Referring to the site as Vega Island is misleading. The site is called Vega Archipelago and the greatest part of the inscribed area is not on Vega Island but on other islands and the sea in between. Be sure to check the map.

Vega Island is the easiest to reach, though, and it will both provide great views of the inscribed area as well as access to the core zone:

• The mountain on the southwestern side of island is inscribed and there are two climbing trails. There are also the Vegatrappa, stairs leading you up. I rode with my bike to Sundsvollstranda and hiked along the coast. Unfortunately, I missed the stairs; signposting for trails is not really popular in Norway. From the west coast you also have great views of the neighboring islands. Other starting points for the mountains are in Eidem and in the center of the island.
• Holandsosen is a protected area and there is a small trail running through it. I found it less impressive than the west coast.
• In the North East corner is another protected area.

The visitor center itself, as far as I can tell, is not in the core zone, but you get a great view of the archipelago. Best option would be to rent a kayak to navigate between all the small islands. Side note: The visitor center does not sell proper tickets, so I skipped it.

Generally, I don't quite follow how the inscribed area and the OUV map. If it was settled since the Stone Ages and that was relevant for the site, I would assume some archeological remains; I saw none. For me, this was primarily a nature and birding site and a fine one at that.

Some further comments on previous reviewers:

• Zoe - The passenger ferry didn't strike me as all that expensive. Felt like normal Norwegian prices. And yes, the whole coast is dotted with small picturesque islands akin to Vega Island. But I find inscribing a representative, limited example better than inscribing everything.
• Joel - Fully agree. Vega is off the beaten path. You will not get there unless you intentionally plan to go there. Most tourists aiming for Lofoten or Alta will probably skip it, as it's a one day detour.

Getting There

The two access points to the Vega Archipelago are Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen. Both can be reached from Bodø or Trondheim. Options include:

• Ferry 1 - Hurtigruten: Expensive and slow with arrival/departure times partially in the middle of the night.
• Ferry 2 - From Bodø to Sandnessjøen, you can take an express ferry (5h).
• Train/Bus - The main train line connection Bodø and Trondheim runs more to the east. From there, you need to take a bus to get to either town. There is one, maybe two connections a day. Travel time should be around 6-7h.
• Wideroe - By far the fastest option (and surprisingly cheap) is to take the plane. They fly from Trondheim to Bodø with stops in Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen

For all these options, be sure to check the schedule. Recommended site for public transport options (bus, train, ferry) is en-tur.no. Note that the schedule may differ between individual weekdays and will definitely be worse on a Saturday, so check the precise date you plan to travel on. It may be interesting to buy the Travel Pass Nordland if you plan to tick off more sites in the area. Be sure to check what bus, train and ferry connections are covered.

From Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen you can then take a ferry. The Brønnøysund ferry goes to the express boat harbor on the Eastern side of the island. From Sandnessjøen, you land on the Northern shore which is closer to the visitor center. Again, be sure to check the schedule and the connection.

To get around on the island, you can use a bus for parts. A car would obviously be easier. I opted for a bike that I rented from the Brønnøysund tourist office for a day. This allowed me to cover most of the island. Bikes are also available on Vega Island at the Visitor Center, but you would need to get there first. On the way from the express boat pier to the visitor center you will pass a supermarket in Gladstad.

The rental in Brønnøysund was quite nice. They aren't open on the weekend, so they put the key in the mailbox and I picked it up Sunday evening for my tour on Monday. As a consequence, I was able to visit Torghatten on Sunday. One more practical comment re Brønnøysund: There are few options re hotels and prices were too high. I opted for AirBnB and that worked fine.

While You Are There

From Brønnøysund a visit to Torghatten is a must, a mountain with a cave in the middle. The cave is impressive and the views of the archipelago you get are great.