Vesterålen
for photographers
Off the beaten track in Arctic Norway
Looking for beautiful coastal Arctic scenery, but without the crowds of people? Vesterålen is the archipelago of islands right above Lofoten, packed with magnificent scenery just off the north-west coast of Arctic Norway. Should you visit? I’ve produced a complete guide for landscape photographers interested in exploring.
I absolutely loved Vesterålen! Like its neighbours Lofoten and Senja, in Vesterålen you can expect dramatic, rocky coastlines, triangular mountain peaks, painted fishing cabins and stunning turquoise seas. But Vesterålen has a distinctly different flavour to rest of Norway’s Arctic coasts. Here you can also expect meadows bursting with summer wildflowers, alongside lush wetlands, lagoons and curious wildlife. A visit to Vesterålen is a wonderful complement to a trip around Norway’s Arctic and can easily be combined with other destinations via ferry.
Is Vesterålen worth visiting? Here’s a guide for visitors interested specifically in landscape photography. I’ll talk about Vesterålen, which is the whole archipelago of islands. And I’ll also talk about the Andøya Scenic Route specifically, one of Vesterålen’s top attractions for landscape lovers. On this page you can jump to:
Should you visit Vesterålen?
I will explain my reasons below, but for now I would say that Vesterålen is absolutely worth visiting…
If you love the idea of Lofoten-esque scenery, but with a bit more of a varied landscape, or
If you’d love to see some wildlife on your Arctic trip (Vesterålen is home to one of the world’s top whale-watching spots, and also home to puffins, sea eagles, moose and more), or
If you enjoy a quiet, relaxed trip and want to take your time exploring somewhere less crowded, or
If you are planning to visit Senja from Vesterålen via the summer-only ferry for a road trip, or
If you love beautiful beaches
Vesterålen doesn’t (yet) have viewpoints that have become Insta-famous, so if you are keen to visit the well-known viewpoints you’ve seen on Instagram, then Vesterålen might not be your first port of call (Lofoten may suit you better). On the other hand, if any of the above list sounds like you, read on for more!
Andøya’s National Tourist Scenic Route can deliver on varied scenery
About Vesterålen
Vesterålen covers a fairly large area, spanning numerous islands with convoluted shapes.
The best-known island within Vesterålen is probably the most northerly one - the long, thin island of Andøya. At the northern tip of Andøya is a breezy whalewatching centre called Andenes, facing north towards Svalbard. Andenes is connected via a summer-only ferry to Senja, another of Norway’s stunning Arctic islands, and it’s possible to manufacture a wonderful multi-island roadtrip via ferry (be aware that if you want to do this, you will need to plan ahead carefully). Andenes is also one of the endpoints of one of Norway’s 18 National Tourist Scenic Routes, which runs along the western shore of Andøya island - see below for more about this.
South of Andøya is the much larger island of Langøya. Langøya has a very sensible, crescent-shaped eastern shore, while its western face is an wriggly squiggle of fjords, dotted with quiet hamlets, red cabins and tiny rowboats. At the northern end of Langøya are several, quite different, isolated fishing villages and some smashing scenic drives that most people have never heard of. My photographer’s introductory guide to Langøya is here.
At the southern end of Vesterålen is the oval-shaped Hadseløya island, home to one of larger towns (Stokmarknes) and connected via a short ferry ride to Lofoten. Andøya, Langøya and Hadseløya are all connected via bridges and readily driveable. If you are in the mood for a roadtrip that combines 3 of Norway’s National Tourist Scenic Drives, see my suggested itinerary here.
How does Scenic Route Andøya compare to Scenic Route Lofoten ?
The National Tourist Scenic Routes are 18 driving routes considered some of the best in the country. One of the top attractions in Vesterålen is the National Scenic Route on Andøya island, which should be high on your list if you are interested in photographing Vesterålen’s landscapes.
It’s natural to wonder how the Andøya Scenic Route compares to to Lofoten - Lofoten is one of the most-Instagramm’d locations in Europe and it’s right next door! What does the Andøya Route offer in comparison?
Both of the Lofoten and Andøya Scenic Routes offer jagged, often pyramidal mountains, with waterfront cabins and white sand beaches with turquoise water. However, there are also some differences. Having visited Lofoten a few times before I visited Andøya, here are the things about Andøya that I noticed.
Lofoten has so many famous scenes, that visiting can sometimes feel like ticking off a list rather than discovering things yourself. In contrast, Vesterålen in general is not as famous for photographers. Although the scenery is lovely, there is not a “wish list” of famous Instagram locations. I like this - it gives you a feeling of exploring somewhere new.
Andøya’s Scenic Route (58 km) is far shorter than Lofoten’s (230km) – and as a result, there are fewer viewpoints in general (although also it takes much less time to drive, of course).
Lofoten is famous for views of red rorbuer cabins teetering on the edge of wave-fringed rocks; and steep fjord-ish coastline. Andøya has fewer of both of these. There are few cabins in craggy locations. And although it does have some craggy coastline, Andøya is not as unrelentingly steep as Lofoten, and does not have many fjords (there are fjords elsewhere in Vesterålen, though). If you do want classic fjord scenery, Senja is a very good bet.
Andøya is well-endowed with many fabulous beaches of soft white sand, great for families and for camping. And (rather unlike Lofoten) it has areas of flat meadows and wildflowers in between the peaks, along with coastal lagoons, marshlands and bogs.
Andøya (and Vesterålen as a whole) is great for Arctic wildlife spotting. Lofoten of course does has great wildlife – I’ve seen sea eagles and Arctic hares in Lofoten, and one time I even saw a weasel at Hamnøy! However, Vesterålen’s more varied environment creates a wider range of habitats, and deep water just offshore attracts fish, whales and seabirds in large numbers. You can find eagle, gannet and puffin safaris, whalewatching trips, and moose safaris here.
Finally – a big point – Vesterålen is far, far less visited than Lofoten. Andøya is probably the most-visited area of Vesterålen, and is certainly not deserted - it’s popular with campers and Norwegian families – but it’s fair to say that there also aren’t the same crowds that you see in Lofoten. As a result, the whole experience of visiting Andøya is a little more calm and peaceful.
Useful links and sources of information
Here are links that may be helpful:
Tourist information at Visit Vesteralen and at the Northern Norway Tourist Board
Searchable ferry timetables are here and bus time tables for Vesterålen
Heart My Backpack and Life In Norway are both wonderful blogs, packed with heaps of useful information if you are planning a trip to Norway
If you want to explore Norway’s National Tourist Scenic Routes (Nasjonale Touristveger) you can read about all 18 routes here
Many tourist-oriented businesses here are very seasonal, and may shut down completely for winter (where “winter” can be very long) In my experience, tools like Google Maps can easily get confused by seasonal variations and can display incorrect opening hours. Check opening hours and operating dates carefully with the business’s own website/Facebook page/Instagram, and be prepared for impromptu closures on quiet days.