If witnessing the Northern Lights is on your bucket list, Tromsø, Norway is one of the best places in the world to make it happen. Tromsø is a beautiful urban city located in Northern Norway just above the Arctic Circle (hence why it is known as the Gateway to the Arctic), and is one of the best locations to chase the Northern Lights. This cultural hub has a perfect combination of tradition and modernity, proving it to be so much more than just a place to see the Aurora. Add in opportunities for dog sledding, reindeer encounters, snowy fjords, and cozy Arctic vibes, and it’s easy to see why visiting Tromsø in winter is a dream trip for adventurers and photographers alike.

After spending a full week exploring around Tromsø, we have compiled all of our top recommendations and tips to inspire others to visit this gorgeous city. In this ultimate guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about chasing the Northern Lights in Tromsø: when to go, where to stay, what tours are actually worth the money, how to photograph the aurora like a pro, and insider tips to help you make the most of your Arctic adventure.  Whether you’re a first-time visitor or planning a return trip, this blog will give you all the tools you need to plan an unforgettable winter trip to Tromsø. Now let’s dive in!

Planning Your Trip to Tromsø

When is the Best Time to Visit Tromsø

The best time to visit Tromsø really is dependent on what you want to do during your trip. There are 2 main attractions to Norway that will help determine your answer, The Midnight Sun and The Northern Lights. 

The midnight sun in Norway occurs during the summer months from late May to late July, where the sun remains above the horizon for 24 hours, creating a constant daylight effect. This is such a unique experience and provides extended hours for activities usually limited to daytime, such as exploring nature, hiking, kayaking, etc. We recommend experiencing the midnight sun at least once, but just be prepared for your sleep schedule to be very out of whack!

If your main goal in Norway is to see the Northern Lights, the best time to visit is during the winter months, specifically from October to April. Although the temperatures are a lot colder, Tromsø in winter is truly magical and definitely worth it. Here are some important differences between the winter months:

• November-January is when Norway experiences Polar Night (basically the opposite of midnight sun) where it stays dark a majority of the day. Therefore these months are the coldest, but the perk is that there are so many hours of opportunity to see the northern lights. Additionally, this is the best time to visit for whale watching, due to their migration patterns.
• February-April provides more light and slightly warmer temperatures, as well as less crowds than the Christmas and winter holiday crowds, but you will miss the whales. 

In previous years, we’ve visited in January and we got skunked with the cloud forecasts so we didn’t get to see any aurora. In 2024 & 2025, we personally went the first and second weeks of March and the conditions and weather were perfect! We got snow some days and sun the others and the temperatures were very doable with the right wardrobe. You can shop our recommendations here!

How Long to Visit Tromsø

While the city of Tromso is fairly small and you could fit most things in about 3 days, we recommend staying for at least 5 to maximize your chances of seeing the northern lights and getting to explore the surrounding areas.

We stayed for a week and it was perfect to get to do 2 day trips to the other nearby fjords and areas of Norway, like Senja. You could also pair your trip with a few days exploring the nearby Lofoten Islands for an epic Norway northern lights vacation.

How to Get to Tromsø

There are currently no direct flights to Tromsø from the USA since Tromsø is a smaller airport. Therefore, most routes will put you on a layover through a hub like Oslo or Copenhagen, both of which are really nice airports. We have flown into Tromsø from these hubs, but we’ve also rented a car and driven up to Tromsø from Rovaniemi, Finland if you’re keen for a giant Northern Lights road trip. 

It can also be common for returning flights to have an overnight layover in Oslo, so if this happens to you, we recommend staying in a hotel by the airport. There is actually a hotel in the airport because of this, but we stayed at the Park Inn by Radisson 5 minutes away because it was a lot cheaper even with the shuttle service to and from the airport. 

To find  the best flight deals for your winter trip to Norway, we recommend Thrifty Traveler. They will deliver incredible flight drops and points and miles deals straight to your email every single day. And if you use the code THELOVERSPASSPORT you can save money off your first year using their service! We’ve saved THOUSANDS of dollars on flights by using them! 

How to Get Around Tromsø

Renting a Car

For more flexibility and freedom to explore, we recommend booking a rental car through any of the rental services at the airport. You can use discover cars to compare prices and make sure you get the best deal! Just remember that if you are going during winter, make sure they give you a car with snow tires as the roads can be very icy! We recommend getting the insurance through your car rental company, travel insurance, or through your travel credit card in the event something happens while driving on ice and snow. (PS – we don’t recommend renting from the Sixt here.)

Public Transportation

If you are planning on only staying in the city-center, you can definitely get by without a car, as the city is very walkable and has great public transportation such as multiple bus routes.

You will get a better bang for your buck by either renting a car or taking the bus, however, the buses don’t really run on weekends outside of the city center so keep that in mind. For the bus, you have to purchase your tickets with cash on the bus or you can book your tickets on the Svipper App. 

We highly recommend getting an eSIM for your trip to Tromsø, especially if you’re relying on it to book buses and taxis! We love using Holafly for their unlimited date options abroad for an incredible price! You can use the code THELOVERSPASSPORT to get 5% off any Holafly Data Plan with the link here.

For getting to and from the airport if you are not renting a car, we recommend using the Airport Express Shuttle as it will pick you up right outside of the airport, has multiple stops throughout the city center, and is a much more affordable alternative to taxis. 

The alternative to the bus is taking taxis everywhere, but they are EXTREMELY expensive in Tromsø. If you do prefer taxis, they have an app called “Taxifix” that operates like Uber or Lyft where you can call or schedule rides. Just be aware that most cars in Tromso fit a max of 4 in addition to the driver, so if you have a bigger group you will need to call 2 or ask for an extra large taxi! 

Accommodation Options

We booked an Airbnb about 30 minutes outside of the city center in order to get less light pollution for the northern lights, and it did not disappoint! We saw the Northern Lights almost every night from our balcony. However it is still possible to see the northern lights in the city center if you’re lucky.

Here are some highly rated Vrbos outside of the city:

• Holiday Home
• Feriebolig
• House by the Sea

Best Things to Do in Tromsø

Tromsø has a special blend of cultural experiences with both indoor and outdoor activities to keep you entertained during your visit! From chasing the northern lights, visiting museums, trying the local cuisine, and enjoying the beautiful views, you really can’t go wrong. Here are a few of our favorite activities that we highly recommend. 

Northern Lights Hot Tub & Dinner Cruise

We truly can’t recommend this luxury northern lights cruise enough. You get to board a small yacht that takes you all around Tromsø in search of the northern lights. During your sailing, you get to enjoy a traditional meal in a cozy saloon, 2 outdoor viewing decks, and up to an hour in the hot tub with great views. This tour is particularly great because they only have about 12 people on board so it still feels like a fairly private excursion. While they obviously can’t guarantee northern lights, our captain was nice enough to extend the tour by a half hour because they came out right as we pulled into the harbor. You can book the exact Luxury Northern Lights Tour we did here.

Ironically, we have done a tour on this exact hot tub boat before in the Lofoten Islands when we sailed out to Trollfjord, and we had a great time on that tour as well if you happen to be visiting Lofoten in the summertime! You can check that tour out here!

Fjellheisen Cable Car

Fjellheisen is a gorgeous viewpoint that offers breathtaking views over Tromsø and is a must-do if you’re visiting in the winter! The cable car will take you up to the top of the mountain in just a few minutes (they operate about every 5 minutes or so), and from there you can enjoy at your leisure. There is a cafe at the top so you can stay warm and enjoy some hot cocoa or glögg! 

We recommend going in the afternoon so you have time to snag a spot before the peak time during sunset. If you’re a photographer, the blue hour up here is truly stunning and we definitely recommend sticking around after sunset to watch all the city lights turn on.

Since this panoramic spot overlooks all of Tromsø, it also makes for a great Northern Lights viewing location! If you decide to come up to lookout for the aurora, make sure to bring lots of layers with you since it does get pretty cold up here. 

Logistics wise, they don’t offer parking for your cars at the Fjellheisen cable car station, so you’ll either have to park in the city center and take the bus, a taxi, or walk over. We purchased the cable car admission ticket that included the bus which was convenient! 

Note: Depending on what time of day you are visiting, the bus stops running around 5-6pm, so if you’re visiting for sunset or northern lights, you’ll likely have to take a quick 10 minute walk to the local bus station afterwards to get back into town. Make sure to check the bus schedule so you’re not stranded for a while once you’re done at the cable cars!

Visit a Sauna

Saunas are a very popular activity in Norwegian culture, serving as a place to relax and cleanse your body. Over time they have become a social practice as well and you can find them all over Norway. 

We visited the Pust Sauna located in the harbor by the city center and loved it! You get great views of the city and the mountains directly from the sauna, and they even have a roped-off area where you can take a cold plunge into the arctic water if you are feeling adventurous. There are also tours you can book to Spas with saunas and heated pools here.

We opted to do the public sauna, but Pust also offers private sauna sessions for an additional higher cost. Just note, your 1 hour time slot in the sauna goes by quickly, so arrive early to check in and get changed efficiently to make the most of your time here. You’ll want to leave about 5-10 minutes toward the end of your session to get changed while it’s not chaotic during the transition times between sauna reservations as the changing rooms are pretty small.

Day Trip to Senja and Sommarøy

We took a day trip to explore the Arctic landscapes near Tromsø and we were absolutely blown away. If you have a car and are driving out to the nearby islands on your own, you have to visit Bergsborn and Ersfjord along the way. Bergsbotn is an insane lookout over the Fjord and Ersfjord is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever been to, with a dramatic mountain backdrop.

If you’d rather not risk driving in the ice and snow and want to book this experience through a guided tour, this one takes you to the best spots in Sommarøy that we went to!

Check out a Local Reindeer Farm

One of the most unique and meaningful activities you can do in Tromsø during winter is visit a local reindeer farm. Most reindeer farm tours in Tromsø include a peaceful sleigh ride through snow-covered landscapes, guided by Sámi herders who share stories, songs, and traditions that have been passed down through centuries. You’ll have the opportunity to feed the reindeer, learn about their vital role in Sámi life, and even enjoy a warm traditional meal inside a lavvu (Sámi tent) by the fire.

Some tours even include Northern Lights viewing, making it the ultimate two-for-one Arctic experience. Check out the most popular reindeer tours in Tromsø here!

Go Dog Sledding

We first tried dog sledding in the Arctic Circle during our winter trip to Rovaniemi, and it was so much fun. Tromsø is another huge hub for this adrenaline pumping arctic activity. Originally used by the Indigenous Sámi people for transportation across snowy terrain, dog sledding has evolved into one of the most popular winter activities in Northern Norway. In Tromsø, you can learn how to mush your own team of Alaskan or Siberian huskies, guided by experienced local mushers who share fascinating insights into sled dog training, care, and culture.

Most dog sledding tours include a chance to meet the huskies up close, cuddle the pups, and warm up afterward with a hot drink around a cozy fire. It’s one of the most unforgettable ways to explore Tromsø’s winter wonderland, and one of the top-rated activities for a reason. If you’re planning a Tromsø winter itinerary, be sure to book a dog sledding tour early, as spots fill up quickly during peak Northern Lights season. 

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Ready to visit Tromsø?

Tromsø is truly a hidden gem for travelers seeking an unforgettable winter vacation. Whether you’re chasing the aurora borealis or simply soaking in the Arctic charm, Tromsø promises an adventure like no other. And if you’re looking for even more arctic adventures in the area, make sure to check out our winter guide to the Lofoten Islands, as well as our favorite Aurora Road Trip Itinerary around Norway, Sweden and Finland!