I am a fan of traveling to the Norwegian Arctic. A couple years ago, I planned to meet a group in Svolvær, located in the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Our travel leveraged the outstanding train systems to take us from Stockholm to Oslo during the day, and a sleeper car from Oslo to Trondheim. We didn;t sleep much as we watched the country side in the near midnight sun in July. After a day visit there to the Nidaros Cathedral, the old town, the Kings summer house and the fish market for dinner, we took a train the next day to Bodø. That scenic ride along the mountains and northern fjords took us across the arctic circle. Our stop at Bodø was to sleep as we chose to bus and ferry to our Lofoten destination through wonderful country scenery, and island mountains in the sea. The Svolvær base at the Rica hotel on the harbor; literally on the harbor. As we opened our balcony door, it overlooked the waterway to the sea with the Hurtigruten docking across. We charted boats for sea fishing and touring, including an island stop at nearby Skrova for an exotic meal of salmon, and whale steaks at Fotobrygga. Whale is legally harvested for local consumption as is reindeer and, of course, fish. During our cruise around the islands, I caught a medium sized cod, and many others caught Pollack, which were taken to our hotel and prepared for outstanding appetizers that night. We cruised to the magnificent Trollfjord as well. Travel up the chains of islands by road to the photogenic towns of Hennindsvær and to the western end of the road in the northern Atlantic Ocean called just Å. Lots of bakeries and luncheon shops, blacksmiths, and a must see in Lofoten, the Lofotr Viking Museum, Prestegårdsveien, Bøstad, Norway. Here lies a Viking hall created on ancient sites, samples of Viking life and play, animals, and recreated Viking ships in the nearby lake.
We took a fast boat back to Bodø for a flight connecting to home; an alternative travel option, but not as scenic.
There is a golf course on the northern side of the island chain for those who want to tee off at midnight. There are local services catering to kayaking, climbing, biking and many sports. Weather was typically pleasant in the 60s and 70s during the week, with sunny skies, however one must prepare for rain and cooler weather as well. The ocean cruise is comfortable with a light jacket during the summer.
We traveled to Tromsø in 2007 and nearby islands in previous years with similar pleasant weather and experiences.