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Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles

Price NOK:
16 950,-
Days: 8
7 x accommodation incl. breakfast, self-packed lunch and refill thermos.
3 x 3-course dinner day 3, 6 and 7.
Bicycle ferry Ballstad - Nusfjord day 6.
Tour description.
Digital maps (bikemap.net).
Luggage transfer.
Book trip

Lofoten is Amazing - Midnight sun, beautiful scenery's, picturesque fishing villages, museums and art galleries. A biking holiday in Lofoten is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Around virtually every corner you will find new, indescribably beautiful sceneries. The nature in Lofoten is powerful and impressive, with green mountains and towering peaks rising straight from the sea. Small fjords, marshes, lakes and wooded slopes wedges themselves in between. On the flat plains, at the foot of the mountains, you find farms and small fishing villages.

As you cycle, we encourage you to combine natural and cultural experiences. Great biking combined with visits to galleries, museums, etc. You also visit Nusfjord, which is an old, historical fisherman’s village, listed on the UNESCO’s world heritage list. From early June to mid-July you can experience biking under the midnight sun. Ride all night long with the glow of the sun as your guide. The Northern Lights season starts in September, and may add something special to your Lofoten experience.

This is a self-guided adventure, cycling point to point, with a digital map and guide book. Luggage transfer is included. You will be cycling 20 -50 km each day and need a medium level of fitness for this vacation. Bikes are not included, but we can arrange bike rental for you.

Accommodation in hotels and traditional fisherman's cabins. Even the food is an adventure. We like to call it a culinary journey or a voyage in the Arctic menu. We can guarantee a memorable trip with wonderful experiences.

Part of the tour follows the Norwegian Scenic Route Lofoten.

Lofoten is labelled as a sustainable destination with commitments to a more sustainable development of the environment, their unique culture, the local community, and last but not least - your well-being. 

Ben Leedham did the Lofoten bike tour with his family in August 2022. Check out the video he made!

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Program

  • This is a self-guided tour. This means going on your own and decide your own speed. You can take a break, a shortcut or a detour whenever you want. The tour includes luggage transfer.

    TOUR DATES 2023: Starts every Friday from 2 - 23 June and 28 July to 1 September.

    NUMBER OF DAYS: 8, Friday - Friday

    DISTANCE: 158 km + detours, and daytrips on day 2, 5 and 7.

    LEVEL: Moderate. People who are in generally good condition, and have previous cycling experience.

    In bad weather with rain and/or wind, the trips become more strenuous.
    For safety reasons, we recommend that at least two people ride together.

  • Day 1, Friday: Individual arrival in Svolvær, Lofoten

    How to travel to Svolvær (not included)
    - Flight to Svolvær airport and bus/taxi to Svolvær
    - Flight to Harstad/Narvik airport and bus to Svolvær
    - Flight to Bodø airport and boat from Bodø to Svolvær
    - Hurtigruten / Coastal Steamer from Bodø 15.00, arrive in Svolvær 21.00
    - Express boat from Bodø at 18.00 arrive in Svolvær at 21.25
    NB! The indicated timetables can be changed.

    Accommodation at Thon Hotel Lofoten

  • Day 2, Saturday: Discover the northern part of Lofoten

    Some suggestions:
    - Make a boat trip from Svolvær to see the famous Troll fjord, do some fishing and spot Sea eagles.
    - Visit the fishing village Kabelvåg and the Lofoten Cathedral.
    - Bike trip to the picturesque Fishing Village, Henningsvær (48 km round trip).
    - Visit the museums in Storvågan (not September).
    - Hike one of the peaks close to Svolvær.
    - Bike the northern part of Austvågøy (97 km round trip)
    Accommodation at Thon Hotel Lofoten

  • Day 3, Sunday: Bike Svolvær - Hov / Gimsøya, 40 km

    Easy day trip with some traffic. A tunel just before the exit to Henningsvær.
    Possible detours along the way:
    - Henningsvær (Picturesque Fishing Village) - 18 km
    - Brenna (Bike along the fjord/ocean front) - 23 km

    Accommodation in lodges at Lofoten Links

    This is the only night you stay at the west coast, so you might see the midnight sun. It is a nice midnight sun tour to hike the top of Hoven (362 m), with a wonderful view of the area you have been biking today. From here you can also see the islands of Vesterålen.

  • Day 4, Monday: Bike Hov - Leknes, 53 km

    Longer day trip in relatively flat terrain.
    Possible detours along the way:
    - Stamsund and Steine (Fishing Villages) - 14 km
    - Sennesvika and Ramsvika (Great views) - 12 km

    Accommodation at Scandic Leknes Lofoten

  • Day 5, Tuesday: Discover the central- and seaward side of Lofoten

    Some suggestions:
    - Bike to Uttakleiv the most photographed beach in Lofoten. With the horizon open to the west and north, Uttakleiv is a good location to see the Midnight sun (27 km round trip).
    - Bike to Unstad beach, Lofoten’s most popular surfing destinations (42 km round trip).
    - Visit the Lofoten Viking Museum in Borg featuring a copy of the largest Viking-era house ever found (28 km round trip).
    - Bike to Eggum and visit the rocky coastline past the village (50 km round trip).

    Accommodation at Scandic Leknes Lofoten

  • Day 6, Wednesday: From Leknes to Reine

    Early breakfast to make the Bicycle ferry at 10:00.

    - Bike Leknes - Kremmervika, 12 km / about 1 hour.
    - Bicycle ferry from Kremmervika, departure at 10:00, arriving in Nusfjord approx. 11:00. We recommend spending some time in Nusfjord. This is one of the oldest and best-preserved fishing villages in Lofoten, located in scenic surroundings encircled by steep mountains.
    - Bike Nusfjord - Reine, 41 km. You bike most of the distance on E10, with some traffic. There are a few tunnels, but you can bike on the old road outside the tunnels.

    Accommodation at Reine Rorbuer (Rorbu Cabins, not a private bathroom)

  • Day 7, Thursday: Discover the southern part of Lofoten

    Some suggestions:
    - Make a day trip to the small village of Å, at the end of the road E10 (20 km round trip).
    - Take a fjord cruise in Kjerkfjorden, walking over to the wonderful beach, Bunesstranda. It is also possible to hike the summit of Helvetestinden (the mountain of Hell), (513 m).
    - You can also join adventures like sea rafting, sea fishing or kayak trips in Reine.

    Accommodation at Reine Rorbuer (Rorbu Cabins, not a private bathroom)

  • Day 8, Friday: Breakfast and departure

    How to travel from Reine:
    - Bus from Reine to Moskenes. Ferry from Moskenes to Bodø.
    - Bus to Leknes or Svolvær and flight from Leknes airport or Svolvær airport.

  • Reine - Accommodation in Rorbu Cabins (Fishermen's Cabins)

    In Reine, you stay in a Rorbu Cabins. Please be aware that you most likely have to share the cabin (bathroom, living room etc.) with others, who have booked the same trip with Discover Norway. When you stay overnight in Rorbu Cabins you get your own sleeping room in accordance to your booking (some with bunk beds). Each Rorbu Cabin contains 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living room. Lofoten is a very attractive holiday destination during the summer season, and it is hard to get accommodation. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer one fisherman's cabin for each order, but pleas ask for an offer, and we will investigate the possibilities.

    History
    It all started in the 1100, as King Øystein Magnusson built so-called rorbu cabins and a church for the fishermen of Vågan. This tells us that even a thousand years ago, the Lofoten Fishery was of considerable importance, and that the Rorbu cabins were a well-established form of accommodation. The cabins were very crowded, and often two or three men would sleep head to feet in the same bed. Up until the mid-1850's, candles were the only lighting in use, together with the flames from the open fire.

    The «finer» cabins had a window in the form of a hole in the wall with a skin made from the stomach of a halibut stretched across it. Stoves and glass window panes did not appear until the late 1800's. In 1896, as many as 2671 Rorbu Cabins were registered in Lofoten.
    Now, most of the fishermen stay on board their boats. What were once lodgings for the fishermen during the seasonal cod-rush have now have become overnight accommodations for tourists. In many of the cabins, however, the interior fittings from the turn of the century have still been preserved.

    Standard
    The Rorbu Cabins are an important part of Lofoten's cultural heritage. It has been important to preserve the environments in their original simple style and to have certain guidelines in terms of refurbishment both indoors and outdoors.
    The challenge is to satisfy tourists' increasing demands on standards while maintaining the Rorbu Cabins as they once were.
    The cabins are all different. On your trip in Lofoten, you will experience different standards and very different levels of refurbishment. The cabins now have modern facilities, but the old surfaces are well kept, with holes for tools in the walls, and simple worn floorboards. Where there are two floors, you can expect to find something that looks more like a ladder than a staircase to get upstairs.

Departures and prices

Tour dates 2023: Starts every Friday from 2. to 23. June and 28. July - 1. September
Number of days: 8

Number of participants: 
Minimum 2 people to complete the tour. A maximum of 16 spots on each departure.

Price 2023: 
Per person in double room: NOK 16 950.-

NB! Book early discount before 1 June: NOK 250.- per adult.

Included in package:
7 x accommodation incl. breakfast, self-packed lunch and refill thermos 
3 x 3-course dinner (day 3, 6 and 7)
Bicycle ferry Ballstad - Nusfjord (day 6)
Tour description
Digital maps (bikemap.net)
Luggage transfers

Extra:
Topographic road map. NOK 330.-

Not included:
Travel and cancellation insurance
Alcoholic drinks, soda drinks and snacks
Transport to and from Lofoten

Bike rental 2023:
Touring/trekking bike incl. double pannier, 7 days: NOK 2 690.-  
E-bike incl. double pannier, 7 days: NOK 3 890.-

Included in the bike rental: Helmet, pump, bottle holder, lock, tool kit and an extra inner tube (must be paid for if used.)
The bikes will be delivered to you at your hotel in Svolvær. You return the bikes in Reine.

NB! The deadline for booking this trip is 6 weeks before departure.

You can combine this tour with first cycling the Arctic Coast from Tromsø to Svolvær.

See more self-guided bicycle tours in Norway on www.discover-norway.no/bike

Bike Rentals

Hybrid bike:
White SC Lite FF 20

 

E-bike:
White SC-E Comp FF 20



 

Panniers:

Map

Book your trip

outBoundDestinationSpots leftFrom price
2/6Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 2 - 9 June 2023216 950,-Book
9/6Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 9 - 16 June 2023216 950,-Book
16/6Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 16 - 23 June 2023Full16 950,-Full
23/6Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 23 - 30 June 2023Full16 950,-Full
28/7Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 28 July - 4 August 2023Full16 950,-Full
4/8Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 4 - 11 August 2023416 950,-Book
11/8Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 11 - 18 August 2023Full16 950,-Full
18/8Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 18 - 25 August 2023616 950,-Book
25/8Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 25 August - 1 September 2023816 950,-Book
1/9Bike the Amazing Lofoten Isles 1 - 8 September 2023616 950,-Book