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Trip Report: Lofoten Islands Sept 2026

Posted by (Portland OR) on

Bergen to Leknes Norway, Lofoten Islands: Tues Sept 15th.

Checked out of my hotel and it was raining lightly as I walked 4-5 blocks to board the tram to the airport which only cost $3 for seniors.

My flight to Leknes stopped in Trondheim, then on to Bodo to change planes. 1 hour each for the first two legs. The final flight would be only 25 min. The 1 hour 20 min layover in Bodo doubled so instead of arriving at 6:10pm, arrival was at 7:40pm. Exited the plane and quickly walked into the tiny teminal to the Sixt car rental desk. A nice young lady at Sixt, quickly walked me through the paperwork but asked if I was going to V*##?? I didn't hear her well but said I don't know where that is, I am driving down to Sakrisoy/Reine area.

Tunnel Madness:
Oh, yes, she said, there is tunnel construction at the beginning of that route and the tunnel is only open for a short period each hour. (Note: It is now 7:50pm) She said the tunnel is opening in 5 minutes and you have to get there by 8pm, +/- 5 minutes otherwise you have to wait another hour. #@%&*$. I started laughing and said that seems impossible because I haven't even picked up my checked bag. She said I think you can make it.

With the car description (White BYD Electric) and keys in hand, I turned around to see my bag 10 feet from me on a conveyor belt. Grabbed the bag and quickly walked outside to the tiny parking lot with less than 15 cars. Pushed the unlock button to find my car and tossed in the bags and found the Start/Stop button. Left the airport and turned right onto E10 road which I recognized as the correct route. Driving through several roundabouts and making a hard right turn to stay on E10, I accelerated as the sky grew dark.

Up ahead my heart sank as I saw a truck with flashing yellow lights blocking my lane but wait, a women in a yellow vest steps out and waves me thru on the left side. Did I make it in time? I checked the time, 8:04 pm. Caught up to a line of cars and we slowly made our way thru the tunnel. Leaving the tunnel I relaxed but noticed it was hard to see because in my haste, I failed to turn on the car headlights thinking they were on automatic.

With the headlights on it was now easier to see but the fun wasn’t over, as I still had 45 min of driving in the rain on this narrow twisty road with blind curves and terrifying moments when semi-trucks drove by in the opposing lane.

Finally made it to Sakrisoy island at 9:15pm where my cozy Rorbuer cabin on the water awaited me. Dropped my bags and walked a short distance to the Underhuset restaurant for a expensive tray of tacos and beer(s). My server Thomas may have saved my life! I called Sixt rental car at the Leknes airport and thanked my guardian angel for getting me thru the tunnel in time. What a day! A journey I won't soon forget. Cheers

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Sakrisoy island, Lofoten part 2: Wed. Sept 16:

Wandered outside around my cabin then drove down to the small town of Reine. Found a place for breakfast and to top up the charge on my BYD SEAL U electric car.

After a nice breakfast continued down to the end of the road where the Village of "A" is located. Walked around for awhile then headed back past Sakrisoy to visit some beaches in the area. The weather was overcast with high clouds in the morning but the rain started to increase in the early afternoon so I drove back to my cabin for a siesta and and to start a fire in the wood stove.

Later I walked across the street to Anita's Seafood Cafe for a tasty bowl of creamy fish soup. On display in the restaurant were dried cod skeletons and some Monk fish heads. The fish is dried outside on the many wood racks you see everywhere near the water. Back to the cabin for a quiet evening.

Ballstad Norway Thursday Sept 17, Friday 18th:

Checked out of my Sakrisoy Rorbuer cabin and drove towards Leknes but this time getting through the Nappstraumtunelen under construction was easy peasy by arriving just before the 11:30 opening time. Overcast skies but the sun began making special appearances which was encouraging.

Stopped in Leknes for some groceries and ran into an impromptu Norwegian band playing outside which sounded pretty good. Found a grocery store that also had a public Electric Vehicle (EV) charger for my rental. Came out of the store and found a couple from France who were struggling with getting their rental car connected to the charger. A young Norwegian who was charging his Tesla nearby spoke English and a little French to help with the translation. I showed them the phone app needed and how to enter your credit card and vehicle info. After 10 min we got their car charging about the same time my car was finished. Many thanks were exchanged

Arrived in Ballstad a short time later to find the amazing accommodation I booked called Solsiden Brygge (Sunnyside piers). I don't remember how or why I chose this place but what a great place to stay for 3 nights. If I had to do this trip over again, I would spend all 5 nights here. My modern apartment is huge with separate bedroom, living room, kitchen and large bathroom with heated floors. Large refrigerator also has a separate freezer section. Cold beer will no longer be a problem. Best refrigerator I have ever had while traveling in Europe and the nicest accommodations so far on this trip.

Great views of the harbor, nice breakfast, sauna and 4 EV chargers in the nearby parking lot. Cooked a frozen pizza in my oven and settled in for a relaxing evening with my cold beer.

Friday morning looked promising as the sun was now shining everywhere so I mapped out a route to visit the small village of Henningsvaer, the town of Svolver, and 3 remote beaches Hauklandstrand, Uttakliev and Vik strand.

Left at 9:30 am and was treated to sunshine enhanced incredible views along the coastal route to Henningsvaer and after stopping in Svolver, enjoyed the narrow twisty roads leading to the 3 remote beaches. I took so many photos along the way that I had to resist the urge to stop every time another beautiful scene came into view.

Got back to my apartment around 3:30 and found it sunny and downright warm outside. A quiet evening with soup and beer finished the day. Tomorrow may be cloudy again but plan to take it easy and only do some local exploring. Cheers

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Ballstad Lofoten Islands Norway: Part 3:
Sat Sept 19, Sun. 20th:

The weather returned to overcast skies with a few sun breaks along with a little rain, so I decided to rest a bit and take a vacation from my vacation and stay close to my hotel. Later I explored the tiny town of Ballstad and stopped at the only mini grocery store for my dinner, desert and a beer of course. Found some spicy Thai chicken soup, a croissant and a Berliner donut. The TV in my room had a really good selection of old movies in English and some sports including 2 Tennis channels so I chilled out for the afternoon before making dinner.

Later in the evening I tried out the sauna and met a younger couple from Finland on holiday. They drove their own car and rode the ferry from Bodo to Leknes. They couldn't book a return ferry ride on Sunday so they were doing the 8+ hour drive up north and then down south.

Sunday after a nice breakfast, I checked out of my apartment and did a short hike. Then to kill some time, I drove to Mortsund to see a little more coastline. Finally headed to the Leknes Airport to return my rental car and check in for my 3pm return flight to Bergen where I will spend 1 night. On Monday I will take the overnight cruise ship to Hirtshals Denmark.

Posted by
6541 posts

Except for driving in the rain or the dark, this sounds amazing. I really want to spend some time in the Lofoten Islands.

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