Å i Lofoten
Å
A fishing village at the southern tip of Lofoten, at the end of the E10 road. Its name is a single letter, and it preserves the look of a 19th-century fishing village along with a stockfish museum.
Å sits at the southern tip of Moskenesøya and is the terminus of the E10, as well as the village with the shortest name in Norway. Almost the entire village is protected as the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum (Norsk Fiskeværsmuseum). More than a dozen 19th-century fishermen's houses, a cod-liver oil workshop, a bakery, a blacksmith's forge and boathouses are preserved as they were. The bakery still bakes cinnamon buns in a wood-fired oven dating from 1844, and everyone gets one. Admission is about 100 Norwegian kroner, and guided tours are offered in summer. The neighbouring Stockfish Museum (Tørrfiskmuseum) tells the story of Lofoten's 1,000-year history of stockfish exports. From February to April, the village's wooden racks are hung with air-dried cod. The smell is strong, but it is distinctly northern Norwegian. Behind the village, a path around the small lake Ågvatnet takes about 30 minutes and offers views of the sharp peaks. From the village harbour, you can see the island of Værøy at the edge of the sea. From Å, the only way onward is to turn back: it is 10 minutes to Reine and 1 hour to Leknes. In summer there is also a ferry from Moskenes to Bodø (about 3.5 hours), a common route in and out of Lofoten. Note: the village car park charges a fee, and parking at the end of the E10 is tight in peak season. The museum opens only briefly on weekdays in winter, but visitors can still walk around and view the buildings from the outside.
Opening hours
Village open all day; fishing village museum June–August 10:00–17:00, weekdays 11:00–15:00 in other seasons