Road Trip On Norway's Scenic E10 Highway
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| E10 Highway, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir books |
Plan the ultimate Norway road trip for 2024, with an adventure touring the stunning E10 Highway that stretches from Luleå in Sweden to Å on the Lofoten Islands.
Few places in the world are more naturally spectacular and unspoiled than The Lofoten Islands in northeast Norway. Brightly painted wooden fishing villages, dramatic rocky mountain peaks and a strong connection to the ocean, will have you wishing you never had to return to the 9-5.
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| Jagged mountains of Lofoten, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books |
Lofoten's jagged mountains jut out of Norway's Arctic Coast, attracting visitors from all over the world with breathtaking scenery and charming harbor towns. A tradition for a thousand years, cod caught here are dried out on massive racks across the islands, making it a major winter breeding ground for fish. Free road bridges and tunnels connect the islands along the E10 Highway, allowing camper vans, cars and motorcycles easy access. Extreme sports enthusiasts flock here in the summer to climb the mountain peaks and rock faces that rise out of the sea.
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| Cod racks, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books |
For accommodation on the Lofoten islands, you can stay in one of the many fishing communities' converted rorbuer (winter shanties) and sjohus (fisherman's bunkhouses). Many of the towns on the islands also have hostels and campsites, and the option to pitch your tent anywhere (wilderness camping) is popular among the many budget-conscious cyclists and hikers who visit every year.
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| Svolvær harbour, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books |
Svolvær
Svolvær, the capital of the Lofoten islands, is a buzzing little town with a colourful harbor and an excellent mix of old and new. There is a lively atmosphere from the Arctic cruise ships that dock here, and also yachts from all over Scandinavia and Europe. Boat trips and Orca watching tours are available throughout the summer. In this old fishing town, there are some brightly painted wooden buildings offering luxury accommodation. A thriving restaurant and bar scene serves up fresh seafood, and frequently hosts live traditional music. The town itself is a major port for trawlers and whaling ships, and it is a busy industrial fishing port during the winter as cod migrate to warmer waters to spawn, aided by the Gulf Stream. If you're feeling brave, visit the Svolvaer (the Svolvr Goat), a two-pronged peak visible from the harbor where local daredevils jump the 1.5m gap between one horn and the other.
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| Vågan Church in Kabelvåg on the E10 Highway, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books |
Visit the wooden Vågan Church, also known as the Lofoten Cathedral, built in 1898. A lovely place to spot before exploring the nearby quaint little harbour village of Kabelvg, Take a short hike up the Tjeldbergtind, and be rewarded with views of both Svolvær and Kabelvg.
Kabelvg's picturesque town is filled with cafés, restaurants, art and antique shops, separated by a channel of water lined with fishing boats. Kids sell waffles outside of their homes and cafés are humming with day trippers. This quiet backwater has a real holiday vibe. Cod can been seen everywhere drying on racks in the windows of the bright orange, yellow, green and red painted wooden houses. The road leading to Kabelvg is one of the most scenic on the Lofoten islands, winding beneath towering cliff faces. This area has some amazing climbing, and many hikers and cyclists pitch tents at midnight to watch the sky turn purple over the ocean as it reflects off the rocks.
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| Brightly painted wooden fishing villages in Kabelvg. Photo © Samosir Books |
Kabelvg may we'll be one of the most scenic paradise, but the tiny settlement of Reine has more than its fair share of beauty. With it's tiny population but big heart, Reine is a stunning village on the island of Moskenesøya on the Lofoten archipelago. You can rent a boat or a bicycle to explore.
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| Boats in the fishing village of Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books |
At the very end of the E10 Highway, lies a place that truly feels like the end of the world. The charming fishing village of Ã, is connected by a network of footbridges perched on rocks. Seagulls cry overhead and the smell of fish and ocean pervades the air. The area is deserted and eerie in the winter, but in the summer, tourists fill the village with kayaks, and speed boats bring in the catch of the day.
So, for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, rent a car and drive this section of the incredible E10 scenic Highway that crosses this beautiful chain of islands.
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| Halibut, catch of the day in Ã, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Photo © Samosir Books. |
