Ørnes

Understand

Nordland occupies the relatively narrow strip of land between the border with Sweden and the Atlantic Ocean, in addition to a myriad of islands. At the most narrow point there is only a few kilometres of Norwegian land from the sea to the border, while the county is 700 km from south to north, like London to Glasgow or Naples to Milan. Nordland mainland has a coastline of about 5,000 km — more than most countries in Europe. If islands are included Nordland has about one third of Norway's coastline, and Nordland's coastline is longer than the coastline of the U.S.A. or China. Nordland has some 18,000 islands and almost 30 per cent of Norway's island area is in Nordland. Norway's mainland is largely protected by a belt of countless islands and skerries. The waters between these are often navigable and create a sheltered sea lane. This belt is particularly wide on the Helgeland coast (southern Nordland) where the belt stretches some 50 km into the ocean. Nordland is characterised by a brim of lowland and islands from where mountains rise steeply. This landscape is typical for Norway and has entered the international geological terminology as the strandflat (literally "beach flats"). Residual mountains surrounded by the strandflat are frequent particularly on Helgeland coast giving the area a distinct character. Mountains mostly rise steeply from the ocean and culminate in alpine summits or wide barren plateaus. The mainland is highly fragmented by many fjords cutting deep into the bedrock. Svartisen is a notable ice cap (or plateau glacier), the second biggest in Norway behind Jostedalsbreen, and there are several smaller glaciers around alpine summits. On the islands and coast of Helgeland there are countless sea birds. The eider is particularly valued for its delicate down and the eiders of Helgeland have been semi-domesticated for centuries. The eiders and their nests are watched by locals and should not be disturbed. On Vega island there is even an eider museum, pr

Getting there

By boat Hurtigruten connects Nordland to Tromsø and Finnmark in the north, and Bergen, Trondheim and Ålesund in the south.

By plane

Bodø Airport (BOO IATA) is Norway's 6th busiest and serves primarily domestic routes from Oslo and Trondheim, as well as the regional airports in towns such as Leknes, Brønnøysund, Svolvær, Mo i Rana and Mosjøen. The central location of the airport makes even a short stopover an opportunity to go sightseeing. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes (EVE IATA) offers several daily direct flights from Oslo by SAS and Norwegian. Except some charter flights there are no international connections (as of 2017). About 45 minutes by car from either town. Because of long distances and fragmented landscape there are numerous smaller airports in Nordland:

Brønnøysund Airport (BNN IATA) is a small airport that takes smaller aircraft. Connections from Oslo, Bodø and Trondheim, flights often include nearby airports too. Røssvoll airport (MQN IATA) in Mo i Rana. In Southern Nordland there are airports in Mosjøen, Mo i Rana and Sandnessjøen, with flights from Trondheim and Bodø. In Northern Nordland there are airports at Leknes, Røst, Stokmarknes (SKN IATA) and Svolvær, with flights from Bodø. All these are operated by Widerøe. Furthermore there is a helicopter from Bodø to Værøy, operated by Lufttransport. Narvik city airport was closed in 2017.

By train The Nordland railway (Nordlandsbanen) of NSB has a connection from Trondheim to Fauske and Bodø. Ofotbanen (Iron Ore Railway) is the railway between Kiruna in Sweden and Narvik, with SJ trains from Stockholm. This rail was built primarily to transport iron ore from the mining towns in Northern Sweden to the port of Narvik.

By bus Express buses, often the cheapest alternative, go further north to Narvik and Lofoten from Fauske and Bodø.

By car The E6 road is the main road, running along the entire county. From Oslo to the southern border of Nordland it is around 800 km (10 hours plus stops), an

Getting around

By train Nordlandsbanen runs between Southern Nordland and Bodø north of Saltfjellet. Diesel powered locomotives. For transfer between train from the south and coach to the north, Fauske is usually the more convenient station. Ofotbanen (Iron Ore Railway) connects Narvik port to the Swedish border in the Narvik mountains. Electric.

By plane Time can be saved by air travel inside Nordland. See the Get in section for more.

By bus or boat The easiest way to get around is by bus or boat if you don't have a car. Search on reisnordland.no.

By car A drive through Nordland from the southern county line to the far end of Lofoten will be more than 1000 km, similar to a drive through the length of Italy's mainland. Traffic is generally light, but landscape is complicated and roads are of varying quality. There are no motorways. The E6 is mostly two-lane undivided. Driving is a fine way to experience Nordland's grand and ever changing landscape. In the north-south direction there are basically only two roads:

The E6 is the backbone road of the county. Distances are long, 650 km including one ferry crossing, between the northern and southern county borders (takes around 10 hours plus stops). North of Bodø the E6 is the only real option on the mainland. The road 17 (Helgeland coast road) is a partly spectacular tourist road, connecting the coastal settlements. The coastal road runs through very fragmented landscape. It is much more time consuming than E6 and has several ferry crossings. Road 17 has been named national tourist route because of its scenery and natural beauty. In the northern part the E10 runs east-west from the border with Sweden to the end of Lofoten. There are an additional 3 main roads east-west crossing the border: E10, 77 and 73.

See

Old fishing cabins in Lofoten. Saltstraumen has the world's strongest maelstrom (tidal whirlpool), near Bodø, with some of the best fishing in the world. International fishing competitions are often held there, and there are possibilities of renting fishing gear or staying at the camping place. A must-see if you are in the region. Torghatten: there is a cave or hole right through Torghatten summit on an island near Brønnøysund, Helgeland coast. The hole was created by waves and ice. Ørnes trading post (in Ørnes, by the docks). A museum about the old trade centre. Svarthamarhola, near Bodø, is the largest natural cave in Scandinavia (30 m from floor to ceiling) and the only cave with a glacier inside. It is a full-day, partly strenuous hike with a guide (whom you must pay).

Do

In Lofoten, and along the entire county, you can go fishing, diving and mountain climbing. A whale (orca) safari with snorkeling is also an option in the Tysfjord area. Whale watching tours to the nearby continental shelf, where sightings of sperm whales are common, are arranged from Andenes and also Nyksund in Vesterålen. Near Halsa south of Bodø you can attend guided glacier climbing and glacier walks. Caves open for guided visits