When to go to Tromsø?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: September to March (northern lights) and June to July (midnight sun)
At a glance
Why go to Tromsø?
Tromsø is the city where you can experience the Arctic without giving up your creature comforts. At 69° north, further north than most of Alaska, it packs in a university of 17,000 students, a hundred or so bars and restaurants, pedestrian streets lined with 19th-century wooden houses and an airport 10 minutes from the centre. You can fly in from Europe in the morning and watch the northern lights that same evening, with no expedition and no special kit, which explains why the city now welcomes more visitors in winter than in summer.
Its position beneath the auroral oval does the rest. From September to the end of March, the northern lights appear over Tromsø whenever the sky clears, and a whole industry has grown up to go and find them: minibuses to Finland, boats in the fjords, dog sleds, Sami camps. The polar night, from 27 November to 15 January, does not mean total darkness: a blue light bathes the city from 10am to 2pm, across the snow and the mountains. And from November to mid-January, orcas and humpback whales hunt herring three hours away by boat.
Summer offers a different city. The sun does not set from 20 May to 22 July, the harbour terraces stay full at midnight, and the hikes on Kvaløya, in the Lyngen Alps or on Senja can be done at any hour. The road to Sommarøy and its white beaches, kayaking in the fjords, cod fishing and midnight concerts at the Arctic Cathedral easily fill four days. Tromsø is also the gateway to Svalbard, 1h40 away by air, for those who want to push further.
Map of Tromsø: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Central Tromsøya
- Storsteinen
- Arctic Cathedral
- Kvaløya and Ersfjordbotn
- Sommarøy
- Lyngen Alps
How much does a trip to Tromsø cost?
Tromsø costs what Norway costs, plus the excursions, which make the difference: an aurora hunt, a whale safari and a dog-sledding outing alone add up to €400-500 per person. Accommodation prices climb in winter, when the city fills up. Museums and the view remain cheap or free.
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €100-140/day | Hostel or campsite, supermarket shopping, northern lights watched on your own from Tromsdalen or Ersfjordbotn by bus, museums |
| Comfort | €180-260/day | Chain hotel, one restaurant meal a day, aurora hunt by minibus, cable car, whale safari over five days |
| Premium | €400+/day | Lodge in Lyngen or Malangen, private aurora guide, dog sledding, dinners of king crab and reindeer |
The Norwegian krone is paid by card everywhere, including on buses, in toilets and at kiosks; cash is almost useless. Reckon on about 11.5 kroner to €1. Excursions are paid online when you book, often in euros at a slightly unfavourable rate: choose to pay in kroner.
Is Tromsø safe?
Tromsø is a safe city, night included, with a lively centre that is watched over until the bars close. The risks are climatic. In winter, the pavements are covered in sheet ice for weeks and sprains are the leading cause of trips to A&E: get yourself slip-on ice cleats for your shoes, sold in every pharmacy in town. Temperatures rarely fall below -15°C, but the wind at sea and on Storsteinen makes it feel far colder; operators lend thermal suits. In the mountains, avalanche risk is real from December to May, including on the peaks close to the city, and off-piste outings should be done with a guide. On the roads, reindeer and black ice mean driving slowly. The medical emergency number is 113, and the University Hospital of Tromsø is the largest in northern Norway.
What to see and do in Tromsø
- Fjellheisen and Storsteinen
- Arctic Cathedral
- Northern lights hunting
- Polaria
- Polar Museum
- Ølhallen and the Mack brewery
- Sommarøy
- Whale safari at Skjervøy
Central Tromsøya
The centre sits on the island of Tromsøya, around the pedestrian street Storgata and the harbour. Here you will find the wooden cathedral of 1861, the northernmost of its kind in the world, the merchants' houses of Skippergata, the Polar Museum in an 1830 warehouse and the library with its curved roof, a refuge in bad weather. The harbour is lined with safari boats, the Hurtigruten quay and fish restaurants. In the evening, the bars of Storgata and Grønnegata stay open until 3.30am at weekends, an exception in Norway. Everything is within a 20-minute walk.
Storsteinen
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The plateau 421 metres above Tromsdalen, on the mainland, reached by the Fjellheisen cable car in four minutes or by the 1,200-step staircase laid by Nepalese Sherpas. The view takes in the island, the bridge, the fjord and the peaks of Kvaløya. A café-restaurant occupies the upper station, open late into the evening all year round. In winter it is an aurora viewpoint five minutes from town; in summer, people ride up for the midnight sun around 11pm. Trails lead on to Fløya at 671 metres, 1h30 further, and to Tromsdalstinden at 1,238 metres for a full day.
Arctic Cathedral
The city's best-known landmark, on the mainland shore at the foot of the bridge. Eleven triangles of concrete and aluminium stacked up by Jan Inge Hovig in 1965, with a 23-metre stained-glass window by Victor Sparre in the choir. It is still an active parish church, hence closures on Sunday mornings. In summer, the midnight concerts bring together a small ensemble and Nordic songs in the light of the sun that never sets; organ concerts are held during the day for the rest of the year. Allow 30 minutes for the visit and a 15-minute walk from the centre.
Kvaløya and Ersfjordbotn
Whale Island, west of Tromsø, linked by the Sandnessund bridge. This is the city's playground: fjords enclosed by 800-metre rock walls, beaches, trails up Store Blåmann at 1,044 metres and Brosmetinden. Ersfjordbotn, 20 km away, is the closest aurora viewpoint to the centre, with the fjord on one side and the peaks on the other, and the first stop for most minibuses. In summer, kayaks set off from the head of the fjord. A road continues to Sommarøy and its white beaches, 40 km further on, along the Kattfjord.
Sommarøy
A fishing village of 300 people on an island at the end of the world, a 1h10 drive west of Tromsø, with white sand beaches, rounded rocks and turquoise water at 10°C. People come for the midnight sun, kayaking, cod fishing and winter sunsets that last for hours. The harbour hotel rents out fishermen's cabins facing the islets. A 500-metre bridge leads to Hillesøy and its chapel. Ørnfløya can be climbed in 20 minutes for a view over the archipelago and, on a clear day, Senja to the south-west.
Lyngen Alps
A range of peaks topping 1,800 metres, 70 km east of Tromsø, between the Lyngenfjord and the Ullsfjord. Jiehkkevárri, at 1,834 metres, is the highest point in northern Norway, with glaciers reaching almost down to the sea. People come for ski touring from March to May, with lodges organising the outings, for summer hikes up to glacial lakes, and for northern lights far from any artificial light. From Tromsø, allow 2h including a 20-minute ferry between Breivikeidet and Svensby. Lyngseidet, population 800, serves as a base.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Three nights are enough for an aurora hunt, the cable car, the cathedral and a museum, with a spare night in case of cloud. Five nights let you add the whales, a dog-sledding outing and Sommarøy, or in summer two hikes on Kvaløya and a midnight-sun evening.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Tromsø guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of Norway
Northern lights long weekend (3 nights)
Day 1: arrival, Polar Museum and the old quay, aurora hunt by minibus on the very first evening. Day 2: Polaria in the morning, Arctic Cathedral and the cable car late in the day, a second aurora outing or dinner in town depending on the weather. Day 3: dog sledding or reindeer with the Sami on Kvaløya, Ølhallen in the evening. Day 4: departure. A format for October to March, with the polar night from late November to mid-January for the blue atmosphere.
Whales and northern lights (5 nights)
The same base, plus a full day for the whales at Skjervøy, by bus then boat, between early November and mid-January, and a road trip day to the Lyngen Alps or Sommarøy. A night out of town, in a lodge in Lyngen or Malangen, improves your aurora chances and brings silence. Build in a spare day for wind-related cancellations, frequent in December, and book outings before you arrive.
Midnight sun (1 week, June-July)
Three nights in Tromsø for the city, the cable car at 11pm, a midnight concert at the cathedral and a boat trip, then a car for Kvaløya and Sommarøy with two hikes, then Senja on the summer ferry from Brensholmen, two nights for the scenic route, Segla and the beaches of Ersfjord. Back to Tromsø by road, 3h. No need to book activities far in advance, except the car.
Getting there and getting around
Plane: fly to Oslo then on to Tromsø, 5h30 to 7h with a connection from much of western Europe, several flights a day. Seasonal direct flights from a few European cities sometimes run in winter. Langnes airport is 5 km from the centre, served by the Flybussen express bus in 15 minutes or by city buses 40 and 42.
In town: everything is walkable on Tromsøya. The bus network serves Tromsdalen, the cable car and Kvaløya, with a single ticket valid for 1h30 bought on the app, cheaper than on board. Taxis cost €15-25 for a ride within town.
Car: essential for Sommarøy, Lyngen or Senja, pointless for everything else. €70-120 a day, with studded tyres in winter, and careful driving on icy roads where reindeer can appear at any moment. Car parks in the centre are expensive; the underground tunnel houses a covered car park.
Hurtigruten: the coastal express calls at Tromsø every day, northbound at 6.15pm and southbound at 1.30am, with an overnight sailing to the Lofoten Islands and a day's sailing to the North Cape. It is a way to link two northern destinations without driving; book cabins well in advance.
Where to stay in Tromsø?
Chain hotels in the centre, Scandic, Thon, Radisson, Clarion: €130-220 a night depending on the season, with a generous Norwegian breakfast included, and often a light dinner thrown in at the Clarion Collection hotels. Prices climb steeply from December to February and during school holidays.
Apartments and small hotels without service, €90-150 a night, plentiful on Tromsøya, with a kitchen that eases the budget. The apartment residences near the harbour are handy for families and stays of more than three nights.
Lodges and cabins outside the city, on Kvaløya, in Lyngen, Malangen or Sommarøy: €180-400 a night, often with a sauna and an aurora alert. This is the option for watching the sky without leaving your bed and for combining ski touring or kayaking.
Hostels and camping: a hotel-hostel at €60 a bed and the Tromsdalen campsite with heated cabins at €70 for two, at the foot of the cable car. Useful for tight budgets, 25 minutes' walk from the centre over the bridge.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Tromsø?
Arctic cod, skrei from January to April, as a poached fillet or a creamy soup, €30-40 a dish in the harbour restaurants. Halibut and king crab, which arrived from Russian waters in the 1990s, round out the menu.
Reindeer, as a steak or a stew with berries, on the menu at most restaurants for around €35, and bidos, a Sami stew served in the reindeer camps around Tromsø on winter evenings, with flatbread and coffee brewed over the fire.
The cafés in the centre for cinnamon bolle, waffles with brunost, the caramelised brown cheese, and filter coffee with free refills. Allow €8-12 for a pastry and a drink, with doors opening from 8am.
Mack beer at Ølhallen, €10-12 a pint, and aquavit as a digestif. Alcohol is sold in shops only at the Vinmonopolet, closed on Sundays, and supermarket beer sales stop at 8pm on weekdays, 6pm on Saturdays.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Tromsø
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Tromsø?
From September to the end of March, with a statistical peak around the September and March equinoxes. December and January offer the longest nights but also the most cloud and snow. Allow at least three nights: on average, one night in two is usable, and the minibus tours chase clear skies as far as Finland.
How many days should I spend in Tromsø?
Three nights for a northern lights weekend with the cable car, the cathedral and a museum, keeping one evening in reserve. Five nights if you add the whales, a dog-sledding outing or a day in Sommarøy. In summer, four days are enough for the city and two hikes on Kvaløya.
Is it very cold in Tromsø in winter?
Less than the latitude suggests: the January average is -4°C and severe cold is rare thanks to the Gulf Stream. The real problem is humidity, wind and ice on the pavements. Pack layers, a hat, waterproof shoes and ice cleats; operators lend thermal suits for outings.
Do I need to hire a car in Tromsø?
No for the city, the cable car, the cathedral and the excursions, which all include transfers. Yes for Sommarøy, the Lyngen Alps or Senja, or to chase the northern lights independently. In winter, rental firms supply studded tyres; drive slowly and watch out for reindeer on the road.
Can you see whales in Tromsø?
Yes, from early November to mid-January, when orcas and humpback whales follow the herring into the fjords around Skjervøy, 130 km away. Trips last all day, by boat from Tromsø or by bus then boat from Skjervøy, for €130-200. The rest of the year, whales are rare in the region.
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