Eggum with Kids: Family Days Out
Eggum is a quiet place for a family stop, but it is worth knowing what it does not have before you arrive. There is no playground, no sandy beach for play, no swimming spot, no shop and no restaurant, only a small café by the car park in summer. The shore is a beach of big rounded stones on the open Norwegian Sea, with cold water and waves that come straight in, so it is somewhere to look at, not to paddle in. With that in mind, here is what works well with children.
Run round Hode
Hode (Head) is a sculpture by Markus Raetz, set on a granite column about 1 to 1.5 km west of the car park along a gravel track by the lake. As you walk round it the iron head changes shape 16 times, and from the far side it looks upside down. Children tend to love working out where it flips. The walk there and back is about 2.5 km on an easy track, so most school-age children manage it without trouble.
Explore Borga, carefully
The stone ring on the hill above the car park is what is left of a German radar station from the Second World War. Older children enjoy scrambling up, but the walls have no railings, there are drops and the stones are loose and uneven. Keep small children within reach.
Sheep, birds and the midnight sun
Sheep graze around Eggum, and seabirds work the shoreline. Close every gate you pass through, and keep dogs on a lead near the sheep. From about the last week of May to mid-July the sun stays up all night, so a late picnic in the stone amphitheatre at the rest area can turn into a midnight-sun party. Bring warm clothes even in summer. The toilets there open from early May to early October.
A day at Lofotr Viking Museum (about 12 km, 15 minutes)
For a proper family outing, drive to the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg. The reconstructed chieftain’s longhouse is the centrepiece, and in summer there are craftspeople, hands-on activities, lamb soup and mead in the hall, and boat trips on the Viking ship (a separate ticket). Autumn 2026 prices are 210 NOK for adults, 160 NOK for children aged 6 to 15 and free for under-6s; a family ticket for two adults and three children is 620 NOK. In November and December 2026 it opens on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11:00 to 17:00, and a new main exhibition is due in December. Check the Museum Nord page before you set off.
Sand at Haukland (about 25 km, 30 minutes)
If the children want a sandy beach, Haukland on the south side of the island is the nearest. The water is cold all year. The Mannen hike from the same car park is graded medium with exposed parts, so it suits older, steady children rather than toddlers.
Not for young children
The coastal path from Eggum to Unstad is about 7 to 8 km each way over narrow sections and loose scree, graded demanding on ut.no , with no transport back. Leave it for teenagers and adults.
Family cabins near Eggum can be searched on Booking.com .
Read more: Things to do in Eggum and Day trips from Eggum .