Sortland: Culture, Winter and Experiences on the Water

Sortland offers several options to consider when planning your trip: culture at Kulturfabrikken and the history of the Sortland Museum, winter activities at the Ånstadblåheia Alpine Centre and in Sortlandsmarka, and experiences on the water. Cultural and nature trails are also among the possible activities.

Culture and Trails

Kulturfabrikken houses concert halls, a cinema, a library, a culture school, exhibition halls and a café. This brings different forms of culture together in one venue: concerts and film sit alongside the library, exhibitions and culture school. The café complements these offerings. The Sortland Museum was founded in 2004 and offers another point of reference for the area’s cultural history.

The trails also differ in their themes. In Sortland, there is the Jennestad–Holmstaddalen cultural trail, the Sámi cultural trail in Holmstaddalen, and the Selneselva nature and cultural trail. When choosing a route, you can therefore distinguish between a cultural theme, a Sámi focus, or a combination of nature and culture. The Snytindhytta–Sigerfjord route is a hiking trail in Sortland. There are also opportunities for kayaking, mountaineering and fishing.

Winter Activities and Outdoor Pursuits

The Ånstadblåheia Alpine Centre is approved for junior and senior slalom, as well as junior giant slalom. It also has a dedicated children’s slope. In Sortlandsmarka, there is a floodlit cross-country ski trail about 5 km long. This gives you different winter sports options: the Alpine Centre with its specified slalom disciplines, and the ski trail.

For the other days, you can arrange cultural trails, the hiking route and other outdoor activities according to your interests. The names of the cultural trails already give you a sense of their themes; the Snytindhytta–Sigerfjord route is distinct from these as a hiking route. Kayaking, mountaineering and fishing add further types of activities to choose from in Sortland.

Experiences on the Water

Akvakultur i Vesterålen is located in the small village of Blokken in Sortland Municipality. The provider offers a guided exhibition tour and an RIB trip to a fish farm. There is also a tasting of smoked salmon from its own production. The exhibition, boat trip and tasting each offer a different focus: when planning, you can choose the guided exhibition, the trip to the fish farm or a product made in-house.

Vesterålen Adventures is based in Sortland and offers various boat trips year-round, including trips to the Trollfjord. This differs from the RIB trip to the fish farm in its stated destination. So when choosing an activity on the water, you have different destinations and formats to choose from.

Getting There and Choosing a Hotel

The coastal express Hurtigruten calls at Sortland daily. Timetables may change, so check the current schedule in advance if you plan to include the port call in your trip.

You can then compare the location of your accommodation with your plans. This lets you choose a hotel based on the experiences that matter to you on your trip.

Discover more destinations: Sigerfjord, Sortland, Vesterålen, Godfjord, Øksnes, Vestvågøy, Hadsel, Andøy.

For the main travel overview: Lofoten.