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Small wooden boat trailing a wake between scattered palm-topped islands ringed by turquoise lagoons receding to the horizon.

Experience · Norway

Islands & Island-Hopping in Norway

Island Norway peaks in the north, where the Lofoten fishing villages of Reine and Henningsvær stand on rock between mountain wall and open sea. Bridges stitch much of it together. Tromsø fills its island of Tromsøya with a whole Arctic city, Sortland lines a strait on Langøya in the Vesterålen, and far south Tønsberg overlooks a gentler shore of sounds and islands on the Oslofjord.

Where to stay →

Best places to stay for islands & island-hopping

Ranked by global recognition — how widely each place is read about across Wikipedia's language editions. Never paid placement, prices, or reviews.

Oslo waterfront with the twin-towered City Hall and Akershus Fortress along the blue Oslofjord

Oslo

Oslo County · NorwayOslo is Norway's capital, set at the head of its fjord in south-eastern Norway, the Østlandet region.Where to stay →Elevated view over Bergen's Vagen harbour and old town ringed by fjords and mountains

Bergen

Vestland · NorwayBergen is Norway's second city, a Hanseatic port set among fjords and mountains in western Vestland.Where to stay →Aerial view of Trondheim, Norway, with the Nidelva river bend curving toward the city and Trondheimsfjord

Trondheim

Trøndelag · NorwayTrondheim is a cathedral city in central Norway, set where the Nidelva bends into the Trondheimsfjord beneath the spires of Nidarosdomen.Where to stay →Aerial view of Stavanger spreading along the fjord amid green islands and blue water under scattered clouds

Stavanger

Rogaland Fylke · NorwayStavanger is an oil-industry and harbour city on the coast of western Norway, the seat of Rogaland and home to a preserved wooden old town.Where to stay →Aerial of Tromso on Tromsoya island with its bridge, airport strip and fjords ringed by snow-capped peaks, Norway.

Tromsø

Troms · NorwayTromsø is an Arctic island city on Tromsøya, in the northern part of Troms, in northern Norway.Where to stay →Aerial view of Kristiansand's city beach with turquoise water, a marina and modern waterfront buildings

Kristiansand

Agder · NorwayKristiansand is the coastal capital of the Sørlandet, a 17th-century grid town in the southern part of Agder, in southern Norway.Where to stay →Bodo marina full of boats with the modern waterfront and distant mountains behind

Bodø

Nordland · NorwayBodø is the seat of Nordland, a coastal city in northern Norway set above the Arctic Circle on the Nord-Norge shore.Where to stay →Colorful waterfront buildings and moored boats at Svolvaer harbour below the Lofoten mountains, Norway

Svolvær

Nordland · NorwaySvolvær is a coastal town in the northern part of Nordland, northern Norway, the seat of Vågan among sea and steep peaks.Where to stay →Aerial view over central Sarpsborg, Norway, with rooftops, a rail yard and rolling green countryside.

Sarpsborg

Østfold fylke · NorwaySarpsborg is a riverside city in Østfold, south-eastern Norway, founded in 1016 and one of the country's oldest towns.Where to stay →Sailboats moored along the Moss canal by a road bridge, with waterfront townhouses under a bright summer sky.

Moss

Østfold fylke · NorwayMoss is a coastal city in Østfold, south-eastern Norway, set across the mainland and the island of Jeløy.Where to stay →View over Tonsberg, Norway, from Slottsfjellet with the tower, harbour and town below

Tønsberg

Vestfold fylke · NorwayTønsberg, the oldest town in Norway, stands above its fjord in eastern Vestfold, south-eastern Norway.Where to stay →Waterfront town of Hammerfest, Norway, below barren mountains with harbour vessels and a radio mast

Hammerfest

Finnmark · NorwayHammerfest is a far-northern coastal town in Finnmark, set on the island of Kvaløya in northern Norway.Where to stay →
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Common questions

Can islands be visited without a private boat?

Almost always. Inhabited islands run scheduled ferries, and archipelago routes often work like bus lines with day tickets. The practical limit is frequency: the fewer the departures, the more the timetable, rather than the island, plans your day.