The Nordland Railway
The Nordland Railway runs between historic Trondheim city and beautiful Bodø in the north of Norway. The train journey itself is full of spectacular views, and you will even be crossing the arctic cirle on the adventurous trainjourney!
From the old trading centre of Bodø, the track makes its way across to Fauske, which is a traffic junction. From Fauske, you can get a bus to anywhere in North Norway, including Finnmark.
Bodø, with the Lofoten archipelago to the north and the impressive tidal currents of Saltstraumen to the east, is at latitude 67°18′N, just inside the Arctic Circle. From here we cross to Fauske, and then turn south past Rognan and Saltdalen before braving the exposed Saltfjellet, crossing the Arctic Circle, and heading back down to Nord-Trøndelag.
Passing through Mo i Rana, with its industrial history, and down Børgefjell, where those with a thirst for adventure can make their dreams come true. The train carves its way through massive forests, past wild mountain scenery, alongside rivers teeming with fish, passing Namsskogan Familiepark, narrow fjords, Stiklestad, and eventually arriving at the 1000-year-old university town of Trondheim.
Europe's best night train by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has elected the Nordland Railway as one of Europe's eight best night train. Lonely Planets review:
"Under normal circumstances the jaw-dropping views offered by any Norwegian rail journey would mean taking a night train would be a wasted opportunity. But there are two factors in favour of taking the ten-hour Trondheim to Bodo service. Firstly if you do this journey during the summer you needn’t miss anything – the sun will hardly set. Secondly Norwegian trains are very pleasant places to hang out for a while, and a berth on a night train is an excellent deal in a country where bargains aren’t always obvious"