Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buses between Melbu and Stokmarknes run several times daily on weekdays and twice
daily at weekends.
STOKMARKNES & THE HURTIGRUTEN
The Hurtigruten coastal ferry was founded in Stokmarknes in 1893 by Richard With. Ori-
ginally a single ship, the S/SVesterålen,it sailed into nine ports between Trondheim and
Hammerfest, carrying post, passengers and vital supplies. Now the line boasts 11 ships,
carries half a million passengers annually, serves 35 towns and villages and is a vital link
for Norway, providing transport for locals and a scenic cruise experience for tourists.
Hurtigrutemuseet
MUSEUM
(
www.hurtigrutemuseet.no
; Markedsgata 1; adult/child Nkr90/35;
10am-6pm mid-Jun-mid-Aug,
2-4pm mid-Sep-mid-May)
The Hurtigruten Museum portrays the history of the coastal-ferry line in text and image.
Hitched to the quayside is the retired ship M/SFinnmarken,claimed to be the world's
largest museum piece, which plied the coastal route between 1956 and 1993.
Hurtigrutens Hus Turistsenter
HOTEL
( 76 15 29 99; s/d Nkr1175/1475)
This friendly extension to the Hurtigruten complex is over the bridge that spans the fjord
and has conventional cabins and rooms.
Melbu
The main reason to come to Melbu is to catch the ferry from here to Fiskebøl on Lofoten;
from Fiskebøl, it's just 32km into Svolvær.
Norwegian Fishing Industry Museum
MUSEUM
(Norsk Fiskerindustrimuseum;
www.nofi.museum.no
; Neptunveien; adult/child Nkr60/free;
9am-3pm Mon-Fri)
In an abandoned herring-oil factory (romantically named Neptune despite its stark func-
tionality), the Norwegian Fishing Industry Museum traces the life of a fish from the deep
sea to the kitchen table. There's also a children's exhibition about the goings-on on the sea
