Lofoten was a trip I’ve been looking forward to ever since I saw this exact cover picture in a newspaper a few years ago. I remember showing it to Steve and saying “I don’t know where this is, but I want to go there.” I looked it up and found that this area of Norway has been growing immensely in popularity because of that exact reason – people are seeing it on Instagram and they want to visit! Maybe by the end of this post I’ll have convinced you to go too!
From time to time during planning, I thought to myself, do I really want to go to the arctic circle during winter?? But the answer was always yes – primarily because we wanted to see the northern lights (which can’t be seen in the summer because it is light out 24 hours a day), but also because we felt that if you’re going to the arctic circle, you should suck it up and go when it’s actually cold! I’d note that it actually wasn’t THAT cold – the temps were mostly in the 30s, which isn’t so bad!
We stopped over in Oslo for one night before arriving in Lofoten. We just walked around and explored. They have an amazing opera house right on the water, as well as a sculpture park to explore. It isn’t a big tourist city, so there wasn’t a ton to see.
Then it was on to Lofoten! We flew in on a tiny plane, which was a little terrifying. We rented a car upon arrival and drove all around the island! We stayed at 3 different hotels / cabins during our 4 nights so that we could see as much as possible.
It is hard for me to point to a favorite part of the trip because everything was so great. This is one of the most naturally stunning places I’ve been. We went hiking a few times, but found it to be pretty difficult. You really need snow shoes (not just hiking boots) if you are going to climb a snow covered mountain. We would take a step and our legs would go knee deep into the snow, which gets exhausting. So, we would go just high enough to get a good view and then head back. To be honest, some of the best views come straight from the road anyways! I was grateful to be in the passenger seat so I could look around at all of the beautiful landscapes (thanks for driving, Steve!). We made lots of stops along the road to get out and take photos.
We had some amazing weather, too. There were a few snow flurries, but overall an abundance of sunshine which gave us some incredible lighting for pictures!
We also went fishing! The fishing industry in Lofoten is huge, and it was arctic cod season! We caught some massive fish, and the captain sent us home with a few filets to cook up in our cabin. That is about as fresh as it gets! Another plus of the fishing trip: It was the MOST beautiful day. We had clear skies and great views back to Lofoten from the boat.
We were lucky enough to see the northern lights, too! They came out on just one of our four nights and it was pretty incredible. There wasn’t a ton of solar wind activity (or whatever it is that causes the lights), so they only lasted for 20-30 minutes, but we were so grateful to see them!
SO, who is booking their Norway trip right away??
The Great Fekspedition 
The tug is the drug!
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