How to find the schedule for the express ferry from Bodø to Svolvær in Norway?

Question

I'm planning a trip to the Lofoten islands in Norway in early August. I intend to fly into Bodø and then take the ferry from there to Svolvær, where I'll be based. I can see that there's an express ferry (eg https://www.lifeinnorway.net/bodo-to-svolvaer-express-ferry/ and Google maps). However, these redirect me to https://www.torghatten.no/booking and I can't find anything that says Svolvær.

If Torghatten is the right site, what's the dock name in Svolvær? If this isn't the right place to look, what is?

Answer 1

The express ferry is a public service run by the Nordland county council. You can look up itineraries across the region there. To specifically find longer-distance ferries, the booking section of their website might be easier to use. Your destination is Svolvær hurtigbåtkai (”Svolvær fast-boat quay“).

Torghatten is a private company that serves both Bodø and Svolvær, but doesn't have a direct service between them. From Bodø, they have a ferry to Moskenes, which is near the south-west tip of the Lofoten. The booking interface only shows the services that you can actually book; most of their services run as local transportation without pre-booking.

Answer 2

You're looking for the timetable NEX II 23-775 Bodø – Steigen – Svolvær. The timetable for summer 2024 has not been published yet as of March 2024, but in general you can find PDF timetables via https://www.reisnordland.no/rutetabeller-hurtigbt → Regionale hurtigbåtruter → NEX 2. This will bring you to a sharepoint directory which, at the time of writing, contains timetables for summer 2023 (past) and winter 2024 (which, in northern Norway, means 1 September to 31 May):

Essentially, in the low season, there is at least one boat per day, departing Bodø at 18:00 and arriving Svolvær 21:25. On Sundays it departs and arrives one hour later. The extra departure on Tuesday or Friday does not go to Svolvær.

In summer there should be at least as many boats as in the off-season, but exact times may vary. In summer 2023 there was an additional departure from Bodø on weekdays late morning. Unless you sleep in Bodø, your flight probably arrives too late to catch this boat.