Because it is the Arctic coast of Norway at its most elemental and least crowded — home to Svartisen, the country's second-largest glacier, whose ice reaches almost to the fjord. Meløy offers glacier walks, sea-kayaking, the midnight sun in summer and northern lights in winter, along one of Norway's most beautiful coastal routes, far from the tourist trail.

Meløy is a municipality on the Helgeland coast in Nordland, northern Norway, right on the Arctic Circle, made up of islands, fjords and mountains around the Svartisen glacier and the Holandsfjorden. The nearest gateway city and airport is Bodø, a couple of hours north along the coastal road and its ferries.

Can you visit the Svartisen glacier?

Yes — the Engabreen arm of Svartisen descends almost to the Holandsfjorden, making it one of the most accessible glacier fronts in Norway. The usual route is a short boat crossing from Holand followed by a walk to the ice; in summer, guided glacier hikes and blue-ice excursions run from the edge. It should only be walked on with a guide.

How do you get to Meløy?

By way of Bodø, the regional gateway, which has an airport and sits on the scenic coastal train and Hurtigruten ship routes; from there it is a couple of hours south along the Kystriksveien coastal road, with its island car ferries. Meløy is remote, and a hire car plus an eye on ferry timetables is essential once you arrive.

When is the best time to visit Meløy?

Summer, June to August, is the season — the midnight sun, the safest and fullest glacier excursions, kayaking, and the greenest coast. Winter brings the dark, cold Arctic and the northern lights on clear nights. Spring runs high with meltwater. For the glacier and the long light, high summer is the time to come.

Boutique Hotels in Meloy, Norway

The glacier and the fjord

Svartisen is the reason most people come. Norway's second-largest glacier, it sits on the mainland east of Meløy's islands, and one of its arms — Engabreen — descends to within a few hundred metres of the Holandsfjorden, among the most accessible glacier fronts in the country. The classic approach is by boat across the Holandsfjorden from Holand, then a walk up to the ice; in summer, guided glacier hikes and blue-ice excursions run from the edge, and the meltwater lake below the snout glows an unreal turquoise. It is a rare thing to stand at the foot of a great glacier without a long expedition to reach it.

The water is the other half of the place. The Holandsfjorden and the island-strewn coast are made for sea-kayaking, with the ice as a backdrop; boat trips run among the skerries; and the whole region sits on the Kystriksveien, the coastal route widely held to be among the most beautiful drives in Norway, stitched together by small car ferries that hop between islands and headlands. Saltstraumen, the world's strongest tidal current, churns a short way up the coast toward Bodø.

Where it sits, and when to go

Meløy lies on the Helgeland coast in Nordland, in the far north of Norway and right on the Arctic Circle. It is genuinely remote: the nearest airport and gateway city is Bodø, a couple of hours north by the coastal road and its ferries, itself reached by air or by the long, scenic train and Hurtigruten coastal-ship routes. Reaching Meløy is part of the experience rather than an obstacle to it; once there, a car — and patience for ferry timetables — is essential.

Summer, from June to August, is the season: the midnight sun, when the sun never fully sets, the glacier excursions at their safest, the water warm enough to kayak, and the coast at its greenest. Late autumn through winter brings the opposite Arctic — dark, cold and quiet, with the northern lights overhead on clear nights and the landscape stripped to ice and snow. Spring and early summer carry the meltwater at its fullest. There is no wrong season, only very different ones; for the glacier and the light, come in the long days of high summer.