Hi! I’m looking to visit the Lofoten islands on a solo trip between August 19-25. I’m planning to stay at hostels and I’ve already found a couple of great ones! In terms of activities, I just discovered a multi-day kayaking/trekking tour from [Northern Explorer](https://www.northern-explorer.com/summer/tours/c-lofoten-multiday-tours-and-packages-/10/multi-day-tour-with-kayaking-trekking-and-rappel/), so I’ll hopefully do that during my stay since it’d be fun to meet other travelers and I’ve always wanted to have an overnight hike/camping experience.

So currently, my priority is to finalize flights and reserve a car rental. I have 3 main options:

1. Fly into Harstad-Narvik Airport (EVE) on Aug 19, rent a car from there, explore the islands, then return on Aug 25, drop off the car, and fly out of EVE.
2. Fly into EVE on Aug 19, rent a car there, go south, drop off the car in Moskenes on Aug 25, take a ferry to Bodø, and fly out of there.
3. Fly into Bodø on Aug 19, take a ferry to Moskenes, rent a car in Moskenes, explore the islands, then drop off the car in Moskenes on Aug 25, take a ferry back to Bodø, and fly out of there.

The logistics of car rental are a bit complicated for me because I have had my US license for less than 1 full year, so only very few car rental agencies in Norway will rent out to me – mostly local businesses as opposed to big names like Hertz. It’s a bit of a hassle because of this, but I’ve successfully rented a car in Bergen for 4 days earlier this year and really enjoyed it :). I’m determined to make it work during my trip to Lofoten as well.

Currently, I’m mostly leaning towards option #3 above. However, I was wondering if it’s possible to get from Bodø Airport to the ferry terminal and take a ferry to Moskenes without a car? Is there public transport from the airport to the ferry? The car rental place on the other side in Moskenes is right where the ferry drops us off so I’m not worried about that part.

If anyone has any other suggestions for what I should consider in terms of transportation options, I really appreciate your help! (Other rental car agency recommendations in Bodø, EVE, or Moskenes?) I’m very excited about this trip and can’t wait to finalize the details.

5 comments

  2. I did #3 last year. I believe you can take a bus from the airport near the ferry terminal, like the city center, however I did not do this. We took a taxi due to the timing of our flight and the ferry schedule. But on our way back we walked from the ferry terminal to the airport. Took about 45 minutes to an hour I think. We booked our rental car in Moskenes through “Rent a car Moskenes”.

  3. It is a 1 hour walk. So if you planned on hiking during your stay anyway, then it is well possible

    Public transport would be walking 35 minutes, then 6 minutes by bus and then walk another 12 minutes.

    This is information from the entur app. Perhaps someone local has more detailed information for you

  4. I read a newsarticle a few days ago about the crazy ness in the car rental market in Norway. So you should be sure to book soon! Lofoten has notoriously high prices and lots of tourists who want to book.Saw they only have available cars in Leknes at that time.. But you can prob bus there..

    [Finn link](https://leiebil.finn.no/no/book?age=30&clientID=301413&ct=MP&countryID=NO&curr=NOK&elID=1211656430317507&pickupCountryCode=NO&pickupDateTime=2022-08-19T10%3A00&residenceID=NO&returnCountryCode=NO&returnDateTime=2022-08-25T10%3A00&&pickupLat=68.1938114&pickupLng=13.937151&pickupName=Lofoten%2C%20Norge&returnLat=68.1938114&returnLng=13.937151&returnName=Lofoten%2C%20Norge)

  5. In addition to the car ferry from Bodø to Moskenes, there’s the express passenger boat (Hurtigbåt) from the centre of Bodø to the centre of Svolvær: Nordlandsekspressen, route NEX2: https://www.reisnordland.no/rutetabeller-hurtigbt
    The express boat leaves from Sentrumsterminalen at Sjøgata 3, Bodø, also known as «hurtigbåtkaia».

    The distance from Bodø Airport to Sentrumsterminalen (where the express boat leaves) is 1,4 km, according to Google Maps. Walking should take 18 minutes, again according to Google Maps. The area is rather flat, with sidewalks and pedestrian crossings everywhere, so it’s easy to walk from the airport to the centre of Bodø.

    Next to the express boat terminal in Bodø, there’s this traditional cafe: https://https://www.reisnordland.no/rutetabeller-hurtigbt.no/?lang=en
    The cafe has windows with sea view.

    You might have more options for renting a car in Svolvær compared to Moskenes. Some car rental agencies have several locations in Lofoten, so the one you contacted regarding a car in Moskenes, might be able to provide a car in Svolvær too, as the most popular touristic driving route for rented cars in Lofoten is between Svolvær and Å (Moskenes).

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