"Lofoten - Storybook Scenery" Lofoten by Lauki

Lofoten blew us away from the 1st. The moment you start descending into that wonderful landscape, you realize this is not your typical trip. We probably took twenty pictures just during the drive to our hotel.
The islands are remote, quaint and awe-inspiring all at once. There's also a tremendous diversity of scenery across the island chain. For that reason we highly recommend renting a car but obviously that's not for everyone. Either way, you can't go wrong here. The quiet villages are the best. Incredibly vivid colors from the buildings play against the water, all in front of a backdrop of saw tooth mountains jutting straight out of the ocean. Just beautiful.

The ice bar. It's one cool place (pun intended)

First off, do not stay on Svolvaer, the main island. It just can't compete with the other islands for beauty and character. It is, however, the best place for shopping and dinning so it's definitley the place to stock up on gifts and supplies.
After that the islands range in size and personality. You really can't go wrong, just read about them and pick the one that sounds best to you. We loved ours (see my Henningsvaer page).
One more note about Svolvaer: This is where the only discernable night life exists. By far the don't miss part of that is Magic Ice, the world's only (at press time) permanent ice exhibit. Everything from the bar to the glasses is made of ice. Definitely not the kind of thing you get to do everyday.

Worth the slippery climb

Wherever you are in Lofoten, just turn your head to see magnificent scenery. We stayed in Henningsvaer and spent forever just walking around and taking pictures on a sunny day. You can see why painters have been drawn to these islands for so long. An hour spent on the islands just sitting on a dock or rocky coast looking out over the water is one very well spent indeed. We went during the offseason and the quiet was paradise. If you live in a big city, you get a month's worth of relaxation in a day here. There's a definite timelessness to the place. It's like the world has stopped spinning and will resume the day you step off.
One more thing. Lofoten is a surprising mix of elegant and rustic. If you've got deep pockets there are plenty of opportunities to spend. You can buy art or at night go to restaurants in Svolvaer that are as refined as you like (and as expensive as your wallet can handle). We went to one for our 5th anniversary and loved it but no more than we did shopping at the local market and cooking up a breakfast in our tiny robur.
Lofoten is our single favorite vacation spot thus far in our travels. We may not have seen as much of the world as others, but enough to know this place is very special.

• Pros:Dramatic scenery, beautifully quaint villages, wonderful remoteness
• Cons:Expensive to get to in an already expensive country
• In a nutshell:Stunning and Serene