Reinebringen is the best-known viewpoint in the Lofoten, and we have climbed it three times: In September 2021 in fog, in August 2022 with sunshine until just after the top and in September 2026 on the finest day of the week. The path is short, but it goes steeply up almost without a break. At the top Reine with its small islands and bridges lies below you, on the other side a long fjord reaches inland between the mountains.
Parking and the walk to the trailhead
Parking in Reine itself is expensive. At the visitor centre of Lofotodden National Park, EasyPark showed a little over 8 francs after 15 minutes, and the app only shows the price once you have parked. So we park at the Steffenakken car park on the E10 south of Reine. It is free and lies south of the bridge across the Djupfjord. Parking is only allowed in the marked areas, not on the side of the E10 and not in the village.
From the car park it is 1.3 km north along the road to the trailhead with the information board. It took us about 25 minutes in 2022 and about 15 minutes in 2026. The walk has one advantage: By the foot of the stairs we are already warmed up.
The sherpa steps
From the trailhead a stone staircase built by sherpas from Nepal climbs the whole slope. There are almost 2000 steps to the top, and signs along the way show how many lie behind you. In just over a kilometre the path climbs from the road to 449 metres, so about 430 metres of ascent. In 2026 the stairs took us about 45 minutes. Many steps are high, and on fine days the stairs and the top are busy.
In September 2021 the stairs were not finished yet. Back then there were 1566 steps, after that the path went on through deep mud and over rocks. Today the stairs reach all the way up to the ridge.
At the top and back down
The stairs end on the ridge above Reine. From there you see the village with the bridges between the islands, the long fjord on the other side and the road along the coast out to the open sea. In 2026 we stayed up there for a long time and took photos of each other against this backdrop. In 2022 we ate our sandwiches at the top, and the clouds came shortly after. In 2021 it was heavily overcast and foggy at the top.
The way down follows the same stairs. The descent is easier on the lungs but harder on the legs, because every step has to be cushioned. In 2021 we washed our shoes in a mountain stream after the muddy stretches.
The season runs from May to September. In winter the climb is strongly discouraged because of avalanches and rockfall. If you want the view without the crowds, go early in the morning.
