Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
Arctic Highway
This 2102-sq-km national park is one of mainland Norway's most dramatic landforms. In the west it embraces the rugged peaks of the Svartisen icecap,…
Must-see attractions in Nordland
Vesterålen
Around 1km south of the town entrance along the road to Bleik, this innovative space centre has a widescreen 16-minute movie and other exhibits about the…
Nordland
A dramatic local landmark rears up from Torget island, some 15km south of Brønnøysund. The peak, pierced by a hole 160m long, 35m high and 20m wide, is…
Arctic Highway
A stroll around the Sjøgata area, with over 100 listed buildings, takes you past galleries, coffee shops, restaurants and private homes in attractively…
Lofoten
In 1981 at Borg, in the heart of Vestvågøy, a farmer's plough hit the ruins of the 83m-long dwelling of a powerful Viking chieftain, the largest building…
Arctic Highway
Around halfway between the E6 and the ferry crossing to/from the Lofoten Islands at Skutvik, along the Rv81, the Hamsunsenteret is a must for anyone with…
Lofoten
A 4km side trip signposted from the E10 at Vareid, north of Flakstad, brings you to Vikten and the showpiece gallery of the glass-blowing Tangrand family…
Nordland
Even if you've never heard of the medieval Norwegian poet Petter Dass (1647–1707), don't miss this stunning museum at Alstahaug south of Sandnessjøen…
Svolvær
Stunning photos of the Lofoten Islands in all their brooding glory, most of them for sale, are the work of photographer Anders Finsland. It's worth…
Lofoten
This museum takes in 14 of Å's 19th-century boathouses, storehouses, fishing cottages, farmhouses and commercial buildings. Highlights (pick up a pamphlet…
Svolvær
Housed appropriately in what was once a fish-freezing plant, this is the ultimate place to chill out (perhaps with something to warm the spirit). The 500…
Nordland
In the tiny fishing hamlet of Nes, this delightful, engagingly informative small museum celebrates the eider duck and the way the birds were nurtured as…
Nordland
The Saltstraumen Maelstrom is one of Norway's more unusual natural occurrences, which is guaranteed to occur four times every 24 hours. At the 3km-long,…
Arctic Highway
The small (171-sq-km), scarcely visited Rago National Park is a rugged chunk of forested granite mountain and moorland, riven with deep glacial cracks and…
Vesterålen
The town's landmark red lighthouse, automated for many years, opened in 1859 and still shines on. To climb its 40m and 148 steps, arrange a guided tour…
Bodø
At Kjerringøy, some 40km north of Bodø, the entrepreneurial Zahl family established an important trading station in the 19th century. The trading post…
Austvågøy
Given the view, it's little wonder owner Cathinka Mæhlum was inspired to set up a workshop and gallery beside Kabelvåg's pretty harbour. Drop in to admire…
Austvågøy
Here at 'Englishman's Wharf' is the open studio and gallery of three talented local artists: potter Cecilie Haaland, wildlife photographer and guide John…
Austvågøy
This fabulous art gallery inhabits an arresting, restored 1950s factory with a changing cast of cutting-edge temporary art exhibitions. The design shop at…
Vesterålen
Nyksund's small museum contains a number of local artefacts and before-and-after photos that chart the village's transformation. Then again, the whole…
Bodø
Norway's 10,000-sq-metre aviation museum is huge fun to ramble around if you have a passing interest in flight and aviation history – allow at least half…
Vesterålen
Trondenes Church was built by King Øystein around 1150. For ages it was the northernmost church in Christendom, and still lays claim to being Norway's…
Arctic Highway
The Vefsn Museum is split over two sites. In Sjøgata, the Jakobsensbrygga Warehouse is an excellent small museum that portrays, via some particularly…
Nordland
A long way from anywhere – it's 40km south of Namsskogan, which is, in turn, 125km south of Mosjøen along the Arctic Highway – the Namsskogan Familiepark…
Lofoten
The Lofoten Stockfish Museum is housed in a former fish warehouse. You'll be bowled over by Steinar Larsen, its enthusiastic, polyglot owner, who meets…
Vesterålen
The whale centre provides a perspective for whale-watchers, with displays on whale research, hunting and the life cycle of these gentle giants. Most…
Arctic Highway
The most accessible and most visited of the caves around Mo is 22km north of town. There's electric lighting (it's the only illuminated tourist cave in…
Bodø
Recounting the short history of Bodø, this little gem of a museum has a cheerily entertaining and informative 25-minute film with English subtitles on the…
Austvågøy
If you want to learn all about the deep, cold waters that surround Lofoten, then this aquarium is a good place to start. There are various exhibits…
Arctic Highway
Setergrotta, 21km north of Mo i Rana and signposted off the E6, is altogether less dragooned and considerably more adventurous than nearby Grønligrotta…
Austvågøy
The islands' major folk museum is on the site of what can be considered the first town in the polar region, where traces of the original rorbuer (fisher's…
Nordland
Around 400 types of herb, 100 varieties of rose and 1000 species of cactus flourish at Hilde's Herb Garden, about 6km north of Brønnøysund; the team also…
Lofoten
On the road to Saupstad, this lovely little farm has goats, pigs and chickens that the kids will enjoy. But we like it because it's a working organic farm…
Arctic Highway
In Sjøgata, the Jakobsensbrygga Warehouse is an excellent small museum that portrays, via some particularly evocative photo blow-ups, the history of…
Bodø
The charming little onion-domed stone church, around 3km from downtown, dates from around 1240. The Lutheran Reformation brought about substantial…
Austvågøy
This gallery features the haunting etchings and lithographs of one of Norway's great artists, Kaare Espolin-Johnson (1907–94). Espolin – his work all the…
Svolvær
One of Svolvær's more interesting little private galleries, this place showcases works by local artist Dagfinn Bakke, in which the distinctive light and…
Lofoten
Set back from Flakstad beach and bypassed by the E10, the red onion-domed Flakstad Kirke was built in 1780 but has been extensively restored over the…
Austvågøy
Built in 1898 and Norway's second-largest wooden church, Vågan rises above the E10 just north of Kabelvåg. Built to minister to the influx of seasonal…
Reine
Artworks by renowned Norwegian artist Eva Harr seem perfectly at home in this Reine gallery, within walking distance of some of Norway's most spectacular…
