Lofoten is one of the most beautiful regions in Norway and offers, with mountains, fjords and breathtaking coastal regions, wonderful opportunities for wild camping with a campervan or motorhome in the middle of nature. Wild Camping is allowed according to the right to roam and there are many beautiful sites surrounded by beautiful scenery.
But does the right to roam also apply to motorhomes and is there really enough space for everyone? We tell you what you need to consider when camping with a campervan, where you can find the most beautiful sites in Lofoten and what camping tips we have brought back from our Lofoten road trip.
Wild Camping at Lofoten Islands Norway
When we planned our trip to the Lofoten Islands it was clear to us that we wanted to camp free in nature with our campervan Bruno as much as possible. We knew that there are beautifully situated campsites in Lofoten, but the feeling of spending the night completely alone in fantastic surroundings with a view of the sea and the high mountains just seemed too tempting.
On the Lofoten Islands are a lot of beautiful beaches, great mountain landscapes and the island chain offers you a natural panorama that is unparalleled in the world. Therefore, there is nothing more beautiful for us than to be one with nature and to spend the night where it is most beautiful… in the nature.
On the Lofoten Islands it is very easy to camp with your camper, campervan or even tent in the middle of nature. Camping has a long tradition and even despite the tourism boom that has been going on for years, the mood here is still positive.
There is no general camping ban outside campsites as there is, for example, in Iceland. This is due, among other things, to the mentality of the Norwegians and the right to roam that prevails in Scandinavia. But what does that mean?
The Right to Roam in Norway
The right to roam (allemannsretten) is a common law in the Scandinavian countries that gives all people certain rights to spend the night in public areas and partly also on private land. You can spend the night almost anywhere in the wilderness, in the forest, on the beach or on the road for free.
So you don’t necessarily have to go to a campsite in Lofoten, but you can choose a wonderfully secluded spot on a fjord or directly on the coast. You only need to follow a few rules, such as:
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- do not camp on private property
- keep 150 meters distance from residential houses
- do not stay longer than 2 nights at a time (otherwise ask the owner)
- do not leave garbage
Does the the Right to Roam also apply to Motorhomes & Campervans?
In general, wild camping in Norway is seen quite casually, although strictly speaking the right to roam does not apply to motorhomes and campervans. Most campers, however, thankfully abide by the above rules and so the locals also accept the annually increasing number of campers.
During our Lofoten trip we never had negative encounters with locals or the police. But of course we always followed the rules and in case of doubt we preferred to drive on.
Where to Wild Camp on the Lofoten Islands?
On the Lofoten Islands there are wonderful possibilities to spend the night in the middle of nature and to enjoy the unique landscape in the far north of Norway without having to go to a campsite. You don’t have to look far on your Lofoten road trip, because often the most beautiful campsites are right next to or a bit off the road.
The best way to find a nice camping spot is to take a side road and try your luck. There are not many roads in Lofoten and not many opportunities to get to lonely or remote areas. The Lofoten islands are just too small for that, in terms of area, Lofoten is only slightly larger than Berlin, for example.
But it’s not bad at all that you won’t find any lonely campsites miles away from civilization here, like probably in the rest of Norway. The many side roads are often seldom traveled and lead you through such beautiful areas that it is not at all bad to stand here directly on the road.
Where exactly you can find such beautiful places we will tell you in a moment.
Camping Prohibitions in Lofoten
But there is one disadvantage of the camping boom in Lofoten. Many parking lots or gravel sites, which used to be used as unofficial campgrounds by many campers, are marked with “No Camping” signs and are therefore not allowed for wild camping.
Official parking lots or rest areas also often have these signs prohibiting you from spending the night in your camper or RV. You should keep to this in the name of all other campers. There are currently still plenty of opportunities to switch to permitted sites.
The Best App for Wild Camping
But how do you find the most beautiful pitches in the middle of nature in Lofoten? One app that helped us a lot in our search for a great spot for wild camping was Park4Night. Here are many accommodation options of pitches listed directly by the sea, in the middle of the forest or even directly on the road. Together with photos and meaningful ratings.
For us, this was very helpful in the evening searching for a suitable pitch. Especially the timeliness of the data makes this app so valuable, because a site may have been allowed last year, but this year may already have been provided with a “No Camping” sign. Therefore, you should always check the app for the latest comments.
Our Tips for Wild Camping in Lofoten
Look for a camping site early enough
Especially because the Lofoten Islands are not so big and especially in the high season many tourists are on the road with motorhomes, it can quickly become crowded on the campsites in nature. Especially in the southern Lofoten there are much fewer roads than in the north and so the pitches are also rather rare.
There are on the main route through the Lofoten, the E10, many park bays or official parking lots. But since here is also quite a lot of traffic, we would not recommend to stay here. Much better are the parking lots on the side roads. But especially in the southern Lofoten, the numerous parking bays on smaller roads are quickly occupied.
It happened to us several times that after a long hike in the late afternoon, we drove off pitch after pitch and simply did not find a free space. Everywhere were already other campers. Therefore our recommendation is:
Look for a nice place in the main season at the latest at 5-6 pm already, otherwise it’s possible that you must look for a very long time or must stay overnight directly on main street.
Use Public Waste Disposal Stations
One of the reasons why we have driven to campsites are of course the showers and the possibility of supply and disposal. Every few days you just have to dispose of your gray and black water and of course fill up with new drinking water. All this is possible on every campsite. But there are also numerous free supply and disposal stations on Lofoten away from campsites.
Often you will find them at gas stations and sometimes at parking lots or rest areas. Just use the app Park4Night described above to find them.
But you should also pay attention to where you are not allowed to dispose of your gray water and your camping toilet. Because many of the toilets on parking lots are pure dry toilets and therefore not connected to the sewerage system.
It is therefore forbidden to dispose of your black or gray water in such toilets. However, this is always announced by appropriate signs.
Campsites in Lofoten
If you need a hot shower or just want to be among people, there are of course a lot of official and beautiful campsites in Lofoten. You can find them on Google Maps or – who would have thought it – in the very good app Park4Night. The campsites are often located on beautiful beaches or directly on the fjord and vary greatly in terms of sanitary facilities and other services.
However, the beautiful location usually excuses for somewhat outdated toilets and showers. For us, the most beautiful campsite in Lofoten can be found in the next section.
The Most Beautiful Wild Camping Sites in Lofoten
On our trip through the Lofoten we stayed overnight at many campsites. Not all of them were nice and occasionally we would have preferred to continue our journey at night. But some of them fascinated us so much that we don’t want to withhold them from you:
The Most Beautiful Campsite on the Lofoten Islands
Our favorite campsite on the Lofoten Islands is located directly near the museum town of Nusfjord. Lofoten Beach Camp is located directly on the beautiful Skagsanden beach and has an incomparable atmosphere. In front of you a big sandy beach and behind you an impressive mountain scenery. It is also incomparably relaxed and you hardly notice that it is an official campsite.
In a few seconds you are on the beach and can swim, walk and enjoy the beautiful sunsets in the evening. Simply beautiful here.
Location: Google Maps
Myrland Beach
This site is located directly on the road, but there is hardly any traffic. In the background you have an impressive mountain panorama. You walk in a few seconds to the beautiful Myrland beach and are at the turquoise sea.
The view is also fantastic! What more could you want?
Location: Google Maps
Stor Hestvika
The Stor Hestvika beach is actually not on the Lofoten Islands, but exactly on the other side of the sea near the ferry port Bognes, from which you can get to the ferry port of Lodingen on the Lofoten Islands. So you can watch the big ferries from the beach as they sail across to Lofoten.
We were each before the departure to the Lofoten and on the return to mainland Norway with our campervan Bruno here and have spent the night here by the sea.
The site on the secluded beach was by far the coolest place to stay on the Lofoten or all of Norway.
We were here all alone and could enjoy the beach to the fullest. The sand here is also super fine and the water extremely clear. You can walk along for miles and sometimes you don’t walk on sand, but on bare rocks. All this makes this beach here so special.
Location: Google Maps
Eggum
Eggum is an extremely small village a bit off the E10 scenic route. To get to the beach with its parking lot, you have to drive over a private road and drop 40 NOK in a mailbox. There is no possibility to pay with credit card here.
After a few kilometers you will come to a parking lot from where you can reach the beach in a few meters. The beach does not consist of powdered sugar sand as usual from the Lofoten, but of thousands of extremely large and round washed boulders.
The parking spaces at the not so large parking lot you may also use for overnight stays and have a wonderful view of the sea from there.
Location: Google Maps