Norway's stunning Lofoten Islands have gone viral for their midnight summer sun. But as the isles face overtourism for the first time, residents have an important message for visitors.

Located 300km inside the Arctic Circle, Norway's Lofoten archipelago rises dramatically from the sea in a jagged, mountainous crescendo. Its otherworldly glacier-sculpted landscapes and magical 24-hour summer daylight have led the isles to proudly dub themselves "the world's most beautiful islands". But it's a roadside stop, not a soaring summit or majestic fjord, that convinces me of this self-declared moniker.

Just a few paces away from the village of Flakstad on the island of Flakstadøya, I spy a beach where the water shifts from turquoise to glass-clear as it laps against basalt rock and sugar-white sand. It's a scene more Aegean than Arctic – until you see the ridge of craggy mountains floating above the fjord, the last snow clinging to their flanks. From late May to the end of July, Lofoten is bathed in constant daylight, and in this endless summer sun, the colours feel heightened. Standing on the sand, it's hard to imagine anywhere more idyllic.

Locals tell me that the 24-hour sun bathes these islands in a unique light and point to round-the-clock fishing and 02:00 tee times as quintessential summertime experiences. But kayaks crisscross the waters in every season, and hikers come year-round for the panoramic mountaintop views of silent fjords and romantic waterside villages that define the islands, chasing the midnight sun or the Northern Lights. At times, the only sounds around are the cries of the island's resident avians: sea eagles, puffins and razorbills.

The Lofoten archipelago is made up of seven principal islands off the North West coast of Norway. The E10 highway runs for nearly 175km through the archipelago, threading the five largest, Austvågøya, Vestvågøya, Moskenesøya, Flakstadøya and Gimsøya, by a series of impressively engineered bridges and tunnels, allowing drivers to move between islands with ease.

Visitors here are nothing new. The islands were home to northern Norway's earliest Viking settlement, drawing traders from as far away as Iceland. For centuries, tens of thousands of sailors journeyed here each winter to fish for Arctic cod, a tradition still reflected in the red rorbuer (fishermen's cabins) that now host tourists instead of seafarers.

And yet, tourism was late to come to this far-flung corner of the world. It only started to grow significantly in the past 20 years, helped initially by improved road and ferry links, then accelerated as social media began showcasing Lofoten's stunning scenery to a global audience. Now Lofoten's beauty is no longer a secret, and what was once a seasonal outpost of survival and commerce has evolved into one of Norway’s most popular destinations. In 2023, the islands welcomed around one million visitors, or roughly 40 times Lofoten's permanent population of 25,000.

But as European heatwaves drive travellers further north and new seasonal flights from Paris, Frankfurt and Zurich launched last year, tourism is only set to rise further. A weaker Norwegian krone is helping to seal the........

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