The 7 Best Lofoten Islands Beaches
Set in the north of Norway, beyond the Arctic Circle are the Lofoten Islands, a land of other-worldly beauty. A virtual wilderness, this is a place where mountains rise out of the sea forming deep fjords and scenery of staggering proportions.
Nestled between some of these majestic peaks, and backed by lush green valleys are some of the most beautiful beaches you will find anywhere on earth. Expanses of white sand meet crystal clear, turquoise waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Whilst definitely not tropical, the sea temperature here is actually a little warmer than you might imagine. This is courtesy of the Gulf Stream and means that you can surf here all year round.
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1. Haukland Beach // Lofoten Islands
Michele Agostini The stunning and dramatic natural scenery of the Lofoten Islands is well known. A landscape of jagged, rocky mountains that drop precipitously into the clear blue waters of the Arctic Sea. And a coastline dotted with white-sand beaches that are amongst the most gorgeous on earth. Amongst such beauty it is impossible to pick a favourite, but Haukland beach comes close.
Haukland has all these attributes and is set in a… read more »
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2. Kvalvika // Lofoten Islands
Markus Trienke Situated in a remote bay on the north-west coast of Moskenesøy, the beach at Kvalvika is possibly the most dramatic in the Lofoten Islands, and that is saying something.
Here the mountains meet the sea, and the goldens sands of the beach are flanked by precipitous, sheer rock faces, the most iconic of which is Ryten. This peak rises 550 metres, almost straight up from the beach and provides the… read more »
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3. Ramberg // Lofoten Islands
© Æøå The description of Ramberg beach on the Lofoten Islands begins like many of the other tropical beaches on the World Beach Guide. A crescent of white sands washed by crystal clear turquoise water...
...but hold on a minute. Ramberg is anything but tropical, it is located in the Arctic Circle. In fact you are more likely to be chased polar bear than a shark in these frigid waters. And the… read more »
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4. Uttakleiv Beach // Lofoten Islands
Eivind Barstad Waaler Uttakleiv Beach is probably the most visited and photographed in all the Lofoten Islands. I suspect this is more to do with its location than it being any more stunning and beautiful than Lofoten's other amazing beaches. That is not to say Uttakleiv doesn't have the same near-white sands, turquoise sea and dramatic mountain backdrop.
As a beach, Uttakleiv is one of the best in Lofoten. It is wider and more… read more »
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5. Unstad // Lofoten Islands
Olivier Bruchez Great for:- Surfing
Although it may sound a little odd, Unstad is in fact the heart of the Norwegian surfing scene. Despite being well within the Arctic Circle this beach attracts surfers from around the world. Admittedly many come out of curiosity, but there can be good waves here and the scenery is absolutely stunning.
It is said surfing at Unstad beach dates back to the 1960s when some globe-trotting Norwegians returned from Australia… read more »
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6. Bunes Beach // Lofoten Islands
© Michal Knitl / 123RF From the photographs of Bunes Beach it is hard to imagine the scale of things here. But in reality everything is bigger than you expected; the white sand of the beach stretches further in every direction and the mountains are huge.
The beach sits in a wide, glacier-carved valley with Storskiva to one side and the looming Helvetestind to the other, rising 600 metres straight up from the beach. This… read more »
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7. Rørvik // Lofoten Islands
© Foap - VisitNorway.com Tucked away on the southern coast of the Lofoten Islands, not far from the main E10 road is Rorvik beach. Despite being so close to the road this little beach is often overlooked as it isn't one of the better known Lofoten beaches.
Whilst the surrounding scenery isn't quite as immediate as the towering mountains on some of the archipelago's other beaches it is still beautiful. The backdrop is tree covered… read more »
