Rorbuer in Kabelvåg

Kabelvåg is a village of 2,337 people on the E10 in Vågan, and Store norske leksikon calls it Lofoten's oldest fishing village. The sagas credit King Øystein, who reigned from 1103 to 1128, with building rorbuer and a church here, and the medieval town of Vágar, the first town in Northern Norway, stood nearby.

Where they sit

Astra Village is in the centre. Nyvågar Rorbuhotell — 30 two-bedroom cabins with a restaurant, a bar and a spa with outdoor hot tubs — is at Storvågan, beside the SKREI heritage centre about 1 km west. Skårungen is at Ørsvågvær, about 3 km west, and mixes waterfront cabins with hotel rooms, glamping and camping. Kalle i Lofoten is 8 km out at Kalle, a family-run former trading post at the end of the road below Vågakallen, with self-catering cabins the operator dates to around 1870.

Getting there

Svolvær Airport, Helle, is about 11 km and Svolvær itself 5.5 km by road. Buses 300, 741 and 743 run through the village, and there is a dedicated walking and cycling path to Svolvær. Extra Kabelvåg on Torggata is the village shop.

Who it suits

Families, and anyone who wants museums within walking distance: SKREI at Storvågan brings together the Lofoten Museum, the Lofoten Aquarium and the Espolin Gallery, and Vågan Church, the timber cruciform church of 1898 known as the Lofoten Cathedral, is just outside the centre. It is a calmer base than Svolvær while keeping the airport and the town's restaurants close. Most houses in the old wooden centre are private homes, and Visit Lofoten asks visitors not to photograph through windows and to drive slowly.