Lofoten Road Trip: The Ultimate Itinerary with Must-See Stops
Imagine driving along rugged coastlines, past towering mountains and turquoise fjords, with the freedom to stop at hidden beaches or quaint fishing villages whenever you like. That’s what a road trip through Lofoten, Norway, feels like—a journey through some of the most breathtaking scenery on Earth. In this guide, we’ll share the complete Lofoten itinerary, highlighting the best stops, scenic routes, and insider tips to make your adventure unforgettable. Buckle up for an epic drive through one of Norway’s most stunning regions!
Table of Contents
Getting ready
There are places that most of the vanlifers will agree that are dream destinations to visit at least once in a lifetime. One of them is Norway and this year the Campernight team decided to do a road trip to the Lofoten islands. We packed our stuff, flew to Evenes Airport and rented a motorhome. One week ahead of us to explore the Lofoten islands. Follow us on this exciting journey!
Before hitting the road, we got familiar with the local rules of camping. In Norway, there is the so-called “right to roam”, which allows people to freely access uncultivated land for outdoor activities, including free camping, as long as they respect nature and camp at least 150 meters from the nearest house or cabin, staying no longer than two nights in the same spot unless otherwise permitted. On top of this, it's important to always follow the general rules of the vanlife.
Setting the mood
Some of the best things in life are both free and good for you. We learned this word, Friluftsliv, which is the Norwegian term for "enjoying the great outdoors", and it is an integrated part of Norway and Campernight's DNA. Just remember that we are all guardians of this natural treasure. Please don't leave any rubbish behind, and show respect for people, wildlife, and nature.
With that in mind, we started driving the E10 road which is the main road that crosses the islands.
Day 1: Svolvær
First thing you need to do when you start a road trip is buying groceries and filling the fridge. We started the trip driving a couple of hours to Svolvær and bough some food at Rema 1000, a good supermarket with lots of stuff and "okay-ish" prices (remember we are in Norway and everything is quite expensive).
Svolvær is the largest town in the Lofoten islands and a great hub for many activities like hiking to Fløya or taking a ferry to visit Trollfjord.
Then we continued our way to Henningsvær but found a nice little spot before arriving to the town and decided to stop there. We met fellow campers from France and Switzerland and settled down for the night. It turns out we were at the starting point of a nice hike that we discovered thanks to Campernight's integration with Wikiloc.
Norway landscape with a trail
Day 2: Henningsvær
We started the day visiting the most beautiful football field in the world. Well, the field itself is nothing special and half of the year is covered in snow but its surroundings are incredible.
Henningsvær is a beautiful fishing town worth visiting. It has several places where you can park, most of them paid via the app Easy Park.
In the afternoon, we hit the road again towards the beach. Haukland Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Lofoten. Next to it, in Vik Beach, we found a private spot that had a prime location.
Private spots are sometimes very convenient. They bring more security and you can camp without worrying too much, usually in a great location. In this case, there were very few "free" spots along the road to park plus the great location of the spot made it a no brainer to pay for it. On top of that, meeting and talking with locals is always fun.
We enjoyed a walk in the beach with a majestic sunset and a super peaceful night with the background sound of the waves.
Henningsvær football field
Vik Beach private parking
Aereal picture of a beach
Day 3: Reine and Å
By day 3 we were already abducted by the wonders of the Lofoten. We left the beach and kept rolling through the E10 towards Reine. Everything we were seeing was just beautiful and we couldn't help stopping dozens of times along the route to enjoy the scenary.
Reine is a famous typical fishing town. It has a large parking lot for cars and another one dedicated to campers, with services for emptying and filling water as well as a gas station. We visited the town and ate at a local restaurant.
Boats in Å
Reine
In the afternoon we drove to Å, the small town that marks the end of the E10 road. It's just a 15 min drive from Reine and, fun fact, it's the town with the shortest name in the world. It's a super charming town, calm and peaceful. For us, one of the most beautiful locations we saw. A hidden gem.
We walked around breathing the fresh air from this remote location at the end of the Lofoten islands and then we drove back to Reine to spend the night.
Day 4: Reinebringen hike
The next day we woke up early and packed our stuff to do one of the most beautiful hikes in Lofoten. From the parking spot in Reine you can start walking, crossing the town and getting to the trailhead. There, the hike officially starts: 1 km up only with 1978 steps and 448 m elevation gain. It's not very long but the fact that it's big steps all the time makes it tough. But the reward you get once you reach the top is worth the effort: an astonishing view of the fjords, Reine, and the E10 road with its famous bridges that connect all the islands.
After the hike we had lunch, rested a bit and drove to the Lofoten Beach camp, another famous location for campers. It's a great campsite next to the beach with beautiful surroundings and also a great place to surf in Lofoten. We spent the evening and the night there.
Day 5: Lødingen
After yesterday's hike we started our way back through the E10 and after spending the night close to the beach it was time to keep driving. We stopped at Leknes to buy some food and continued our journey. Right after Leknes there is the Lofotr Viking Museum which is worth visiting if you have time.
After all day driving we arrived at a reasonable time to our next stop: Lødingen. There is a really nice campsite (bobilcamp) with all the services. We loved the spot: very calm, with a lighthouse and a beach, perfect to spend some time and even go fishing. We did the laundry and walked around this charming location. There is a very short walk to the lighthouse with great views.
Lødingen campsite
Day 6: Keipen
Our journey was reaching the end but before going home we wanted to explore some of the "not so famous" region. Technically it's no longer Lofoten territory but as you can image everything in Norway is very beautiful.
We started driving north to conquer the Keipen, a mountain we wanted to hike. It was a really nice drive with great views until the parking lot of the trailhead. The hike was pretty easy and the views on top were amazing. This area is quite rural and you can feel the peace that surrounds it.
In the afternoon we continued the same road towards the north to reach the end of the land of a peninsula. We didn't know what we would find there. There was a beach and little more according to Google Maps but once we got there we found yet the best place of our trip.
This super small town is called Elgsnes and it's little more than 5 houses, a farm, a beach and a church. Literally at the end of the road there is a small space for the vehicles to turn around and being mindful of that, there is space for a couple of vehicles to park. Since we were early we were lucky to have a spot and we decided to stay for the night. The rest of the day was enjoying the beach, watching the tractor cultivate the land next to the farm and of course relax and watch the sunset.
Northern Lights
We haven't talked yet about one of the highlights of Norway, specially in the Arctic Circle, which are the Northern Lights. To be able to see them you need basically 3 things: darkness, enough solar activity and a clear sky. We were checking the forecast every day but the solar activity was pretty low all the time. But that night the stars aligned! There was a small window after dinner that was dark enough, with solar activity and no clouds (which would come later). So when it was time, we got out of the motorhome and after getting used to the darkness we saw them for the first time in our lives. It was a magic moment and the perfect ending for our trip in the Lofoten islands.
Day 7: Harstad
After a wonderful night at Elgsnes we started our return trip. It was our last full day with the motorhome since the next day in the morning we had to return it and catch the flight back home. We took the chance to drive slowly enjoying the last moments of the landscape. We stopped at Harstad to visit the town, walk around the harbor and grab some lunch at a local restaurant.
There is a nice parking lot with space for motorhomes. It's paid via EasyPark app and the location is great, close to the city center and next to the sea.
Harstad parking
After Harstad we continued driving south looking for a spot to spend the night close to the airport. We found a big parking space next to a beach in Evenes and decided to park there. A last walk in the nature to enjoy the sunset and some time cleaning the motorhome and packing everything marked the end of our trip in Norway.
But it's not over 'till it's over. The night was keeping a surprise for us. We were able to see another Northern Lights spectacle, much better than the day before. We couldn't be happier to be enjoying this gift again in our last night.
Northern Lights
The End
After a wonderful week in Norway with astonishing landscapes, great hikes with amazing views and a lot of nature and disconnection it was time to return the motorhome and go back home. It was one of the best road trips we've done and we highly recommend it to anyone that loves the vanlife. Norway and the Lofoten islands are the perfect place for an unforgettable road trip.
All the spots we visited and more are now available in the Campernight app for future travelers.
We hope you enjoyed following our trip.
Happy camping! 🚐💚
