If you plan to visit Reine and its surroundings, the Reinefjorden ferry is your ticket to some truly amazing spots. This passenger-only ferry connects Reine with the tiny villages of Vinstad, Kjerkfjorden, Rostad, and Forsfjorden, which you can only get to by boat. From Vinstad, you can start the hike to Bunes Beach, a stunning sandy beach surrounded by towering cliffs.
At the tourist information center in Reine, where I work, we get a lot of questions about the Reinefjorden ferry and the hike to Bunes Beach, so I thought I’d put together a guide to help you out. I’ll go through the ferry schedule and show you step-by-step how to book this incredible trip.
First of all, seeing the inner part of Reinefjord is absolutely mind-blowing. The tiny houses nestled along the shore really give you perspective on how massive the steep granite peaks surrounding the fjord are.
When I first arrived in Lofoten in 2012, I wondered why I should take a boat to the fjord, which is anyway visible from the road connecting the small villages in Reinefjorden.
Well, the thing is, you actually only see a fraction of the fjord from the road. I’m still speechless when the boat passes the characteristic triangular Olstinden mountain, and you get your first peek of Segla with the houses in Rostad below it. The views from the boat are absolutely spectacular!
Moreover, you can hop off the ferry in Vinstad and take an easy hike to Bunes Beach, a huge, sandy beach surrounded by massive cliffs.
Last but not least, the Reinefjorden ferry is not a guided sightseeing trip, so it’s very affordable compared to other fjord tours, like the trips to Trollfjorden near Svolvær in the eastern part of Lofoten or the sightseeing tours on other famous fjords in western Norway.
For those of you who still master the nearly lost art of reading public transport timetables, you’ll see that the Reinefjorden ferry departs 2-4 times a day during the summer.
During weeks 01-11 (January 1 – March 16) and 42-52 (October 14 – December 31), you must prebook the ferry by calling +47 994 91 805.
For those who aren’t big fans of deciphering timetables, here are the departures from Reine during the summer season (June 3 – August 18).
On Mondays:
07:45
10:10
15:30
17:55
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays:
10:10
15:30
17:55
On Fridays:
10:10
15:30
17:55
20:50
On Saturdays:
11:00
15:00
On Sundays:
11:00
15:00
17:30
If you plan to hike to Bunes Beach, be sure to carefully watch the ferry schedule so you don’t get stranded in Vindstad on your way back.
Here are the departures from Vinstad back to Reine during the summer season:
On Mondays:
07:20
09:45
15:00
17:30
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays:
09:45
15:00
17:30
On Fridays:
09:45
15:00
17:30
20:25
On Saturdays:
11:25
15:30
On Sundays:
11:25
15:30
17:55
Note that the Reinefjorden ferry switches to the winter schedule with only two daily departures starting on August 19, 2024!
For those who aren’t big fans of deciphering timetables, here are the departures from Reine during the winter season (August 19 – December 31).
On Monday – Thursday:
10:00! (It used to be 08:00 on Monday)
14:15
On Fridays:
10:00! (It used to be 08:00)
14:15
20:30
On Saturdays:
NO DEPARTURES
On Sundays:
13:30
17:05
On Monday – Thursday:
10:40!
14:55
On Fridays:
10:40!
14:55
21:10
On Saturdays:
NO DEPARTURES
On Sundays:
14:10
17:45
It is possible to buy tickets on board the ferry. You can pay either by cash or credit card.
If you want to secure a place on board, you can book your tickets online via the Reis Nordland page. We will walk you through the booking process step by step, as it can be a bit confusing.
!!!Note that you can skip the first two steps and start by typing the website address from step 3!!!
Here’s the thing: sometimes, people are left behind even though they have rebooked their tickets.
I called the ferry company at the beginning of the summer and was told that it is important to be in the ferry queue at least 20 minutes before departure.
Additionally, you should step forward and mention that you have prebooked your ticket.
Some older articles contain outdated information that used to be accurate, stating that the ferry departed from the pier near the Circle K gas station. However, this is no longer the case.
The ferry from Reine to Vinstad now departs from the large parking area in Reine harbor (Ytre Havn). You can type “Reine Hurtigbåtkai” into your Google Maps.
Please beware that the parking situation for Reinebringen is constantly evolving. That means many blogs and webpages provide outdated information about parking for Reinebringen!
The closest parking place to the Reinefjorden ferry is the large parking lot at Reine Harbour (Reine ytre havn).
It has plenty of space, even for large motorhomes. There is also a waste disposal facility for motorhomes (free) and public toilets (paid).
Now comes the catch.
Parking here is done through the Easy Park app or a parking automat, and you pay per hour. That means it is quite OK to leave your car there for a couple of hours, but it will get extremely expensive to park there overnight if you plan to camp at Bunes Beach.
The prices at Reine Harbour Parking (municipality parking):
👉 43,75 NOK/h for any kind of vehicle.
If you drive further into the harbor area in Reine, you will encounter another parking place. This parking belongs to the Fellesdrift Reine Ytre Havn.
The prices at Reine Harbour Parking (Fellesdrift Reine YH):
👉 250 NOK/ day
Here, you can pay by VIPPS (Norwegian payment app), Sumup (international payment app), cash (the exact amount in an envelope), or credit card (you need to send a message to the owners, and they will arrive with a terminal).
At Reine Kulturhuset, you’ll find tourist information, a souvenir shop, and a public toilet (which is open during the store’s opening times).
👉 You can park at the Reine Kulturhuset for 50 NOK per hour, 150 NOK for 3-5 hours, or 300 NOK for 24 hours.
The Reinefjorden ferry can drop you off or pick you up at Forsfjorden, but that trip has to be booked in advance (by calling +47 994 91 805—the number on the ferry schedule). The price is 350NOK per person, and there must be at least four people (or a minimum price of 1400NOK).
To be honest, we’re not entirely sure how it works with the Forsfjorden stop, as we’ve been receiving mixed information.
When we called the company providing the transport, they told us the information above. However, when we asked travelers who took this ferry and wanted to go to Forsfjorden, they all said that the ferry company told them it wasn’t going there. We’ll try to investigate further :)
Hi! We are Ivar & Radka, an international couple who runs the Guide to Lofoten. We met in Trondheim and lived together in western Norway, Narvik and Tromsø. At the moment we call western Lofoten our home. We hope our page will make it easier for you to explore the beautiful places that made us chose Norway for our home.
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Hi! We are Ivar & Radka, an international couple who runs the Guide to Lofoten.
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One Response
Dear Ivar and Radka,
Your article about Reinefjord Ferry is absolutely amazing and helping, it has so much info and details !
We are planning to take this Ferry from Reine on 18 March 2025. We are a family of 12 adults
May we ask you a few questions which will be extreme helpful for us to plan ahead :
1. Is the trail from Vinstad jetty to Bunes Beach still easily walkable during winter in March?
2. Is there a way we can take this Ferry, and walk to Bunes Beach, and back to take the Ferry, and still be able to reach Reine before 1pm ?
3. When taking this Ferry, will we be able to see some beautiful Fjord sceneries?
4. We are 12x persons, do we need to pre-book? or we can just purchase the ticket at the ticket counter?
thank you
IngMing