Wondering which beaches you shouldn’t miss during your stay in Norway’s Lofoten Islands? You’ve come to the right place!
We were pleasantly surprised to discover beautiful white-sand beaches with crystal-clear watersabove the Arctic Circle, something we hadn’t expected at all.
Although these beaches are not ideal for long swims due to the water temperature, which doesn’t exceed 12-13 degrees even in midsummer, they are perfect places for a stroll or a picnic. Below, we present the 3 must-see beaches (in our opinion) on the Lofoten Islands.
Lofoten’s Unmissable Beaches on our map
The beaches listed below are represented by an umbrella on our interactive map. We recommend adding these beaches to your Lofoten Islands itinerary.
As you’ll see during your stay, the coast is dotted with small beaches, so you’re bound to find something to suit you. A little linguistic point as always on our articles, the beaches, in Norwegian beach is said “strand” and the beach “stranda”. Now you know everything!
The island of Senja to the north also abounds in white sandy beaches, and is even nicknamed the Lofoten’s little sister.
Haukland Beach Lofoten
Haukland Beach is our favorite beach on the Lofoten Islands, even nicknamed the pearl of Lofoten. It is located in the south of the archipelago on the island of Flakstad.
This large beach is magnificent, with bright white sand that almost hurts the eyes like Whitehaven Beach in Australia, and turquoise waters. It’s surrounded by mountains, a real postcard landscape.
It’s also the starting point for the hike to the top of Mannen Mountain, offering breathtaking views of the beach and ocean. We weren’t able to make it, as the weather became overcast some time after our arrival. You’ll already have great views if you stay on the heights of the beach.
This beach is close to the Offersoykammen hike, one of the most beautiful of our trip.
If you’re looking for other hiking ideas in Norway, we recommend the Preikestolen near Stavanger or Trolltunga near Bergen.
- Pay parking (car, van and camper), come early as space is limited.
- Start of the hike at the parking lot
- Café with sheltered seating area
- Tents can be pitched for the moment, but there are no prohibition signs yet.
- Spot park4night at 3 km #83305
Kvalvika Beach
Kvalvika beach can only be reached on foot. It’s a secluded beach that deserves to be explored after an hour’s hike through breathtaking mountain scenery.
The path offers panoramic views of the surrounding cliffs and valleys before descending to this hidden beach, encircled by towering mountains. It’s worth noting, however, that the hiking trail is very popular, and the view from the top of Ryten to Kvalvika beach is one of the most beautiful spots in the Norwegian archipelago.
- Topography: 7 km round trip and 600m D+ – about 4 round trips
- Small free parking lot at the start of the hike (we advise you to go very early or very late in summer, as the sun never sets and so it’s daylight all the time).
- Blue food truck By The way Lofoten located on the road before departure offering very good sandwiches at low prices for the area, ideal if you travel on a budget to the Lofoten Islands.
- The village of Reine is just a few kilometers away and is well worth a visit.
Ramberg and Skagsanden beaches
The two beaches are located next to each other and can be reached from the E10, one of Norway’s most scenic roads. We recommend that you park in the parking lot to the south of Ramberg beach and then take a stroll along this sublime beach. The same ingredients are present: the water is crystal-clear and the sand extremely white, almost too white for our retinas.
For Skagsanden beache, a parking lot is also located to the south of the beach, where you can stay at the Lofoten Beach Camp with pitches directly on the beach.
Certainly one of the most beautiful campsites on the archipelago. Our friends Justine and Rénald stopped off here for the night. The advantage of this campsite is its large and beautiful common room, and the disadvantage is the crowd, but with a site like this it’s understandable! Reservations are essential in summer.
We had a lot of fun writing this article and looking back at all our incredible photos. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
See our detailed guide to accommodation in the Lofoten Islands.
Don’t hesitate to leave us a note or 5 stars below, to let us know if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, below we’ll answer you with great pleasure. You can check out our Instagram stories from our Norway trip, to give you a taste of what’s in store!