The road network on the west side of Andøya received Norwegian Scenic Route status on 30th June 2012. It stretches from the crossroads at Åknes to the quayside and ferry docking point at Andenes and is 51km long. The Andøya - Senja ferry connection is an alternative to the E6 trunk road and the Coastal Express (Hurtigruten) when travelling to and from the north.

The Norwegian Scenic Route Andøya runs between the open, bare outer coastline, the grass covered, pointed mountain peaks and the flat cloudberry marshes further south. Only Bleik Island’s nearly perfect cone-like form breaks the endless horizon which stretches all the way to Greenland. The beach at Bleik is one of Norway’s longest and fills the shoes with fine, white coral sand whilst ‘Bukkekirka’ creates a group of sculptured rocks. The houses in the fishing village of Bleik (many of them old nordland houses) are built close together while further south they are built in a line looking out on to the beach.

Kleivodden rest stop is located just north of Bleik. It is a very popular viewpoint and rest area for both tourists and locals. The ocean, the midnight sun, the northern lights and the surrounding landscape make up a beautiful sight! The rest stop offers parking. Sculptural granite stones have been sanded down and reflect both light and the sky, and can be used as seating while enjoying the view. Landskapsfabrikken AS wo Landskapsarkitekturprisen 2017 (Landscape Architectural award) for their work on Kleivodden.

A whale safari out to the sperm whales in Bleik’s deep waters, a bird safari to the sea gannets, sea horses and the 80,000 puffins at Bleik, kayaking, a walk around the colourful small town of Andenes, a visit to the space center at Oksebåsen and rambling along the coastal pathways up to Måtinden make the route even more memorable. Andøya Rural Borough, together with the Norwegian Scenic Route, have provided a stopover area with a panoramic view at Kleivodden. Bukkekjerka has a Sami culture monument and the area is rich in local history.

Yes, we still have roads today that are not just designed to get you from A to B in the quickest possible time. Norwegian Scenic Routes provide for an enjoyable drive through beautiful surroundings. Each of the 18 routes in Norway have their own distinctive features, character and stories to tell. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration have responsibility for the upkeep of the road network for you the traveller. They provide spectacular viewing points of fantastic scenery, roadside services, parking areas, places to sit and relax, pathways and art displays. Daring and innovative architecture in magnificent natural surroundings is NTR’s trademark. Tourist Route investment is a long term commitment.

We encourage you to use the established parking spaces in our region, especially when you visit Nyksund village/hiking Queen's Route, or driving the Norwegian Scenic Route on Andøya.

If you are driving to Vesterålen you can either follow the E10 main road or the E45 through Sweden to Kiruna and then cross over the border where the E10 continues out towards the Norwegian coast. Follow the E10 to Lødingen and then take the road to Sortland.

The other alternative is to follow the E6 in Norway. Driving north one comes to the ferry crossing at Bognes which goes over to Lødingen. It is also possible to follow the E6 until it meets the E10 and then take the road to Sortland at Lødingen.

Travelling from the north, an alternative can be the ferry from Gryllefjord in Senja (only in the summer) over to Andenes. It is also possible to drive to Harstad and take the ferry from Refsnes to Flesnes.

Rent a Car

There are several alternatives available for hiring a vehicle in Vesterålen and its surrounding areas. A number of car hire companies have a counter at Harstad/Narvik Evenes Airport in addition to their collect and pick-up service.

Hiring a car from both Stokmarknes Skagen and Andenes airports is also possible provided you booking in advance. These same companies operate car hire throughout Vesterålen.

Avis Sortland

Website: www.avis.no

Telephone: +47 761 13 710

E-mail: sortland@avis.no

Hertz Bilutleie (Vesterålen Bil AS)

Website: www.vesteralen-bil.no / www.hertz.no

Telephone: +47 76 11 07 17

E-mail: hertz.sortland@hertz.no

Sortland Bruktbilutleie AS

Website: www.bilutleie.as

Telephone: +47 411 03 711

E-mail: johnny.jakobsen@vkbb.no

Bilutleie Nor AS

Web: bilutleienor.no

Telefon: +47 948 29 448

E-post: post@bilutleienor.no 

Remember that during the summer in the peak season, it is highly recommended to order your hire car well in advance.

Our staff have good knowledge of the region and can help with most questions and queries. Visit our office and pick up a comprehensive guide of Vesterålen, together with information and literature from our associate members covering accommodation, service, activities and sightseeing in the area. We also have various souvenirs on sale and brochures from the neighbouring regions. Opening hours vary according to season.

Regional tourist office Sortland:

Visit: Rådhusgata 11, Sortland Address: Postboks 243, 8401 Sortland
Tel: +47 76 11 14 80 
E-mail: turistinfo@visitvesteralen.no
Website:visitvesteralen.com

Andøy Tourist information

Visit: Richard Withs gate 9, 8480 Andenes
Tel: (+47) 76 15 40 00

The Queen’s Route overview

• 12-15 km, 5-8 hours.
• Varied landscape with mountains, shoreline, marshland , white sand beach and stone.
• Highest point of the hike: Finngamheia 448 masl.
• Steep incline in some places, but clear path the whole route.
• Accommodation possible in both Nyksund and Stø

"Dronningruta" is a round trip of about 15 km which takes between 5-8 hours from start to finish. It was named after Her Majesty Queen Sonja who first did the hike in 1994. There are many points of interest along the way, with beautiful views, the white sand beach Skipssanden, the view down to the fisherman’s villages and varied paths. You can choose to start in either Nyksund or Stø, but we recommend that you always walk the mountain path towards Stø, and along the shoreline towards Nyksund due to some steep areas. The highest point on the hike is Finngamheia 448 masl. The hike is signposted with starting points and marked with the National Trekking Associations red T’s along the way.

How to get to Nyksund or Stø

You can get to Nyksund or Stø by local bus from Sortland, or by private car. By car, you need to take RV 820 from Sortland in the direction of Myre. At Frøskeland, you turn right onto RV 821. When you reach the centre of Myre, you turn onto FV 935 in the direction of Stø/Nyksund. It takes a little over an hour to drive to Stø or to Nyksund.

Recommended hiking gear

Normal hiking gear, such as good walking shoes, is recommended due to the varied terrain. Windproof clothes are also recommended. There is no access to water on the trail, so bring plenty of water and food for the trip. You can get maps for the trail in the regional tourist information in Sortland, or get to know the route by having a look at the info boards in Stø and Nyksund.

Nyksund

Nyksund is a traditional fisherman’s village which slowly fell into disuse, but is now an active and creative place with artists and tourism businesses. With its colorful wharf and creative atmosphere Nyksund is a great stop on your hiking tour, or Vesterålen adventure. 

Parking facilities

It is possible to park at Nyksund Motorhome Camp, which is located at the beginning of Dronnignruta. For cars kr. 75 per day, motorhomes and cars with caravan kr. 125 per day.

A car park has been established at the entrance to Nyksund village, it is also accessible to hikers on Dronningruta (see photo).

Myre

Myre is the modern fishin village and one of the biggest in the world on export of sea food. In downtown Myre you`ll find a nice base for trips, experiences and exciting excursions. 

Stø

Stø is a small, charming and active fisherman’s village on the northernmost point of Langøya. Only a few minutes’ walk away you will find the beautiful white sand beach Skipssanden, and 15 minutes away by car is Myre harbor, the most prolific fishing harbor in Norway.

Overnight accommodation

There are rooms/rorbu cabins/flats for hire in both Nyksund and Stø. There are also places for tenting or having a caravan at the local campsite.

Accommodation options: Holmvik Brygge, Holmvik Sjøhus, Huset på Skåltofta, Utsiktsleilighet i Nyksund Havn, Nyksund Motorhome Camp og Bed & Breakfast Nyksund.

Hikers Paradise

Vesterålen has more than 200 marked hiking routes. The level of difficulty varies with trails suitable for the novice and seasoned walker alike.

Read more of hiking in Vesterålen

You can contact the police office if you need to report theft or vandalism.

Reed here what other things the police can assist with.

You can contact the Police by calling  +47 02800 (emergency numer 112) or e-mail post.nordland@politiet.no

You will find Sortland Police Office in Roald Amundsensgate 10 in Andenes.

This is an public doctor office you can contact if you need to see a doctor.

Opening hours

Monday 08:00 - 15:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 15:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 15:30
Thursday 08:00 - 15:30
Friday 08:00 - 15:30

Contact

Tel. 76 13 85 55

Address: Veaveien 9, 8475 Straumsjøen

E-mail: tan-str@nfk.no

Opening hours

Monday 08:00 - 15:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 15:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 15:30
Thursday 08:00 - 15:30
Friday 08:00 - 15:30

Contact

Tel. +47 75 65 61 50 

Address: Sjøgata 21, 8480 Andenes

E-mail: and-tann@nfk.no 

Opening hours

Monday 08:00 - 15:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 15:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 15:30
Thursday 08:00 - 15:30
Friday 08:00 - 15:30

Contact

Tel. 97 41 68 23

Address: Storgata 50, 8430 Myre

E-mail: myr-tann@nfk.no 

Opening hours

Monday: 0800 - 1800
Tuesday and Wednesday: 0800 - 1500
Thursday: 0800 - 1830
Friday: 0800 - 1400
Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Telephone hour Mon-Tue: 0815 - 1500
Telephone hour Friday: 0815 - 1400

Contact

Tel. +47 76 12 22 35

Address: Kjøpmannsgt. 22, 8400 Sortland

E-mail: post@tannhjelp.no

Opening hours

Monday         08:00 - 15:30
Tuesday        08:00 - 15:30
Wednesday   08:00 - 15:30
Thursday      08:00 - 15:30
Friday          08:00 - 15:30

Nordlandssykehuset Vesterålen is the regional hospital for the five minicipalities in Vesterålen - Andøy, Bø, Hadsel, Sortland and Øksnes. The hospital is new and was opened in 2014.

Contact

Tel. +47 75 42 40 00

Adress: Ivar Bergsmogate 3, 8450 Stokmarknes

You find more information here

Melbu doctor is an public doctor office you can contact if you experience sickness during your stay in Vesterålen. 

Stokmarknes doctor is an public doctor office you can contact if you experience sickness during your stay in Vesterålen.

Andenes doctor is an public doctor office you can contact if you experience sickness during your stay in Vesterålen. 

You can contact the police office if you need to report theft or vandalism.

Reed here what other things the police can assist with.

You can contact the Police by calling  +47 02800 (emergency numer 112) or e-mail post.nordland@politiet.no

You will find Sortland Police Office in Strandgata 37 in Sortland.

In 2002, the project “The Gulf Stream has gone ashore” was expanded. Myre primary school, Husjord School, Romset School and Øksnes Coastal Society created RÆK II with ornament artist Ingrid Larssen as consultant. Artists working on a volunteer basis placed three large wooden beams at Stø. The boulder behind it was given an eye – so that it looks like a whale or wolffish.

Art installation at Hovden in Bø i Vesterålen.  Using nine metre-long beams of driftwood and a two-metre tall basalt column from Iceland, Harald Oredam and his able assistants created the art installation RÆK 3.

On the outer side of Hadseløya, at Taen, a stone spiral has been created, since stones have also drifted with the Gulf Stream. Pupils from Stokmarknes primary school and Hadsel upper secondary created the installation in collaboration with artist Siv Johansen.
A path with a love bench and youthful poetry leads down to RÆK IV.

The museum houses objects that artist Raffael Rheinsberg found at Andøya in August 1992. The objects are displayed in old garage near the Polar Museum at Andenes.

The Island Museum is absolutely not an ordinary museum with precisely documented  historical periods and geographic areas. Instead of scientific criteria, the choice of objects is based on aesthetic principles concerning  their intrinsic beauty and the surprising aspects they evoke. The installation of the objects was treated with the notion of beauty in mind. The Island Museum is a part of the Artscape Nordland project.

Raffael Rheinsberg’s art has been described as “everyday archaeology”. He  shows us the things we use in our work and leisure time and thus holds up a mirror  to the way we live.

Open: For opening hours, see “Artists and galleries in Vesterålen” on the menu line.
The Island Museum is open daily during summer.

Inghild Karlsen’s two-piece sculpture  with its vacillating meanings  can be placed within several   frames of reference. The visual form is taken from everyday life, and is based on the common street lamps  that are used in the area. The borrowed shape from everyday existence is thus translated into the language of stone and sculpture.

The sculpture is a lamp. Light  becomes invisible in the northern summer light and visible as a source of light during the winter when darkness takes over and it is difficult to distinguish between night and day. The lamp’s form is inspired from the face of a woman, from the face of any woman at all.

The sculptures are placed in two different locations – one in the centre of the municipality, in a small park where the street lamp casts its shadow on the surrounding grounds. The other is in an area that is located at the end of the earth, in a fishing village that was depopulated during the 1960s and 70s, and that is practically abandoned now, the victim of the teeth of time. It is almost as if time has reversed in this environment. The sculpture is placed in the harbour basin  among the abandoned buildings with their clear and optimistic, yet faded  colours. Here the sculpture casts its shadow on the surface of the water in the harbour. A link, a connection, a line of contact is created between what once was, what is now, and what will be in the future.

The sculpture Havsøye (Eye on the Sea) consists of two main shapes: A boat and a house. They reflect mankind’s basic needs, and the symbols are universally known throughout the world. The house leans against the  boat, and in the middle of the boat there is a diamond-shaped opening. This window opens onto and frames the beautiful panorama across to the other side of the fjord. The highly polished sides of the stone inside the opening reflect the every-changing interplay between the sea, the sky and the mountains, a constant play of light and movement.

Gudmundsson’s art shows us how very close the poetic lies to everyday objects, what we see, think, and the manner in which we understand it. His visual poetry is not distant from life’s reality, it appeals to us to see things from another perspective.

The sculpture was created by Sigurdur Gudmundsson and is a part of the Artscape Nordland project.

It has been said that myths are the invisible threads that weave society into a whole. At the same time, they are narratives that help us understand the situation in which we live.

Killi Olsen’s sculpture, The Man from the Sea,reflects both definitions of the myth, while at the same time it creates a new myth. We are in the process of spinning a story about a man who has forsaken the sea and now stands on terra firma. In his hand, he holds an obelisk-shaped crystal like an offering – the artist claims – to his earlier abode.

Transformer shed at the car park at Hisnakul, Andenes.

The RÆK projects were realized as a part of the Gulf Stream Cultural Lift, which began at Andenes in 2001. The art school here completed the project together with artists Bent Aune and Ingrid Larssen. Sundry items from the shoreline were affixed to a transformer shed in the harbour area, painted blue and decorated with words and phrases.

The sculpture in Hadsel consists of two houses built of stone and placed on a cement platform on the shoreline. One house is built with Storen granite, so light-greyish that it is practically white; the other of Lødingen granite, which is nearly coal-black. The houses are placed at Børøya, which is located directly across from downtown Stokmarknes. Thus, they are visible from the centre of the town. The houses are minimalist in style, austere and naïvely simple in design. They create a definite contrast to the surroundings, which consist of pebbles on the sands, heather and birch shrubbery.

At high tide, the water rises almost to floor-level around the houses. At low tide, they remain high and dry. I have also seen them once when there was a flash flood – water poured into the houses through the small holes in the walls. I think the idea of these holes was that there would be a kind of flute sound when the wind blew through them, as it often does, but nothing happens. The holes are simply there.