When I was researching the Lofoten Islands for our winter trip, I came across a lot of resources that said A) don’t hire a car unless you have winter driving experience and B) Svolvær is not a charming enough town to stay in. Because I am Australian and have no serious winter driving experience, we opted to stay in Svolvær. Let me tell you: the internet is wrong! The town has so much charm and is such a convenient base if you are visiting in winter. Let’s dive into everything I learnt while staying in Svolvær, Norway.
Is Svolvær the most aesthetically stunning town in Lofoten? No. But it is still absolutely beautiful and has the most amenities out of nearly anywhere in the island. It probably helped that the town was blanketed in snow when we visited, but I thought it was absolutely jaw dropping.
If I was visiting in summer and had a hire car, I might have stayed somewhere a bit further south on the Lofoten island chain. With that said, it does depend on what sort of tourist you are and what you are interested in.
An argument for staying in Svolvær in winter
My Mum and I spent 4 days in Svolvær and used it as a base for touring the islands. We did a group tour of the villages, the Sea Eagle rib boat tour and hiked Tjeldbergtind trail. We also explored the town on foot (ending with a boozy dinner at Børsen Spiseri) and took a bus to Henningsvaer for the day.
All of our activities started in Svolvær and we started early most days. It can take hours to drive from Å to Svolvær and the snow comes out of nowhere. The locals say that overconfident drivers run into issues (aka ditches) every day. Our guide told us that there are slippery patches on stretches of road that the locals are just more aware of. Staying in Svolvær eliminates the risk.
In winter, a lot of the hikes are too dangerous or closed. We’re not expert hikers but we did do the Tjeldbergtind trail which is safe in winter and absolutely stunning (photo below). We walked from our hotel to the trail head and back. Staying in Svolvær allowed us to do a beginner friendly and stunning hike in winter.
Something else I had read about Lofoten was that the public transport network was not to be relied on. Although we only used it to travel to Henningsvær, we found that route to be very reliable. Caveat: the villages are 20-30 minutes away from each other so not a long journey. Have a read of this website to scare you straight before deciding to rely completely on public transport. Most routes feature or start from Svolvær, giving you more options.
Things to do in Svolvær in winter
- Sea Eagle rib boat safari. Cold but fun and incredibly beautiful. We went to Trollfjord and saw the stunning sea eagles. I didn’t actually realise the tour was to see eagles until we arrived – I thought it was just the company name lol. Don’t make the same mistake as me if you don’t like birds!
- A Northern lights tour or a tour of the islands. Most tours start early in Svolvær and pick you up from your hotel.
- Wander the town and explore Svinøya, an island that can easily be reached on foot. Borgen Spiseri restaurant is a delicious and well known spot that also has a cosy little bar.
- The Tjeldbergtind hike was a relatively easy hike that is safe for winter and has amazing payoff (see the photo above). I highly recommend it. You can walk from Svolvær town or catch the bus if it works for your timings.
- Download an Aurora app and keep your evenings free to run around town looking for the lights (if you are lucky). We had such a fun and wholesome night running around with other tourists to see the lights.
- Catch a bus to Henningsvær or Kabelvåg (or both). It is an easy trip from Svolvær and an absolutely stunning town.
Tips for Svolvær in winter
- Book any activities that are important to your early on in your stay. This gives you more chance to successfully reschedule if the weather turns and the activity is cancelled. Our Northern lights tour was cancelled for poor weather and we couldn’t reschedule.
- Keep in mind the short daylight hours in winter when booking. Tours will start early to take advantage of the limited daylight hours.
- Book your sightseeing day tour well in advance, particularly over the Christmas period. We booked one with Lofoten Lights and they cancelled without giving a reason about a month out, so there were limited options left. It was still a good tour, but not the one we hoped to go on.
- If you are arriving at night on the Hurtigruten, I recommend the Thon hotel on Avisgata 1. Confusingly there are two Thon hotels in Svolvær – the Avisgata 1 location is right outside the Hurtigruten terminal which makes it super convenient.
- There were two taxis at the terminal when we arrived but they would have been expensive. If your hotel is out of town I’d recommend asking the hotel how best to deal with arriving late at night. Wheeling a suitcase in the snow is harder than you think, even in good weather.
- Buy spikes! It is slippery and spikes give you peace of mind.
Lofoten Islands at Christmas
I wasn’t sure what to expect in Norway over the Christmas period. I reasoned that it would likely be a high tourist season and thus everything (or most things) would be open. Wrong!
Between around the 22nd of December to maybe the 6th of January (Norway wide, not just Svolvær), so many things were closed. This was particularly apparent in the smaller towns of Lofoten, where maybe 1-2 things were open. Absolutely fair because everyone deserves some time off, but just something to keep in mind. It took me by surprise I have to say (particularly in Oslo just before Christmas).
Svolvær had the most places open out the towns we visited – most restaurants were open, some cafes and some shops. We had enough options to eat at a different restaurant every night and breakfast was included in the cost of the hotel.
When we visited Henningsvær, the options were much more limited. Maybe 2-3 places were open and all the shops were closed.
In most places we visited Norway wide, tourist activities were still very much running. It was more the restaurants and shops that were shut. Keep this in mind if you have a cafe or shop you are excited to try.
Where to eat and drink in Svolvær
We didn’t necessarily have a lifechanging meal in Svolvær. However, it is important to remember you are on a remote island chain in the Arctic lol. That there are different cuisines to choose from is a pretty spectacular feat.
- Børgsen Spiseri. This is a well known Norwegian restaurant over on Svinøya and we had a lovely meal here. It is a bit more expensive so more of a special occasion dinner.
- Restaurant Kjøkkenet is another well rated Norwegian cuisine restaurant. We didn’t go here and I am sad we didn’t because I see brunost panna cotta on the most recent menu!
- We ate at Nihao restaurant, Bacalao and Nordis and they were all fine enough. Nothing to write home about but nice to have a hot meal after a big day in the cold.
- Fellini (pizza and pasta) and Sakura (sushi) seem to come well recommended. Fellini was closed while we were in town and we felt it was a bit cold for sushi, although I am sure the fish would be insanely fresh.
- Brent Cafe is apparently one of the most cups of coffee in Svolvær.
- Laura’s Cafe seems to have become Deja Brew. Laura’s was supposed to be very good (it was closed while we were there) so hopefully Deja Brew is too.
Stay in Svolvær if:
- It is winter and you don’t have a car
- It is Christmas and you do have a car (so many things were closed in smaller towns)
- You are planning a lot of activities that start in Svolvær
- You prefer tours over organising day trips yourself
- You are accustomed to a choice of shops and restaurants
- You want an easy base for a stopover from the Hurtigruten or Havila cruises
- You are planning on using public transport
More resources for Norway
- Tromsø, Norway
- Best coffee in Tromsø, Norway
- Bergen, Norway
- Best coffee in Bergen, Norway
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