Traveling with the locals, both on land and at sea, will given you a more authentic experience of Northern Norway.
Sometimes, our daydreams actually become reality; the world opens and becomes accessible in new ways. When it does, we must seize the opportunity and live out our dream.
This summer, the holiday paradise that is Nordland has opened to anyone who wishes to explore this interesting and diverse county by bus and express boat. Travelling with the locals, both on land and at sea, will given you a more authentic experience of Northern Norway. National Geographic has long been giving the following advice to travellers of the world: “Go with the locals and do what the locals do.” And now, Nordland is saying the same thing!
Travel Pass Nordland
Travel Pass Nordland is a brand new travel pass, which gives you unlimited travel by bus or express boat in Nordland (please note that ferries are not included).
The pass is valid for 7 days from the first registration on board a bus or express boat, and no pre-purchase is necessary; simply buy the pass from the ticket inspector when you board. This travel pass is the easiest and most affordable way to explore all of Nordland, inside and out.
Facts about Nordland—see it to believe it!
Nordland is Norway’s second largest county by area, and many like to brag that we can fit 5 Southern Norway counties within our borders. Actually, Nordland makes up 12 percent of Norway’s land area. In order to get from Bindal in the south to Andenes in the north, you’d have to travel 505 km as the crow flies or 800 km by road. And that’s not all! Nordland accounts for 25 percent of Norway’s coastline and is the county with the largest internal waters in all of Norway.
Nordland has a population of approx. 240,000. These are spread across 44 municipalities, 5 cities and a myriad towns, small communities and fishing villages.
The county has:
- 8 national parks
- 18 protected landscapes
- 175 nature reserves
- approx. 260 water systems with its own populations of salmon, trout or Arctic char
- 18,414 islands in saltwater
- approx. 28,000 lakes
- a whopping 11 percent of its area designated as wilderness areas, and 54 percent of its area designated as unexploited.
In Nordland you’ll also fint Stetind, Norway’s national mountain, the world’s strongest maelstromand Norway’s largest island, Hinnøya. Visit attractions like Torghatten, Svartisen, Moskenesstraumen and Lofoten, which is among the top three best preserved island group of islands in the world. Go whale watching, spot moose and rare birds in Vesterålen, hike straight across all of Norway at Hellemobotn, explore caves in Rana, stay in traditional fishing villages and visit vibrant island communities all along the coast.
Nordland is like a real-life storybook, with rich stories, epic tales and spectacular illustrations!
Artist Eva Harr
It is no coincidence that the new travel pass is adorned with a painting by Nordland artist Eva Harr. She has painted a classic Nordland motif—a jagged mountain profile with the characteristic Nordland house in front. Eva Harr explains that the Nordland houses have been part of her illustrations and artwork ever since she first saw one on Røst in Lofoten. The same applies to the mountain, which of course had to be included. “I’ve had encounters with mountains on all of my travels in Nordland,” she explains. “The painting and its title Letter home is a metaphor and summarizes the old world, which is about to be lost.” Fortunately, these old Nordland houses have had something of a revival and they are once again a common sight from the fairway all along the coast.
Eva was born up north and has a strong attachment to Reine, which is her second home. “That’s why Letter home is a tribute to the old world that is now getting a new lease on life,” she explains. Eva Harr does not work with photorealism in her art, but she tries to express the essence of experiences in the landscape. Perhaps that’s why so many say they find her motifs so familiar.
Welcome home to Nordland!
We hope you’ll come to Nordland and feel what Eva Harr describes—a sense of familiarity and belonging, even if the places you visit are new to you. The feeling of coming home is universal and has more to do with moods and good encounters with nature and people than with a particular geographic location.
That’s why we say welcome home to Nordland, no matter where you’re from!
A 7-day pass costs NOK 990 for one adult. Children under the age of 4 travel for free on express boats when accompanied by an adult, whereas children up to age 15 pay half price. On buses, children under age 6 ride for free. Read more about tickets and fares at Reis Nordland.
