Svolvær – at the heart of Lofoten
Discover a Fishing Village
Excursion
Price from $128
Difficulty level
Level 2: Moderate - some mobility needed
Booking code
HR-SVJ9F
Duration
1 hour 30 minutes
Notes
Read practical information below
Take a guided walk through the small historic fishing village of Svinøya.
Learn the history of the village and the fishing industry in Lofoten.
Visit an art gallery dedicated to iconic Lofoten painter Gunnar Berg.
Taste locally produced stockfish and perhaps bring some home as a souvenir.
The town of Svolvær has been a thriving fishing community since 1828. On this excursion, you’ll explore the town’s oldest area, on the adjacent island of Svinøya.
As you explore the village, you’ll find evidence of Lofoten’s longstanding heritage of cod fishing. Well-preserved red fishermen’s huts, called rorbuer, line the shore on wooden stilts. Although they’re no longer used by fishermen, the smell of stockfish drying in the open air proves that the fishing industry is still very much alive in Svinøya. Find out how the fishermen lived and sample locally dried and cured stockfish. You can also take some back as a souvenir!
Next, we’ll visit a gallery dedicated to the local 19th-century artist Gunnar Berg, known for his paintings of Lofoten. Then, we’ll pass a fish restaurant and fish processing plant before heading back across the bridge to the Svolvær town center.
Practical information
Disembarking/embarking port: Svolvær
Available: September 1–April 8, except December 23–25 and 31
Meals: A taste of stockfish
Clothes: Hiking shoes, warm and windproof clothing