Sandi Toksvig talking about her honeymoon and arriving on the Lofoten Islands said "It is as if you are breathing fresh air for the first time..it is so pristine and the sea so clear - I don't think I have ever been so happy".
Milena Grenfell-Baines and I had a similar experience some years ago when Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (who was Artistic Director that year) encouraged us to travel 1,000km north from Oslo into the Arctic Circle and experience the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. We return this summer for our 5th visit to share this magnificent part of the world with you as we enjoy keyboard & chamber music of the highest quality with 17 concerts & recitals over six days (performed in Svolvær, Kabelvåg and at churches across the archipelago).
The complete programme of 17 concerts & recitals is available using the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iqi526m2bw5v4gwh9r4rp/confirmed-Programme-2025-Jan-25.pdf?rlkey=56c4w1fveesaf92jwl5utvgy2&st=42nhhu5h&dl=0
Artists include Dénes Varjon, Marc-André Hamelin, Trio Con Brio Copenhagen, Arvid Engegård & the Engegård Quartet.
We have set out to create a unique itinerary that combines some wonderful music with the breathtaking beauty of this archipelago situated within the Arctic Circle between the 68th & 69th parallels - as far North as the Canadian Yukon, Greenland and Siberia!
No matter what you read in advance about the Lofoten Islands the first-hand experience surpasses your expectations. Often when you see tourism photos of a place you think to yourself – “we will never get to see that view without our own boat or helicopter” but the reality on these islands is that these beautiful views are completely accessible and you WILL see them with you own eyes!
We stay eight nights at the 4* Thon Svolvær located directly overlooking the harbour in main town of Svolvær (pop. 4,500) which is situated on Austvågøy, the largest island of the archipelago. We include a complete extra day after the music has finished so that we have the time to get down to the southwestern end of the islands and see some of the magical scenery of Å, Reine and Hamnøy. You can choose just to have the 8 night stay but, when you have made so much effort to head this far noth, why not finish off with 4 additional nights, two on the edge of the Norwegian Sea (next stop Greenland!) on the magical island of Senja and finally two nights in the northern city of Tromsø.
Apart from the first and last evening, there are two concerts each evening (at 7pm and 9pm) with each in a different venue - sometimes in and around Svolvær and others further afield. This year the concert format has changed a little in that each will be performed WITHOUT interval so that the second concert will start 30 minutes earlier and end almost an hour earlier than in past years. This should allow us to be back in Svolvær in the midnight sun!
During our time staying in Svolvær we build our itinerary around the concert programme dining most evenings around 5pm so that we can visit some of the glorious beaches, hilltops & waterside hamlets (including Gimsøy, Vikten, Ramberg, Flagstad, Nusfjord, Moskenes, Henningsvær, Unstad and Kabelvåg) as well as visiting the unique Lofotr Viking Museum and the Lofoten Museum. We spend 3 hours aboard the sea cruiser MS Øykongen as we visit the unique Trollfjord with an entrance just 100m wide and sea eagles and many seabirds. This tour includes a delicious hot fish-soup lunch.
On Monday 15th we travel by coach from Svolvær to Harstad (dropping any guests that are leaving us today at Narvik) The coach continues north with our baggage, while we join a fast hydrofoil for the journey to Finnsnes where we rejoin our coach and cross over to Senja, the second largest island of Norway and truly the land of trolls and giants! It has a mystery and energy unlike anywhere else I have experienced.
We stay at the remote but astonishing Hamn in Senja Resort looking directly west over the Norwegian Sea. We have dinner at the hotel tonight and spend the following day exploring this fascinating island. We have a second night at Hamn before we join the Hurtigruten Coastal Explorer for a daytime sailing north to Tromsø for our final two nights in the 'Capital of the Arctic'.
We stay on the waterfront at the Radisson Blu Hotel visit the beautiful Arctic Botanical Gardens and ride the Fjellheisen cable car up Mount Storsteinen for a fantastic view of the city and region before our farewell dinner at an award winning restaurant located in a traditional Troms building.
Travelling to Lofoten:
We offer included flights to Narvik/Evenes - from Gatwick via Bergen with Norwegian and from Manchester via Oslo with SAS. From Evenes Airport to Svolvær we travel by private coach and the journey takes around 2 hours 20 minutes. We expect to arrive at the hotel in time for a late dinner (in full daylight!).
Flight details (confirmed timings)
6 July Manchester – Oslo 0940 1235 Gatwick – Bergen 1030 1325
Oslo – Evenes 1625 1805 Bergen – Evenes 1535 1725
Lofoten ONLY – 8 night stay (see separate tour listing)
Complete tour – 12 nights:
18 July Tromsø - Oslo 1225 1420 Tromsø - Oslo 1225 1420
Oslo Manchester 1935 2040 Oslo - Gatwick 1745 1905
If you prefer to make your own travel arrangements and meet us at the hotel in Svolvær please let us know and we will deduct GB£500 from your tour balance. If you fly independently to Evenes you must arrive either on one of the above flights or on an earlier flight and wait for us.
Deposit is £1000 per person and final balance is due April 15th 2025.
