Steigen, Norway Is Worth the Detour

When I moved to Bergen from Tromsø two years ago, I promised myself that I would still spend a few weeks up north each winter. I love Northern Norway’s snowy landscapes and aurora filled skies too much to give them up forever!

This year I ended up spending over a month in the north, first driving up to Northern Sweden and Finland before crossing over into Norway. And my friend Lisa flew up to Northern Sweden to join me for a couple of weeks before flying from Bodø home to Bergen.

Lisa is from a beautiful village on Sognefjord, and like most people from the part of Norway south of Northern Norway (they hate being called Southern Norwegians, probably because they know how inferior the south is to the north) she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about visiting the north, especially in winter.

Now you know I love Northern Norway. I lived up there for four years, and when people ask me where to visit in Norway when they’re on a tight schedule, 9 out of 10 times I’ll suggest they skip the south altogether and head straight to Northern Norway. The north really has it all, with far fewer tourist crowds (at least outside of Lofoten and Tromsø).

So I decided to take Lisa to one of the most underrated places in Northern Norway. No, I’m not talking about Helgeland. Well actually, I’m always talking about Helgeland, and of course I did head down to my favorite part of Norway right after dropping Lisa off in Bodø. But first we went to Steigen!

About a three hour drive north from Bodø, Steigen lies directly opposite Lofoten with views out across to Lofoten’s famous mountain peaks. But you don’t need to turn towards Lofoten for incredible mountain views – Steigen has plenty of its own dramatic scenery.

Steigen is so beautiful, and while even during low season it can be difficult to find accommodation in Lofoten, Steigen has the same views yet still remains largely ignored (or unknown) by tourists. Steigen is essentially the Albanian Riviera to Lofoten’s Corfu (if you know, you know).

Lisa and I visited Steigen on our way down from Narvik after crossing over to Norway from Sweden. Steigen is quite a detour off the main highway, but it was the perfect place for us to spend a few days in a cabin. We stayed in one of the Steigen cabins on Engeløya, the largest of Steigen’s islands.

This little cabin on the neighboring island (connected by bridge) of Røssøya also looks like it would be a lovely place to stay.

I would definitely recommend renting a car for your visit to Steigen. If you’d prefer to stick to public transport, I’d recommend visiting the Helgeland islands instead. I told you I’m always talking about Helgeland. You can get an express boat to the Helgeland islands from Bodø, which you can reach by train (or plane) from Oslo.

But if you’ll be driving, then Steigen is a great option!

Alfie ran around to his heart’s content and Lisa and I got lots of work done. It was the perfect little retreat for us.

With its white sand beaches and turquoise water, Steigen is definitely more of a summer destination. But visiting in the winter offered us one view that you can’t see in the summer: the northern lights!

We were lucky to see the northern lights dance above our cabin on our first night in Steigen and wow is that aurora something special.

Steigen is probably unlikely to make it on most people’s Norway itineraries, but if you’re looking for a special Northern Norwegian escape then I really don’t think you could go wrong here. I know I can’t wait to go back.