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Torsken, Senja – a remote community on Norway’s ‘fairytale island’

With its fjord-indented coastline, varied scenery, and close-knit fishing communities, it’s no wonder Senja is known as ‘Norway in miniature’.

Tucked away in Torskenfjorden on the wild west side of Senja island, the remote fishing village of Torsken comprises a handful of homes and workshops plus a few small piers lined with fishing boats. It’s the perfect base from which to explore Norway’s second-biggest island.

A short history of Torsken

Torsken’s history is shared with the other fishing villages and trading stations dotted across Senja. The island takes its name from the Old Norse, meaning to ‘split apart,’ perhaps in reference to its fjord-filled coastline that looks as if a dragon has clawed at the land.

Exposed to the elements, locals survived thanks to Norway’s richest fishing grounds for cod, haddock, and halibut. In fact, from 1925 to 1935, Hamn I Senja, 15 minutes north of Torsken, was one of Norway’s largest fish processing stations. It later became the site for one of the world’s first hydroelectric power stations.

Hamn I Senja, northern Norway. Image copyright: Bård Løken - www.nordnorge.com

(Image copyright: Bård Løken - www.nordnorge.com)

Once its own municipality, Torsken was merged into the new Senja Municipality as recently as 2020. This came with a new coat of arms bearing the Northern Lights streaking over the mountaintops.

The town is still kept afloat by fishing. For the first few months of every year, locals launch their boats to reel up skrei, a migratory cod unique to northern Norway. Their kids even come to the processing plants to cut the tongues from the cod to earn pocket money.

“We do not go fishing for sport, but to fetch our dinner,” says local Jørgen Wang, Marketing Manager at the family-run Senja By Heart. For a taste of that sea-to-mouth way of life, he recommends, “Visit the pub at Torsken Brygge for fresh shrimps on the patio.”

The best things to do in Torsken and Senja

The church in Torsken on the island of Senja, Norway. Image copyright: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia Commons

1. Admire Torsken Church

This much-cherished red church was built in 1784 using timber salvaged from its predecessor. It’s thought a church may have stood on, or near, this site since 1400 and, in the 1960s, was the post for Norway’s first female priest.

(Image copyright: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia Commons)

Ersfjordstranda on Senja is one of Norway's most famous beaches. Image copyright: Vidar Moløkken – Visit Norway

2. Discover the island by bus

Running from Gryllefjord to Botnhamn, the 100-kilometre-long Senja National Tourist Route is home to some of the island's main attractions. You can explore this on our guided bus tour, where highlights include the jagged peaks around Bergsfjord, the shark’s tooth-shaped headland between Steinfjord and Ersfjord, and the white arc of Ersfjordstranda, one of Norway’s most striking beaches.

(Image copyright: Vidar Moløkken – Visit Norway)

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3. Stock up at Nærbutikken

Soak up a slice of small-town living with a visit to the local one-stop shop where the address is simply stated as ‘Where the road ends.’ Browse the aisles stocked with everything from fuel and flowers to fishing equipment and souvenirs.

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4. Explore Senja by e-bike

Senja’s mountainous terrain is great to explore on two wheels. But why not give your legs an advantage and join our serene two-hour e-bike ride to the fishing village of Gryllefjord? You’ll navigate the twists and turns of Torsken Pass, stop at sweeping fjord viewpoints and, on the way back, stop for a drink at a local pub.

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5. Spot sea eagles on safari

With chalk-white beaches and translucent waters that look turquoise in summer, Senja’s coastline has been dubbed the ‘Caribbean of the North’. Board a boat to spot white-tailed eagles, seals, seabirds such as cormorants and, if you’re lucky, perhaps even a golden eagle.

It is said Senja is ‘Norway in miniature’. We have the agricultural landscapes in the northeast, the pine tree-clad hills in the south and the rugged fjords in the east. The mountains here are among the oldest in the world and said to be formed from trolls hardened into rock by the sun.

Jørgen Wang

Marketing Manager, Senja By Heart

When is the best time to visit Senja?

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec

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“Arctic weather is best described as unpredictable!” says Jørgen. “You never have the same one year as you do the next, but we very often have nice weather in March/April, or maybe it just feels that way because we’re happy to see the end of winter! Spring in Senja is a time when everything returns to life.”

Rain is a regular visitor, peaking in October but light most of May and June when the Midnight Sun shines. The landscapes are lush and the daylight hours unending, ideal for long hikes until late July.

Snow has been known to fall eight months of the year in Senja (January to May and October to December). Of those, February tends to be the coldest and whitest.

Senja is also positioned directly beneath the Auroral Oval that rings the North Pole, meaning chances of seeing the Northern Lights are very high when Polar Night descends between November and January. Incredibly, they’ve even been spotted as late as August here.

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Visit Senja with Hurtigruten

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SOUTHBOUND ON THE SVALBARD LINE

In port: 6 hours

We stop at Torsken on the southbound leg of the Svalbard Line, our premium, all-inclusive Signature voyage that sails from Bergen to the Arctic archipelago and back.

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Getting to Torsken from your ship

You’ll feel like a Viking returning from sea to your homestead as we sail into the tiny village of Torsken.

Sailing up the Torskenfjord, it’s clear nature is the main resident here. Backed by the nearly 600-metre-high ridge of Skipstinden mountain and accessed only via a single switchback road called the Torsken Pass, Torsken is surrounded by boreal forests of birch and aspen.

There’s zero chance of getting lost as you disembark and stroll up the short pier straight into the heart of this tiny two-road village.

Excursions in Senja

You can explore the island of Senja from Torsken on a handful of shore excursions.

Neighbouring ports of call

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Previous port

Ny-Ålesund

At the top of the world, just 1,200km from the North Pole, Ny-Ålesund is the world’s northernmost settlement.

The Hurtigruten Museum in Stokmarknes

Next port

Stokmarknes

This idyllic village is where our founder Richard With started Hurtigruten more than 130 years ago.

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