Driving through the Lofoten in Winter

It is not often that I have a driving road-trip with friends, and it was by a stroke of luck that I had managed to get two friends to join me on a short part of my Norway trip - the Lofoten islands.

The Lofoten is an archipelago well beyond north of the Arctic Circle, and is famed for its natural beauty of mountains, seas, bays and islets. In summer, it is popular for hiking as well as boat trips and water-based activities. In winter, things die down quite a bit though, with alot of tourist facilities closing or operating at very limited hours. However, it is a wonderful location for Aurora hunting. In addition, the winter scenery is just phenomenally spectacular. and so appreciating it on your own terms in your own transport is probably the best bet.

The easiest and fastest way to the Lofoten is flying into Svolvaer, the administrative centre for most of the Lofoten. My friends flew in (from Oslo) and by their accounts, the flight in was absolutely beautiful. I flew from Oslo to Narvik (on mainland Norway) instead, on Norwegian, a low-cost airline, and then took a bus in. The bus journey to Svolvaer to meet my friends had me glued to the window already. For those who prefer to do overland travel from Oslo, you can take the train from Oslo to Bodo, and then take a ferry. Finally, if you find yourself in Kiruna Sweden, getting to Lofoten is also easy. Get onto the Arctic Circle Train, and then bus in. You'll be spell-bound on all segments of your journey!

Bussing in the Lofoten in winter

We rented a car in Svolvaer, and then drove around the islands. It was arguably one of the most beautiful drive trips I had. If you ever have the opportunity, and love winterscapes, do check it out. In the meantime, enjoy a timelapse snippet of our drive through Lofoten in winter! (Remember to maximise the youtube screen :) )

Bergen, Norway

Bergen - Gateway to the Norwegian Fjords. Norway's second largest city, it is well marketed indeed and why not? Situated on the western coast of Norway, and easily reached from Oslo, it is the launchpad for many cruise ships to the fjords of Norway.

The journey between Oslo and Bergen itself is already a famous and well marketed tourist route. Known as Norway in a Nutshell®, it is a scenic rail cum cruise itinerary that can be flexibly customised. It can be done even in a day, but really, you would want to spend more time on the route. Similarly for Bergen, it is well worth some days to explore.

Bergen's city centre contains many old timber buildings and houses, some which are converted to shops and/or guesthouses. And of course, the highlight is the old wharf, Bryggen, a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. A delightful place with many artisanal shops and cafes, it is a wonderful way to spend a relaxing day browsing and having a cuppa by the water.

Nice timber houses in the city

Beautiful day by the wharf

For me though, the highlight is Mt Fløyen, one of the "seven mountains" that surround the city. Easily accessible via a Fløibanen funicular, the summit provides a spectacular view of the city and the port. Even better, there is a trail going up which seems popular with the locals for their exercises. My recommendation is to walk the trail up in the late afternoon, and when you reach the summit, wait for sunset. After sunset, the magic hour and the night lights over the city is one of the prettiest I've seen! Then take the funicular down, where the station is just beside the viewpoint.

A wonderful way to conclude the day! Check it out if you can!

Sights along the trail up

Sunset views

City and its mountain

Nightscene of Bergen atop Mt Floyen (you can click to see it bigger)

Svalbard

Svalbard was one of those places where once I found out where it was, I had thought how cool was it to visit, but in all likelihood, I would not. At that time, I had thought the only way to visit was via expensive cruise ships or be in some scientific expeditions.

But during my research for my Northern Lights trip to Norway, I realized that there are commercial flights from Tromso (one of the cities I'm visiting) to Longyearbyen, the capital city in Svalbard, and that they're reasonably priced (like us$180 for a return tix). And so I found myself in Svalbard!

Svalbard is an archipelago or group of islands situated north of Norway. In fact, it is about halfway between Norway and the North Pole! Spitsbergen is the largest of the islands, and that's where Longyearbyen is. Situated at 78°45'N, it is the northernmost town/city in the world (though there are smaller villages and settlements even further north!). As such, one would be visiting many "northernmost" things in the trip!

Being so far north also means that Longyearbyen experiences polar nights, and for 4+ months, the place is plunged into darkness. On March 8, the sun finally peeks over the horizon, and so a Sun festival is held to celebrate its arrival. I visited in late March, so I missed the festival, but during that time, the sun is always low in the sky and so the lighting is phenomenal for photography! The town itself has a "wild wild west" feel, except that its the wild wild north! :)

But one of the best experience in Svalbard is a trip into the Arctic wilderness. There are no roads in Spitsbergen, and so if one is to get to another settlement by land, the mode of transport is typically snowmobile. Thus, the most common things to do in Longyearbyen for tourists are dog-sledding or snowmobile trips out of the town. I went on a snowmobile expedition to the eastern coast of the island, and the experience was crazy. It was an adventure!

We were given a 15-minute crash course on operating the snowmobile. After which, it was "on-the-job training" which we had plenty of. The whole expedition was almost 10-hours, with most of it on the snowmobile. But the sights were simply amazing, and it was truly a wilderness out there. We were a little too early in the season, else we might be able to catch a glimpse of polar bears too! It was a very tiring trip, but certainly one of my top memorable travel experiences! 

As mentioned earlier, there are cruise ships that sail to Svalbard but the most common way to get to Svalbard is by flying. Svalbard is governed by the Svalbard Treaty, which separates it from normal Norway government, although it is under Norwegian sovereignty. So while Norway is in Schengen, Svalbard is not. Currently, all flights go through Norway, so check your entry requirements to Norway.

So for those in search of adventure in off-the-beaten-path places, Svalbard should be in your bucket lists!

Journey through the Lofoten

The Lofoten Islands is a group of islands in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. I made a trip there in Mar, and had a really enjoyable time. Check out my journey in my travelogue article!

Journey through the Lofoten

Narvik to Abisko - along the Arctic Circle Train

The Arctic Circle Train, serving between Kiruna (Sweden) and Narvik (Norway), is one of the world's northernmost train routes. Running along the 68th parallel north, the train journey takes approximately 3 hours.

Along the way, there are a few notable stops - Abisko National Park, Björkliden ski resort and hiking in the Riksgränsen mountain ranges. In winter, the ski resort is very popular, as is Abisko, where many tourists flock here for the Northern Lights. In summer, trekking and hiking is the favourite activity. I took the train from Narvik to Abisko, stopping at Abikso Turiststation within the National Park. And along the route, I was glued to the train window!

The winter scenery is truly spectacular, and I would imagine the summer equivalent to be no less wonderful.  The border crossing between Norway and Sweden were but a mere announcement, and the train and seats are really comfortable. Tickets can be bought online directly at Swedish rail SJ's website (http://www.sj.se/start/startpage/index.form?l=en) and if booked early enough, it can be as low as US$9! There are also rail passes available. So next time if you have the opportunity, check out this train journey!

Here's sharing a few photos along the way! (Showing why I was glued to the window)