Though usually being missed by vacationers heading to the higher identified Lofoten islands, the huge Vesterålen archipelago is worthy of way more consideration.
Whereas the surroundings is much less dramatic than Lofoten, Vesterålen remains to be a formidable place with coastal views galore but far fewer crowds. The islands additionally present related alternatives for outside actions together with climbing, tenting, biking and whale watching.
Stokmarknes
Near the Fiskebøl-Melbu ferry crossing that hyperlinks Vesterålen with Lofoten, Stokmarknes is the primary cease on many itineraries. Charming purple fisherman’s cottages have been transformed into vacation properties at Stokmarknes Kysthotell, providing the best introduction to coastal tradition.
Pink fishermen’s cabins often known as ‘rorbuer’ line the shoreline in Stokmarknes, Norway.
Stokmarknes is the unique dwelling of Hurtigruten, one in all Norway’s most recognizable icons. The coastal ferry has transported items and other people up and down Norway’s coast for greater than a century. Nowadays the roundtrip is marketed internationally as a coastal voyage cruise.
The Hurtigruten vessel MS Polarlys seen from Sortland Bridge in Northern Norway.
A go to to the unique MS Finnmark on the Hurtigruten museum describes the times when Hurtigruten was the one viable technique of touring between distant coastal communities.
Andøya island
The northernmost Vesterålen island is arguably essentially the most stunning of all of them. Wildlife lovers will probably be of their factor with sea eagles swooping overhead and whales usually noticed out at sea. Be part of a sightseeing boat tour provided by the whale museum to have the perfect likelihood of a whale sighting.
Whale watching is a well-liked exercise within the chilly waters of the coast of the Vesterålen islands.
The whales of Andøya have impressed the putting design of a brand new customer heart designed to create consciousness of the conservation of whales and their setting. Nonetheless just a few years away from building, The Whale has been boosted by current affirmation of presidency assist.
The putting structure of the proposed customer heart ‘The Whale’.
The nationwide scenic path to the west of the island clings to the shoreline, giving guests loads of alternatives to benefit from the ocean views from some purpose-built relaxation stops and spectacular seashores together with the lengthy, white sandy seashore at Bleik.
Bleik has one of many longest seashores in Norway.
Andenes
With a inhabitants of round 2,000, Andenes is a comparatively massive coastal fishing neighborhood for this a part of the world. Pushed by the fishing trade because the Center Ages, the Andenes of right now depends simply as a lot on tourism.
Andenes lighthouse is a landmark of the Vesterålen islands in Northern Norway
In-built 1859, the 131-feet tall purple Andenes lighthouse dominates the port and is a real landmark of the island.
The blue city of Sortland
As with many northern island cities, Sortland is an odd city that gives providers in an space of excellent pure magnificence. Native artist Bjørn Elvenes determined to place the city itself on the map, by proposing the creation of a blue city.
Lots of the buildings within the heart of Sortland are painted blue.
Journalists have been initially skeptical, however native individuals embraced the thought. Sortland formally adopted the blue city venture as a millennium venture, however the artist fell out with city officers about how the venture ought to be applied.
Lots of the buildings, each private and non-private, in downtown Sortland are painted completely different shades of … [+]
The result’s a mishmash of kinds and shades. Whereas not each constructing downtown is blue, there are greater than sufficient for guests to develop into curious.
Nyksund
Many Norwegian fishing villages have been by way of turbulent cycles of exercise, however none extra stark than Nyksund. A as soon as thriving vacation spot that was dwelling to lots of of cod fishermen, Nyksund was deserted within the Seventies attributable to advances in fishing expertise that left the shallow waters and remoted village with no objective.
Nyksund is a tiny coastal fishing village on the northern a part of Langøya island in Norway’s … [+]
After many years of decay, an enterprising German introduced younger Berliners to the village to assist restore the weather-weary buildings, and shortly sufficient the village had life once more, together with hostels, cafés, and galleries.
The fishing village Nyksund is without doubt one of the most remoted spots on the islands.
Queen Sonja paid Nyksund a go to, and lent her title to the climbing path over the mountain to the neighboring village of Stø, a livelier however much less attention-grabbing fishing village.
Bø i Vesterålen
The sparsely-populated municipality on a windswept Arctic island has attracted a few of the nation’s richest residents by slicing its share of Norway’s wealth tax for 2021 and past. The wealth tax reduce has brought on controversy however it’s undoubtedly raised the profile of this distant municipality.
The northern lights can usually be seen above the skies of Bø i Vesterålen in Northern Norway.
As a result of Vesterålen has little gentle air pollution, it’s a perfect location for seeing the northern lights within the darkness of the winter months. Killi Olsen’s sculpture The Man from the Sea in Bø i Vesterålen is a well-liked place to observe nature’s gentle present.