Time to take a break in Bodø

With magnificent museums and must-see maelstrom, here’s why this historic port in northern Norway will have you in a whirl

Part of the appeal of a journey to Bodø is getting there. It is a key call for the ships of the Hurtigruten, but there is also a dramatic land approach in the shape of the Nordlandsbanen: Norway's great northern railway. It took 80 years to complete the 453-mile line from Trondheim. Since 1962 this astonishing piece of engineering has provided a lifeline for the north – as well as a spectacular journey for travellers. The journey varies from sublime coastal scenery to rugged mountains, where the track hugs the contours. Just after crossing the Arctic Circle, it reaches its highest point (over 2,200 feet), then continues deeper into the Arctic for almost 100 miles, sweeping west to reach the historic and handsome port of Bodø

Extraordinary surroundings

(Ernst Furuhatt (Ernst Furuhatt)

A neat terrace of streets rises gently from the waterfront, with plenty of places to shop, eat and drink. The most compelling tourist attractions are a couple of miles south-east of the centre. Starting at the 13th-century Bodin kirke, its onion dome conferring the church with a distinctly Russian air.

Russian artefacts are plentiful in Galleri Bodøgaard, where a private collection of art and culture is on display. Close by, art gives way to aviation at the Aviation Museum. While aviation today helps to bind the Arctic, during the Cold War, Bodø was a key location for US reconnaissance missions across the USSR.

But a large part of the appeal of Bodø is the access it gives to extraordinary surroundings. To the north east, Kjerringøy is the best-preserved trading post in Norway, set amid magnificent landscapes. In winter you can also go Northern Lights hunting, on a day-and-evening adventure organised by Polar Tours.

Natural phenomenon

Even this far north, working daylight is remarkably generous even in the depths of winter. In January, when the sun is at last hauling itself properly over the horizon, you can experience some intense, sapphire-blue light that defies the polar night.

An even more amazing (and predictable) natural phenomenon is the local maelstrom. The Norwegians gave the world the word for a gigantic whirlpool. And Saltstraumen, Bodø’s local maelstrom, is the strongest tidal surge in the world. Four times each day, the tide shifts 80 billion gallons of the Atlantic in and out of a fjord, creating cauldrons of water resembling giant jellyfish.

The best way to leave Bodø? To drift away, preferably on a ferry heading for the Lofoten Islands. Ahead stands the charcoal silhouette of Landegode, a mighty isle of five peaks.

More austerely beautiful than the coast of Antarctica — and so much more accessible.

Fore more inspiration click here - and to find out more and book your break to Norway, visit visitnorway.com