Tromsø Travel Guide: Northern Lights, Fjords and Where to Stay
Tromsø Travel Guide: Northern Lights, Fjords and Where to Stay
Last year, we caught the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi, and we were hooked. So this year, we found ourselves in Tromsø! The reason was simple. When we looked for the European city with the best odds of seeing the lights, Tromsø came out on top. So we thought, why not, and booked our tickets. Let’s see how it went. Here’s our Tromsø travel guide!
First, a little about Tromsø:
Tromsø is a fishing town in Northern Norway, 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. People call it the “Paris of the North”. So many cities share that nickname, though, that it didn’t impress us much! It’s spelled Tromsø but often written as Tromso in English. Almost everyone visits in winter to chase the lights and see the snowy scenery. So it’s a perfect winter destination. In winter, there are also Sámi camps nearby, which we’ll get to later.
Tromsø Travel Guide: When to Go
The best months for the Northern Lights are September to April. In September, though, there isn’t much snow yet. So you may not get the classic Arctic scenery. We love snowy towns covered in white, so we braved the cold and went in February. The season was nearly over, so hotel prices had dropped back to “normal”. That’s our top timing tip in this Tromsø travel guide.
Want to catch the Christmas markets? Go in November or December. Keep in mind it gets dark very early then. It’s also high season, so hotels cost much more.
Pack VERY warm clothes for these months, and dress in layers so you don’t overheat indoors. A good base layer, wool socks, thermal leggings, an outdoor jacket and gloves are essential. You’ll also see people wearing ice grips (spikes) on their shoes. Almost every shop sells them, and they’re EXTREMELY useful on icy streets. Sadly, we only found out on our last day. If it’s slippery, pop into a shop and grab a pair right away.
Tromsø Travel Guide: How to Get There
Most people fly to Tromsø. Direct flights from Oslo take about 2 hours. From the airport, the bus to the centre took us just 10 minutes. It was so quick that we barely had time to buy tickets on board!
We flew direct from Berlin. From elsewhere, you can usually connect via Oslo or Stockholm, whichever is cheaper. It’s easiest to compare on a site like Skyscanner. Turkish Airlines has also started direct flights from Istanbul, but they’re quite pricey. Airlines like SAS are often much more affordable.
On this trip, we used the Airalo eSIM app for mobile data abroad. It was much cheaper than local operators’ data and call packages. You can choose a package based on the length of your trip. To check out Airalo and its prices, click here.
Getting Around Tromsø
In Tromsø, you can walk or take the bus everywhere in town. But if you plan to explore the fjords (and you should!), we strongly recommend renting a car.
We went in peak season and didn’t want to take any risks, so we booked a car online through DiscoverCars. We were two families, so we rented a big car for around €100 a day. Oddly, rental prices at the airport were much higher than in the centre. So when you search, check city-centre pick-up options too.
Tromsø Travel Guide: Where to Stay
Now, let’s talk about where to stay. Choosing was hard for us, because we didn’t want to stay in the city centre. We wanted to watch the Northern Lights from our accommodation, and they look much better away from city lights. Without little kids, we’d have chased the lights at night and probably stayed in the centre. So this part of our Tromsø travel guide covers both options.
The other big challenge in Tromsø is booking in time. In peak season, there are very few options left, and they’re pricier. So book as soon as your trip is confirmed.
Our Accommodation Picks in Tromsø
Five Apartments
If you want to stay in the centre of Tromsø, our first pick is Five Apartments. In our research, nothing beat it for value. Most places were around €200 a night, but this was €125. It also has a kitchen, so you can cook and save money. Did we mention Tromsø is very expensive? Yes, we did!
Enter Viking Apartment Hotel & Enter Backpack Hotel
If Five Apartments is full, we can recommend Enter Viking Apartment Hotel and Enter Backpack Hotel. Both are good value. Enter Backpack Hotel is hostel-style, with private rooms and dorms. It also has a shared kitchen, so it’s a great budget option.
Smarthotel Tromso
If you’re after something really affordable, Smarthotel Tromsø should be one of your first checks. The rooms are compact, clean and central.
Vengsøy Northern Norway
Looking for somewhere away from the centre, with a hot tub in the garden for total relaxation? Imagine watching the Northern Lights from the tub! Then you must check out Vengsøy Northern Norway. It was fully booked on our dates, or we’d never have missed it.
Tromsø Lodge & Camping
Now for where we stayed. On our first night, our flight landed late. We didn’t want to go far from the centre, so we stayed about a 10-minute drive away, at Tromsø Lodge & Camping. It was exactly the kind of place we’d dreamed of, with classic red Nordic cabins. The Northern Lights didn’t show up, but if they had, it would have been magical! The view, the whisky, the atmosphere… everything was great. Our one complaint? The cabins were smaller than they looked online. Don’t ask how four adults and two kids fit in! Realistically, they suit three people max. Even so, we highly recommend them if your budget allows. We paid €280 a night, because we booked last minute. When we first checked, it was around €150.
Sommarøy Arctic Hotel
For our last two nights, we wanted to stay out in the fjords. So we chose Sommarøy, one of Tromsø’s most beautiful fjord areas. We stayed in a stunning house right by the sea, one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever stayed. It’s called Sommarøy Arctic Hotel. It’s the only place to stay on Sommarøy, with lots of room types, a sauna, a beach, a café and a restaurant. We barely left for two days! Morning walks by the sea, great meals, watching people swim after the sauna… everything was so good. Staying here was the best thing we did in Tromsø. We paid €350 a night for the house, which was reasonable split between two families.
Now, on to the places to visit in Tromsø.
Tromsø Travel Guide: Things to Do
Places to Visit in Tromsø
You can see all the sights in central Tromsø in 3–4 hours. We spent one day in town, saw everything and tried lots of places. We had plenty of time. This Tromsø travel guide covers them all.
For tours and activities in Tromsø, here’s our GetYourGuide link. Whenever we plan activities in a new city, we use GetYourGuide. Seeing the ratings and reviews helps a lot, and we’ve always been happy with what we chose. Prices are good value, too.
Tromsø Cathedral (Tromsø Domkirke): Built in 1861, it’s Norway’s northernmost Protestant cathedral. Its wooden structure makes it one of Tromsø’s landmarks. You don’t need to go in; photographing it from outside is enough.
Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen): This is probably the huge triangular building you’ve seen in photos of Tromsø! It’s beautiful by day and lit up at night. Buildings like this remind us we’re in the Nordics, and that’s why we love them.
Polar Museum (Polarmuseet): This was the only museum we visited in Tromsø. It covers Arctic expeditions and the history of the region. Inside, there are lots of stories about the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and other expeditions. One thing surprised us, though. Some exhibits show quite graphic hunting scenes, yet there was a school group of 3–4-year-olds. We hurried past so our 2-year-old wouldn’t see them, and the school group followed right behind us. Apparently, such scenes are quite normal in Nordic culture.
Fjellheisen Cable Car: For views over Tromsø, take the Fjellheisen cable car up Mount Storsteinen. From 421 metres, you get panoramic views of the city, fjords and mountains. We didn’t try it, since we had two toddlers with us.
The Fjords Around Tromsø
Central Tromsø might not make you fall in love straight away… but don’t worry, the fjords will! For us, they’re the highlight of any Tromsø travel guide.
The closest fjord to Tromsø is Kaldfjord. It’s just 10–15 minutes from the centre, but the real highlight is the drive there. Simply stunning!
After soaking up the view, head on to Ersfjordbotn. The scenery is spectacular, and you’ll spot the viewpoint right away. It gets a bit slippery, so ice grips will help a lot. Following the fjord road, we reached Kattfjord, spent 15 minutes there and drove on to Sommarøy, which we fell in love with. The views, the open space, that feeling of infinity were amazing! Without these fjord views, our Tromsø trip would have felt incomplete. That’s how much we loved them.
Those are the main places to visit in and around Tromsø. Now, on to things to do!
Things to Do in Tromsø
Chasing the Northern Lights
Of course, we came to Tromsø for a reason, and this was it! The Northern Lights had amazed us the year before, and we wanted to see them again. Did we? Sadly, no! The lights showed up every night the week before we arrived and almost every night the week after. But not while we were there. We hope you’ll be luckier than us!
So, what do you need to see the lights? Clear skies, strong solar activity and pure luck! Even on a clear night, there’s no guarantee. The best thing to do is download an aurora forecast app and track your chances. If it looks promising, wait outside. That’s exactly what we did in Rovaniemi a year earlier, and we watched the lights three nights in a row.
Sámi Tours
Tromsø is one of the best places to experience Sámi culture. The Sámi are an Indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia, with a rich cultural heritage. Some Sámi families around Tromsø still use traditional lavvu tents, and you can visit them on a day trip. It’s a must in any Tromsø travel guide.
We joined a day trip with Tromsø Arctic Reindeer, and it was really enjoyable. A shuttle took us to the Sámi camp in about an hour. First, we had tea and coffee in a tent. Then came an hour-long talk about Sámi culture, followed by a traditional Sámi meal. Finally, we fed the reindeer, which was the best part!
We left the kids with their dads, since we didn’t think the camp visit suited them, and we’re glad we did. It’s not really a place for 2–3-year-olds. Just a heads-up!
You can also book reindeer sleigh rides at Sámi camps. We’re not keen on animal rides, though. Just like in Lapland, we skipped reindeer and husky rides here.
Tromsø Travel Guide: Where to Eat and Drink
Tromsø is expensive, and eating out is even more so. That said, with recent prices back home, Tromsø didn’t feel that different from Bodrum! So don’t be too scared.
Our favourite coffee shops in Tromsø were Risø mat & kaffebar, Kaffebønna Stortorget and Smørtorget. We’d also saved Pust Café, but didn’t have time to go.
For lunch, we ate at Peppes Pizza, and it was pretty good. Prefer a burger? Check out Burgr.
In the evenings, the Magic Ice Bar is apparently very popular. We didn’t try it with the kids 🙂
Heading to Stockholm too? Here’s our Stockholm travel guide.
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