Best Time to Visit the Lofoten Island

Welcome everybody to today's episode about Lofoten. In this video we will tell you the good and the bad with every month of the year so that you can make an informed decision about when is the best time for you to visit Lofoten. Most people visit Lofoten in the two main seasons. Either in the summer season which lasts from the middle of June to the end of August or in the winter season which lasts from the beginning of February to the end of March. If you want to visit Lofoten outside of these periods then you will have the advantage of often feeling like you have the whole place to yourself. However there will be fewer organized activities, accommodations and restaurants to choose from since many of these are seasonally based. Let's start with October to January. If you travel in this period you will most certainly feel like you have Lofoten to yourself. The autumn colors are gone, temperatures are dropping fast and there are frequent storms. You can expect to see the first snowfall at sea level by the end of October. However the temperatures rarely drop much below freezing meaning the snow will not stay long. The days are getting shorter and by the beginning of December the sun will make its final descent and will not return for a month. It might sound like we want to discourage you from traveling during this period but if you are a photographer the middle to end of October can be full of opportunities. You will get some wild weather shots with a first sprinkle of snow on the misty hillsides. However for most tourists interested in hiking we encourage you to visit during some other time. But isn't it true that you can see the northern lights in this period? Yes you can see the aurora in Lofoten already from the end of August but the frequent stormy weather hammering Lofoten from October to January gives you a smaller chance of seeing the northern lights than during February and March when the weather is more stable. So let's talk about the main winter season in Lofoten which lasts from February to the end of March. In February tourists return to Lofoten mainly to see the aurora and participate in the famous Lofoten fishery which starts in January and lasts until April. Even if you don't participate in the Lofoten fishery you can still see and smell the fish hanging on the drying racks everywhere on islands. Some of the season-based accommodations, restaurants and activities will open again. The days are getting longer and by March they would resemble what most people consider average winter days in terms of daylight hours. The temperatures are lower often below zero and the weather is more stable with a bigger chance of clear skies for northern lights watching. April to May is again the low season. April can be an unstable month when it comes to the weather. One month it might feel like deep winter but in the next you can really feel the warmth of the sun. The mean temperature is about three degrees for April and about eight degrees for May. The snow is still covering the mountains at the beginning of May and it might even be down at sea level. From the 27th of May the sun doesn't set anymore and you get to experience the midnight sun. Some tourists think this is a different sun but sadly I have to inform you it is still the same sun you have been seeing at home. Hiking in May is great but bring solid boots as the ground is often boggy, wet or still covered in snow. We recommend you stay away from the tallest mountains but most summits around 400 to 500 meters will be more or less accessible. Around the middle to the end of May you really feel like spring has arrived with its beautiful flowers popping up everywhere. Seasonal accommodations, restaurants and activities may or may not be open during this period. The fishermen will take down the cod from the drying racks in May but you might still see the fish heads drying outside until June. June to August is the main tourist season in Lofoten. I guess most people are aware that Lofoten can get a bit crowded in the summer and even though you will not have the most popular hikes like Reinebringen or Ryten to yourself in this period, you can still avoid the crowds by choosing the less popular hikes. For those who have bought our map of Lofoten you can go for the hikes marked with one star. These are by no means uninteresting routes but fewer people visit them since they are never part of the top 10 lists in blogs or videos. Another tip is to hike at night. It might sound strange but the sun is up 24 7 so if your schedule allows it do it. It's a special feeling to stand on top of a mountain in Lofoten at midnight in daylight. The temperatures in the summer can vary a lot from around 5 degrees all the way up to 30 on a very hot day so make sure you pack clothes for all kinds of weather. By the end of July the sun dips below the horizon and you can again experience the beautiful sunsets. That's one of the reasons we prefer traveling to Lofoten in August instead of July. However many people want to experience the midnight sun so it's better to go in June or the first half of July if that's you. Accommodations, restaurants and organized activities are open in the summer but now you have to remember to book in advance as they are booked fast. From our experience as hotel managers in Lofoten we usually had a few rooms available every morning but by midday we were fully booked every single day in July and the beginning of August. Some accommodations are fully booked even several weeks ahead. Then we are left with only one month, September. We did this intentionally as this is our favorite month in Lofoten. In most European countries the school year starts at the beginning of September therefore there are significantly fewer tourists already from mid-August. In September you still have lots of light, the temperatures are neither too high nor too low and the prices for accommodations are more attractive since many hotels turn their prices up for June, July and August. In Lofoten the autumn colors show in the last part of August and last for about three weeks. So to sum it up in September you've got autumn colors, beautiful sunsets, fewer people, northern lights and lower prices. That sounds like a pretty good month to me. Some restaurants and activity providers close down at the end of August, however a few companies still organize fishing tours, eagle safaris and other activities further into the autumn. Most accommodations stay open at least until the end of September. We hope this video gave you some new perspectives on when to visit the Lofoten islands and that you will have an unforgettable holiday up here in the north. Until next time, take care!