn’t want to leave! We stayed at Norsk Havbrukssenter AS which is part fish farm and part cabin rental. We stayed up until midnight to observe the midnight sun. The hotels in town were a little overpriced for our liking, and the location here is incredible. For dinner, we ordered pizza just so we could eat in our fancy cabin.
Article coming soon 🙂
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 3: Brønnøysund to Sandnessjøen
Drive time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Length: 91.5km (57 miles)
Ferries: 2
Today seemed like it would be a short day, but it sure wasn’t. We misread the ferry times and got stuck at Vevelstad for a couple hours. There’s nothing to do there. The plan had been to spend the day at the Vega Islands, and if you have the time I’d recommend spending an extra day here to go out and visit them. You can also add a day if you want to hike the Seven Sisters mountain range.
We were determined to get the perfect photo of the Seven Sisters so took a detour out to the island Dønna so we could view the Sisters front on. This added two more ferries but the drive was excellent.
We spent the night at the Scandic Hotel. It was a little overpriced but was the only real option in town. It had paid parking with a parking lot behind the hotel.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 4: Sandnessjøen to Furøy
Drive time: 4 hours 31 minutes
Length: 181km (112 miles)
Ferries: 3
Today we got unlucky – somewhat. The ferry to Nesna was closed as they were rebuilding the ferry terminal, so we had to take a lengthy detour via Mo i Rana. The scenery was beautiful, but it ate up a huge chunk of our day. Because of that we couldn’t stop at Grønsvik Coastal Fort for long, which had been one of my must-dos when planning this drive.
On one of the ferries you cross the Arctic Circle, and there is a physical marker indicating where it is.
We ended up at Furøy Camping. This one was chosen simply because it was halfway between Sandnessjøen and Bodø. I had wanted to stay at Ørnes but it would’ve made for too much driving.
The camping was lovely! The cabins were cosy and had everything we needed, and there are some great hiking trails nearby.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 5: Furøy to Bodø
Drive time: 2 hours 33 minutes
Length: 171km (106 miles)
This is definitely the most beautiful of the drives. As soon as we left Furøy we got an excellent view out to Svartisen Glacier, and then we took a detour to the historic Gildeskål site. We stopped briefly at Saltstraumen for photos but didn’t bother to visit the museum.
We arrived into Bodø in the mid-afternoon and checked into the Clarion Hotel, which. had on-street parking right outside for a small fee. We spent the afternoon wandering around Bodø taking photos of all the street art.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 6: Bodø to Å to Svolvær
Drive time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Length: 129km (80 miles)
Ferries: 1
Today we left Bodø crazy early on the Moskenes Ferry. The ferry took a few hours and we got into Lofoten mid-morning. If I was to redo the drive, I’d spend the night somewhere near Moskenes so I can have a full day exploring the bottom half of the Lofoten Islands. I didn’t realise how long all these detours would take! There was so much to see. We had to cut out Henningsvaer and Kabelvåg at the end because it had been so much driving.
The drive is famous for a reason. It’s incredible.
We got to Svolvær in the evening and spent the night at Svinøya Rorbuer. This was our splurge accommodation as it is one of the only places in Lofoten with authentic historic rorbuer to stay in. I loved ours so much. It had a heritage plaque outside it, and it wobbled on its stilts.
Points of Interest
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For this day there are so many. I mean, this is the Lofoten Islands after all.
Locations Visited
Day 6: Svolvær to Harstad
Drive time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Length: 170km (107 miles)
This half of the Lofoten Islands isn’t as scenic as the previous day, so you definitely want to focus your attention on the lower part of the islands. However, it was still a beautiful drive with a couple points of interest to stop at. Closer to Harstad, we passed some reindeer and tried to get photos with them.
Before checking in, we drove out to Trondenes to visit the church and walk around the historic trail.
We got to Harstad in the early afternoon and spent the night at the Scandic Hotel, which had a parking garage. We had dinner at a steakhouse which was fine.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 6: Harstad to Andenes
Drive time: 3 hours 27 minutes
Length: 170km (107 miles)
There is a slightly quicker way to get to Andenes, but it involves a ferry and by this point we were trying to avoid ferries by any means possible. We stopped at the shopping mall in Sortland because Andenes is much smaller and doesn’t have as many options. We also stopped at Risøyhamn because of my interest in Hurtigruten ports.
After leaving Risøyhamn, the scenery is incredible. Andøya is one of Norway’s best-kept secrets and I would’ve loved more time there to go hiking.
There was another reason we were avoiding ferries – we had a puffin safari booked and didn’t want to be late! We got to Bleik and boarded our boat out to see the puffins, and we must’ve seen hundreds of them. We got to Andenes in the afternoon, tried and failed to book a whale safari, and stayed in a HUGE apartment building across the street from the lighthouse.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 7: Andenes to Senja to Finnsnes
We left Andenes crazy early in the morning to take the ferry across the island to Senja. Senja is called ‘Norway in miniature’ for a reason – it was such a diverse island. The highlight was definitely Husøy – we drove back there under the midnight sun just because we wanted to visit a second time.
We spent the night at Finnsnes Gård in a stunning, modern cabin.
Points of Interest
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Locations Visited
Day 7: Finnsnes to Narvik
Drive time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Length: 142km (88 miles)
Time to head south. Before leaving south, we went to a Sami shop closer to Tromsø. I tried to convince Sean that we should just keep going north, but he reminded me that we have jobs and a home to get back to. Oh well – next time! (see the October 2021 road-trip)
The scenery is incredible on this stretch of the E6, and there are plenty of places to stop to learn about the Battle of Narvik that took place here.
When we arrive into Narvik, we checked into the Scandic (underground parking) and visited the war museum.
Locations Visited
Points of Interest
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Day 8: Narvik to Mo i Rana
Drive time: 6 hours 43 minutes
Length: 419km (260 miles)
This is one of the two big driving days to get back south. For the most part, the drive was nice enough. We take the only ferry on the E6 and finish by driving across the spectacular Saltfjellet National Park. There we stopped at the Arctic Circle Centre, which was unfortunately closed.
We stayed at the Scandic Meyergården and unfortunately had a bad experience there. Mo i Rana was charming.
Locations Visited
Points of Interest
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Day 9: Mo i Rana to Trondheim
Drive time: 6 hours 41 minutes
Length: 474km (294 miles)
Oh, I remember this day. It was so boring. We stopped in Mosjøen in the morning which was the highlight of the day. The drive through Trøndelag county, however, Oof. That said – the drive was necessary to get back to our starting point.
Locations Visited
Points of Interest
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