The fishing village is located on the island of Moskenesøya in the Lofoten archipelago, above the Arctic Circle, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) southwest of the city of Tromsø.

In December 1941, the Germans burnt part of Reine in reprisal for a raid on the Lofoten Islands by British troops.

A photograph over Reine from the mountain Reinebringen (altitude 448 metres (1,470 ft)) has been used for the front page of several tourist brochures and books.

In 1999, the painter Ingo Kühl set up a temporary studio in a rorbu and painted the view over the harbor to the mountain range.

[5] In 2016–2019, a stone staircase was built up to Reinebringen, which made the mountain (previously considered steep, muddy, and difficult to climb) easily accessible.