When my friend Ida agreed to join me on a road trip to Northern Norway I was so excited to show her my favorite spots around Helgeland, including Mosjøen, Herøy, Dønna, Træna and Vega. But I also wanted to take the opportunity to visit a little island that I have wanted to see for years: Myken.
My friend Guro had raved about Myken so much that not visiting the tiny island quickly became my biggest regret when I moved away from Helgeland. In my defense, Myken lies 32 kilometers out from the mainland, so it’s a bit of a journey to get to. Luckily Ida and I were visiting in August, when the summer express boat runs from Sandnessjøen, making the trip to Myken a bit shorter.
Myken is a small group of islands with only a handful of permanent residents, as well as a collection of holiday houses. The main island is home to a small fishing village and a whisky distillery. There are no cars here, so residents transport goods from the ferry with wheelbarrows.
Unlike many other islands in Helgeland, Myken is quite flat, so this isn’t a destination for hiking. In fact one might wonder if Myken is a destination at all, considering it’s so far from the mainland and 20 kilometers from the next nearest inhabited island. But I soon learned that this is exactly the magic of Myken.
No, I didn’t check items off a bucket list here. But wow did I love my time on Myken. I went for quiet walks and explored the entire island. And since cell signal was so spotty I left my phone in my pocket and instead turned to the people around me for entertainment. Ida and I spent hours at the local cafe chatting with strangers, exchanging tales with other travelers and getting caught up on Myken gossip with the locals.
And while after just three days here I could certainly leave saying I’ve “done” Myken, I also left knowing I’m not by any stretch done with this enchanting island.
You can read my complete guide to Helgeland, Norway here.
Getting to Myken
During the summer you can get the express boat from Sandnessjøen to Træna, and then from Træna to Myken. This takes four hours. If you’re traveling over the weekend or outside of the summer season, you’ll have to change boats in Stokkvågen and Tonnes, but the travel time will be about the same, depending on when you leave. You can check the ferry schedule and book your tickets here.
And if you’re traveling from the north, you can get the express boat from Bodø, changing on Rødøy. This journey takes 4.5 hours.
Since Myken lies far out from the coast, the waters out after Træna can get pretty rough. We went to Myken on quite a windy day, so the boat ride was definitely exciting. But the way back was a lot calmer.
Traveling with a dog
I took Alfie with on this trip, and on some of the boats he had to stay in a designated dog room. This room has four cages (two large and two smaller) and four seats for their owners. There was only ever one other dog here, so I’m not sure what happens if there’s no room in the dog room. You can also sit outside on the deck with your dog instead. There’s no extra charge for bringing a dog.
And then on the smaller Lovund Skyss boat from Træna to Myken Alfie was allowed to sit at my feet.
Myken accommodation
There are lots of different accommodation options on Myken, though all are quite small so you should definitely try to book in advance. I don’t think many of them have online booking systems, so you’ll likely need to email or call to make a reservation. You can find an overview of Myken accommodation here.
We stayed at Myken Seng og Suppe (Bed & Soup), which is in the old school house. We stayed in their annex, which is their cheapest room with no electricity. We chose the annex because it was their only dog friendly option, but actually I think it might be their best room, at least if you enjoy glamping! It’s in a separate building so you will have a (very short) walk to the bathroom in the main building, but I loved that we had our own little outdoor terrace. And the view from the annex is so lovely.
They also have a cute “dorm” room with mini campers, though the beds are super short, so I wouldn’t stay here if you’re on the taller side. As a tall girlie myself, if I weren’t staying in the annex I would choose one of the private rooms instead.
Breakfast is included here, and they also have a cafe that serves lunch and dinner. As one of the only restaurants on the island, it’s a nice social gathering spot for people as well. And the food was so good! Definitely have a meal here even if you stay somewhere else.
If you’re traveling with a dog, Mathisen Bua is also dog friendly, and Myken Fyr has dog friendly rooms (the stay includes access to a boat, as the lighthouse is on its own little island right off of Myken).
Myken Distillery
Before visiting I mostly knew of Myken as the tiny island with the whisky distillery. While neither of us is a big whisky drinker, Ida and I stopped by Myken Distillery for a whisky and gin tasting, and beyond beverages, the tasting was a wonderful way to learn more about the history and culture of Myken.
The founders had stopped on Myken on a sailing trip and fallen so in love with the island that they set out to find a way to live there. And I’ll admit that just a few days on Myken had me brainstorming my own ways to stay on the island.
I was also impressed by how many people were at the tasting! There’s not a ton to do on the island, so I suppose at 15:00 the distillery is the place to be!
Myken Handel
Speaking of places to be on Myken, perhaps the most important establishment on the island is the local general store, Myken Handel. Here you’ll find groceries and snacks, as well as custom Myken t-shirts and sweatshirts and other cute souvenirs.
They also serve coffee, waffles, and pastries and have both an indoor and outdoor seating area. In the summer the store is open from 11:30 (12 on Saturdays) to 15:00, and it certainly seemed that the entire island was hanging out here during that window – before heading to Myken Distillery at 15:00!
During the rest of the year (August 18 – June 23) Myken Handel is open from 13:00 – 15:00 (12:00 – 14:00 on Saturday).
I also made a little Instagram reel of our time on Myken, which you can watch here.
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