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The “it’s easier than you think” series introduces the Lofoten Islands! Step by step, we take you through exactly what you will need to get from your cozy American town to the beautiful Lofoten Islands in Norway!
Note: If you come from a country outside of the United States and want to visit the Lofoten Islands, some of these tips may or may not apply to you.
1. Make sure you have a passport
2. Vaccinations and health insurance
Thankfully, traveling to Norway doesn’t pose much of a health risk for Americans, but you should always ask your doctor if you are up to date with your normal vaccinations.
3. Check if you need a visa
Americans do not need a visa to enter Norway, however, check that you do not over-extend your stay. General regulations are that you may stay in the Schengen area, of which Norway is a part of, for 90 days before needing to apply for a visa or leave the country.
4. Research flights
If you are flying to the Lofoten Islands, I suggest you look for flights that go from your hometown, to Oslo, with a final destination in Bodø. You may have to book your Oslo to Bodø flights separately from your USA to Oslo flight.
5. Research places to stay
While in the Lofoten Islands, we used AirBnB to book a place to stay for 3 nights, based on the region of the islands we wanted to explore. All of our hosts were great, spoke excellent English, and made our stay very pleasant. By staying in an AirBnB we were also able to do our own cooking, which saved us some money!
6. Budget for your trip
Check out my other posts on traveling on a limited budget or budgeting help for travel planning if you need some ideas.
7. Research things to do and see
My top ideas for things to do and see in the Lofoten Islands are:
- Rent a car so you have the freedom to stop and enjoy the beautiful scenery
- Go hiking!
- Eat seafood
- Hang out in a pub and get to know the locals
- Enjoy the Lofoten sunsets
- Keep a lookout for the northern lights!
8. Research Norwegian food
Norwegian food on a whole is hearty, heavy, and delicious. Check out my blog post on our experience in the Lofoten Islands with Norwegian food and drink here, or click below for food tips when traveling. You shouldn’t have too much to worry about in the Lofoten Islands as Norway has strict food laws and there are always healthy and sanitized options for you to find.
Enjoy your trip to the beautiful Lofoten Islands and comment below if you decide to go!
I love this idea! Great post with good, useful informatIon for Beginner travellers.
Thank you so much! I hope it will encourage someone to travel to the beautiful Lofoten Islands!
The lofoten islands look so beautiful 🙂 thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, I hope it inspires you to visit!
LOVE THIS! I have always wanted to travel to Lofoten. Beautiful pictures. Def trying to get there this Christmas. 🙂
Oh I bet Christmas will be a wonderful time to go! I’m not sure if you would be able to get much hiking in but driving around and looking at the beautiful snow and scenery would also be a memorable trip!
Awesome tips! COMPLETELY agree, we just got back from NARVIK and LOFOTEN Island area….so beautiful!!!
Thank you! It is really one of the most beautiful, wild, and raw areas.
Thanks to these photos I really want to visit one day!
That is amazing, Michelle! I hope this post will be helpful to you in your future visit to the Lofoten Islands!
Looks beautiful! Almost like Michigan where I’m from 🙂
And we both know how beautiful Michigan is, too! 😉
Love this post about the Lofoton islands, always wanted to go. Sure would like a checklist of what I have to do to get out of my armchair and into the plane! And maybe a map of where all this is?? Thanks Karis…
A checklist and maps are a GREAT idea! I will have to start working on that!
A checklist and a map are great ideas! I will have to work on that. Thank you for the suggestion!!!