Lyngseidet Norway
Norway
Frequently Asked Questions
In the Lyngenfjord north of Tromso, on an isthmus barely three kilometres wide between two fjords that face away from each other. A thousand people live there at the foot of the Lyngen Alps, whose sharp glacier-clad peaks fall almost vertically into the water.
Everything happens on foot. The isthmus can be crossed in under an hour at an easy pace: the Lyngenfjord on one side, an arm of the Ullsfjorden on the other. Few places let you greet two fjords on the same walk.
A few shops, a school, and wooden houses, some from the 18th and 19th centuries, survivors of the old trade between Norwegian fishermen, merchants and Sami herders. Services stay limited, in keeping with the scale of the place.
The first church was raised in 1731 at Karnes, slightly further south, before being moved here. The present white wooden cruciform building dates from a rebuilding completed in 1775. It is also a place of memory for Sami culture and for the Kven communities who came from Finland.
Three ways: a RIB trip on the fjord, a guided walk to a viewpoint, or simply standing on the shore with binoculars, looking for the sea eagles patrolling above the water.
Yes, and early. Places go quickly on the small craft, especially for trips on the water. This is the kind of call where waiting until the day itself usually means going without.
Depending on the day, coffee and a waffle at a community hall, plus farms in the area producing cheeses and cured meats — some excursions include a food stop. Lyngseidet does not set out to entertain: it simply receives you.
Yes, in summer: it keeps the peaks lit all night. Later in the season the first snows dust the ridges from September, and the fjord changes character completely.
Mountain weather: sun, cloud and showers can follow one another within the hour. Layers remain the best strategy. Keep the camera handy from the moment you enter the fjord, because the approach is among the most spectacular in Norway.
Almost none, and that is the point. Many passengers reboard without having done anything in the attraction-list sense, and feel entirely satisfied. Some ports of call are stories; this one is a view.
