The Harstad/Narvik airport is a rather large airport that is located somewhere in the middle of both Harstad and Narvik. It’s used for people who want to travel to places like Vesterålen or the Lofoten islands, and serves over 750,000 passengers yearly. Harstad/Narvik Airport is the official name for it, but it’s often referred to as Evenes airport orally.
The problem with Harstad/Narvik airport is that it’s in the middle of nowhere, so you need a plan to get to where you want to go. This article will take a closer look at how to get from Harstad/Narvik airport to the city centers or Harstad and Narvik, as well as the island groups of Lofoten and Vesterålen.
The short answer is to either ride a bus or rent a car to get from the airport to wherever you want to go. There are frequent buses that leaves for both Harstad, Narvik and the Lofoten islands. Expect to pay around 150 NOK to get to Harstad or Narvik, or 400 – 600 NOK to get to Lofoten.
How to ride the bus from Harstad/Narvik airport to Harstad, Narvik and Lofoten
The most used method of getting from Harstad/Narvik airport to where you want to go is by riding a bus. The bus lines are pretty decent, and there are lots of buses going from the airport to both Harstad and Narvik.
There are two bus companies that operates from Harstad/Narvik airport. The first one is called Reis Nordland, and it’s the local bus company founded by the local authorities. The other one is Flybussen (airport express), a privately owned company.
Expect the local buses to depart every few hours for Harstad and Narvik, and only 2 – 3 times a day if you are heading for Lofoten islands. You can check the departures at the bus company Reis Nordland’s website.
Tickets from the airport to either Harstad or Narvik are around 100 – 150 NOK per person, while the tickets going all the way to Lofoten are much higher, with a ballpark figure of around 400 – 600 NOK per person.
When it comes to Flybussen, it leaves for the Lofoten islands 3 times daily, at 10:55, 15:40 and 19:55. The cost is 369 NOK for a single adult, and takes you to lots of different stops on the Lofoten islands. This bus also stops at Harstad, but it does not go to Narvik (which is in the opposite direction).
Book your tickets on Flybussen’s website in advance to get the best price on the tickets.
Total travel time by bus or car from Harstad/Narvik airport to:
- Harstad: 50 minutes.
- Narvik: 75 minutes.
- Sortland (Vesterålen): 2 hours.
- Vestvågøy in Lofoten: 4 hours and 40 minutes.
- Å in Lofoten: 6 hours.
- Bø in Vesterålen: 3 hours
Renting a car at Harstad/Narvik airport
There are a handful of different car rental companies that operates at Harstad/Narvik airport, so you have several different options when looking for a rental car there. I would advise you to book ahead of time if you travel during the busy joint holiday period in the middle of summer, since there are generally more tourists than there are rental cars during this time.
If you travel during the off-season, you can usually find an available rental car after showing up at the Harstad/Narvik airport. There will be rental car salesmen at the airport that can set you up with your car rental.
Riding a taxi from Harstad/Narvik airport to Harstad or Narvik
While there are taxis that could take you from the Harstad/Narvik airport to either Harstad or Narvik, it’s important to know that this will cost you a lot of money. Taxis in Norway are expensive, and even getting to Harstad (the closest city) will cost you 400 – 500 NOK during the day time, and even more at evening or night.
If you are to ride a taxi to Narvik, expect closer to 700 – 800 NOK during the day.
If you for some crazy reason want to drive the 4 – 6 hours drive from Harstad/Narvik airport to the Lofoten islands, expect to pay several thousands NOK. This will probably going to cost you close to 6,000 NOK at day time, and it’s probably a good idea to agree to a set price with the taxi driver before departing.
Taxis tend to wait outside the airport entrance, so just head outside and look for the taxi parking. If there are none there, either call yourself (find the number on the taxi parking spot) or ask someone inside the airport to call one for you.
Get from Harstad/Narvik airport to Vesterålen
Vesterålen is another popular destination, and while it’s not as popular as the Lofoten islands, many tourists are still travelling to this idyllic and beautiful place. To get from the Harstad/Narvik airport to Vesterålen by public transport, take the bus that depart for Sortland, a two hour bus ride. Flybussen is the bus operator that takes you there.
Vesterålen starts at Sortland, and there are plenty of local buses that takes you from Sortland to the different parts of this group of islands.
