Svolvaer

Svolvaer is the largest town in Lofoten and its transport hub, with an airport, the coastal steamer calling twice daily and the E10 running through. The harbour is busy with fishing boats, sightseeing RIBs heading for the Trollfjord and the sea eagle safaris that operate year-round. Above the town stands Svolvaergeita, the Svolvaer goat, a rock pinnacle with two horn-like tops about one and a half metres apart; climbers reach the summit and traditionally jump from one horn to the other, a leap over a drop of a hundred and fifty metres. The Magic Ice bar occupies a former fish factory, and the Lofoten war memorial museum is in the centre.

History

The town grew up on the old Svolvær farm, recorded in 1567 as "Suoluer", from svalr, "cool", and vær, "fishing village"; nearby lay Vågar, the first town in North Norway, mentioned in Heimskringla. Svolvær gained town status on 1 July 1918 and became its own municipality with 2,429 residents, lost that status in the merger of 1 January 1964, and became a town again after new legislation in 1996 (Wikipedia, Svolvær).

Highlights

• Svolvaergeita - the twin-horned rock pinnacle above the town.
• The working harbour - fishing boats, RIBs and the coastal steamer.
• The Trollfjord boats - departures for the narrow fjord and eagle trips.
• The town centre - shops, restaurants and the main Lofoten services.

When to go

May to September for boats, hikes and the midnight sun; September to March for the northern lights, which are visible from the harbour on clear nights. February to May is the cod season.

Things to know

Svolvaer is a working town rather than a picturesque village, and visitors expecting Reine will find something more ordinary. The goat pinnacle is a technical climb, not a walk, and the jump is genuinely dangerous. Summer crowds and cruise calls fill the harbour.

Nearby

Kabelvaag and Henningsvaer are close; the Trollfjord and Vesteralen lie north.

Key facts