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When is the best time to visit Lofoten?

Lofoten season by season: midnight sun, northern lights, skrei and weather.

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Short answer

Visit Lofoten between late May and mid-July for the midnight sun, or between September and March for the northern lights. Visit Lofoten gives the midnight sun period as 28 May to 14 July. Winters are mild for the latitude: the 1991–2020 normal at Svolvær Airport is 0.3 °C in January and 13.3 °C in July, the warmest month.

Lofoten: getting there, getting around and where to stay a round calendar wheel with four seasons shown as a snowflake, a leaf, a sun and a raindrop around a small mountain

Why

  1. Visit Norway says the northern lights are visible in Lofoten from September to March, and by 1 April the sky is too bright again.
  2. Skrei, the migrating Atlantic cod, comes to Lofoten to spawn between February and March, according to Visit Norway.
  3. Lofoten's dark period lasts only five to six weeks, from the beginning of December until early January (Visit Norway).

Details

June is the driest month at Skrova Lighthouse near Svolvær, with a 1991–2020 normal of 39 mm, while October and November are the wettest at 95 mm each. In winter the temperature often moves between −5 °C and 3 °C, according to Visit Norway, and Visit Lofoten advises packing for wet weather, wind and ice rather than extreme cold. In February the days get longer, and the ski touring season and the seasonal fishery begin.

Tip

In December and January, plan driving and outdoor activities around the middle of the day, as Visit Lofoten advises, because daylight is short.

What may differ

Midnight sun dates differ slightly between sources and places: Visit Norway gives mid-May to the end of July for Northern Norway as a whole.

Common misconception

Lofoten is extremely cold in winter because it lies north of the Arctic Circle.

What actually happens

Winters are mild for the latitude. Visit Norway says the temperature often moves between −5 °C and 3 °C, and the 1991–2020 January normal at Svolvær Airport is 0.3 °C.

People also ask

  • When should I go to the Lofoten Islands?

Sources

Information checked on 15 October 2026.

Lofoten: getting there, getting around and where to stay
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