"Svolvær" Svolvær by deptlads

Svolvær is one of the main towns in Lofoten, and the administrative centre for the Vågan municipality on the island of Austvågøy - the easternmost of the Lofoten chain. Like most of the settlements in Lofoten, Svolvær is on the "inside" coast - ie facing the Vestfjord, which separates Lofoten from the Norwegian mainland.

Hurtigrute ferry "Vesterålen" at Svolvær harbour

Svolvær is the main gateway to Lofoten. The Hurtigrute calls here, and there are car and fast ferry connections to the mainland. There is also one of the islands' two main airports, and there are several largeish hotels and some good restaurants. However - as most of the guide books will tell you - attractive as Svolvær is, the rest of Lofoten is much better, so we wouldn't recommend spending too much of your time here. Do what we did and spend the night here, then head off to the rest of the islands. The bus services seemed pretty good, although we actually hired a car for a couple of days.

• Pros:Good transport connections, hotels and amenities
• Cons:Other towns on Lofoten are even better than this.
• In a nutshell:A good refuelling stop on your way to exploring the Lofoten islands