How to Plan a Winter Tromsø Itinerary for 1 to 5 Days
If you’re planning your Northern Norway itinerary, congratulations: you’re in for a bucket list worthy experience of a lifetime!
A trip to Tromsø, nicknamed “The Paris of the North” for its important role in Northern Europe’s culture, is a must on any visit to Northern Norway.
| ⌛ Planning your wintery Tromsø trip in a hurry? Here are my quick picks. ❄️ Best Tromsø Tours & Experiences 1. Northern Lights Chase by Minibus (my favorite aurora tour!) 2. Self-Driven Dog Sledding Tour (most fun activity in Tromso!) 3. Reindeer Experience with Sámi Guide (can do sledding or just feeding) 🛏️ Best Tromsø Hotels 1. Thon Hotel Polar (gorgeous modern Nordic design in central spot) 2. Smarthotel Tromso (central & budget-friendly) 3. St. Elisabeth Hotel (luxury hotel with spa, sauna & fine dining) Arriving in Tromsø by plane? Book your affordable airport transfer here or take the Tromsø airport express if you don’t have too much luggage and/or your hotel is in the heart of town |
This beautiful city serves as the gateway to all sorts of arctic adventures, whether you base yourself in Tromsø the entire time or you fly in there and explore more of Northern Norway by plane, Arctic Buss, or rental car (but only if you’re a highly experienced winter driver, please — there have been a lot of casualties due to inexperienced tourist drivers lately).
Before getting into this Tromsø itinerary, though, we’ll quickly go over the basics of planning a trip to Tromsø in winter, including how to get there, the differences that you’ll experience during particular parts of the winter, and how to plan around that.
Getting to Tromsø
There are several ways to get to Tromsø, and a number of airlines that serve this Northern city, including SAS (which I typically fly when going to Tromsø) and Norwegian Airlines, amongst others.
No matter where you are coming from, you will almost certainly need to fly into Tromsø, as it’s incredibly far from the rest of Norway, particularly Southern cities like Oslo, as it’s one of the northernmost cities in Norway. The other option is taking the Hurtigruten cruise, but it’s extremely expensive.
From Tromsø, you can easily catch a bus into the city center to where you have your accommodation booked. The Flybussen costs 125 NOK one way (200 NOK return), around $13 USD one way, or about $22 USD return. Note: Currency conversions are correct as of August 2026 when this post was last updated.
It’s also possible to schedule a transfer for a group if you want to have a guaranteed easy trip to your hotel. It’s a little more expensive, but it will give you peace of mind. It may be worth it if you have a long journey before you arrive in Tromsø or if you are traveling with kids who might be fussy after a long flight.
Weather in Tromsø in Winter
The weather in Tromsø is characterized by extremes, with several weeks each of polar night and midnight sun in winter and summer respectively.
In the winter, the weather in Tromsø is obviously on the cold side of the spectrum, but perhaps less cold than you might think! December temperatures often have a high of 32° F (0° C) and a low of 25° F (-4° C). Temperatures in January and February are similar, just a few degrees cooler.
That’s not too shabby for the Arctic, and it’s definitely warmer than many North American and European destinations at a far lower latitude!
The reason for this is that the jetstream across the Atlantic Ocean pushes warmer air towards Tromsø, so Norwegian Lapland isn’t quite as cold as other Arctic destinations, like Swedish and Finnish Lapland.
As a result, you do need to pack warm clothes for Tromsø, but not necessarily clothes for extreme cold like you will need in other Arctic destinations like Rovaniemi or Abisko.
The weather in Northern Norway does get colder the further out from Tromso you get, but all the activities you partake in will also rent thermal suits so you don’t have to worry about dressing for that beyond your average warm layers.
Need more help? If you’re not sure what to pack, read my full winter in Norway packing list here.
How This Tromsø Itinerary Works
I structured this itinerary for Tromsø to be additive. Here’s what I mean by that.
Basically, the first day contains what I consider to be the “core” activities in Tromsø’s city center. The following days contain the best excursions from Tromsø, at least in my opinion, descending order in terms of how essential and unique I think that particular activity is.
However, free to swap around the days a bit to fit your preference or budget. This itinerary is planned so that you can just pluck as many days as you want from this itinerary to fill out the time you have — whether it’s one day or five days in Tromsø. It’s more of a suggestion than an actual strict itinerary.
If you have more than five days in Tromsø, you can just spread out the activities a bit. Spend more time enjoying the city center, checking out the many Tromsø museums and restaurants, and just enjoying Northern Nordic culture in this unique place!
Rather than give you a set “X day Tromsø itinerary”, you can mix and match to suit your travel style, budget, and time allocated for your visit to Norway.
Your Tromsø Itinerary, Day by Day
Day 1: Getting to Know Tromsø
Wander around the City Center.
The Tromsø city center is remarkably cute and compact, making it easy to hit up all the must-sees on a quick self-guided walking tour when you visit Tromso.
The main square in the city is located around the Tromsø Cathedral, the world’s northernmost Lutheran church! Its construction dates back to 1861, and it is unusual in that it is a cathedral made nearly entirely of wood, when most cathedrals are typically made of stone.
After checking out the cathedral, take a stroll down Storgata, the main pedestrian street. This is a great place for window-shopping and people-watching, and you may spot some souvenirs you want to buy later in your trip. This is also where you’ll find places to stock up on winter clothes in case you are finding yourself colder than you thought you would be.
The Tromsø Library (Tromsø Bibliotek) is another interesting spot to see in the city center due to its unique architecture.
Check out the Cathedral of Our Lady in Tromsø, another historic wooden church that dates back to 1861. Its architecture is really beautiful and it has a quieter and more peaceful atmosphere.
Finally, wander down to the Tromsø Harbor, for all sorts of colorful building facades right on the fjord’s edge. It’s really scenic — it’s gorgeous to see all the colors against the striking white snow and glassy water of the fjord!
Visit the Polar Museum.
Not far from the Tromsø Harbor is the Polar Museum (Polarmuseet) which is a really interesting place to visit in Tromsø.
It’s a fascinating place that excels at storytelling the tales of Arctic adventurers — both men and women — who explored the northern polar regions by sea in order to hunt and trap in the Arctic.
Tromsø served as the gateway for many of these polar expeditions. Here, you can learn a ton about all the incredible adventurers who departed from Tromsø in search of places that were not yet explored by humankind.
A good portion of the Polar Museum is dedicated to the explorations of Roald Amundsen, who was the first verified person to travel to the North Pole (though that is contested) as well as the South Pole (that is uncontested).
It also tells the story of Fridtjof Nansen who skied across Greenland and later lobbied for refugee rights after WWI (and received the Nobel Peace Prize for it!).
The museum also takes a look at other Arctic adventurers who are often overlooked. I appreciated that the museum took a good deal of time to also look at female explorers who made amazing accomplishments to lesser fanfare.
I learned stories of explorers such as Monica Kristensen Solås (a famed Arctic and Antarctic explorer) and Liv Arnesen (the first woman to reach the South Pole independently).
The stories are told compellingly with lots of English-language signage so it’s a great way to learn a bit more of the history of Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, and Norway’s outsized role in producing adventurers who braved and mapped these previously little-known polar regions.
Check out the Arctic Cathedral.
After checking out the Polar Museum, take a stroll across the beautiful Tromsø Bridge to the other side of the fjord, Tromsdalen.
The bridge is actually quite wide — over a kilometer long! — so allow around 15-20 minutes to reach the other side of the bridge. It’s a beautiful stroll though, and the views of the fjord as you cross it can’t be beat!
Once you reach the other side of the bridge, you will find the stunning Arctic Cathedral. This is an absolute wonder of architecture and it’s one of the most iconic landmarks of Tromsø.
Entrance to the Arctic Cathedral costs 90 NOK ($10 USD) and it’s well worth it to see this beauty, dedicated to and inspired by the arctic landscapes that surround it, from inside.
Take the Fjellheisen Cable Car.
Want the best view in Tromsø? It’s from the top of Storsteinen (420 meters or 1,380 feet) above sea level. After checking out the Arctic Cathedral, make your way over the Fjellheisen Cable Car Station, about a 15-minute walk from the Arctic Cathedral.
Note: You should definitely bring your crampons because this way can be really icy!
Taking the Fjellheisen is a must when in Tromsø. It’s a great place to take a walk and admire the views over the fjord from several different angles, as well having a lovely viewing platform and café where you can enjoy a late lunch or a traditional Norwegian snack like waffles with brown cheese and jam.
The Fjellheisen cable car is admittedly rather expensive – 645 NOK ($69 USD) for a roundtrip ticket for teens and adults. Kids under 12 get to ride free. But in my opinion, these views are worth the price: nothing beats the icy sight of fjords and islands in this snow-swept landscape.
You can also walk around (again, you’ll want your crampons for this — it can get really icy) to explore other areas of Storsteinen and the views they offer. But really, the viewing platform offers the best panorama. It’s great during the day as well as at night for spotting the Northern lights if they happen to appear over the city of Tromsø while you are there!
Have a nice meal & hope to spot the Northern lights.
While at the mountain station, be sure to visit Fjellstua Café, which has a nice selection of Scandinavian food at a reasonable price (for Norway, that is).
Depending on the time of year you visit, it’s well worth it to time your trip up the Fjellheisen cable car for golden hour, watch the sun set over the beautiful landscape and spend some time with a cup of coffee or late lunch / early dinner.
Note that because sunrise and sunset times vary so much depending on the month, this is hard for me to explain when you should go.
When I went in early February, the sun set at 3 PM, so I timed my trip up the cable car around 2 PM, walked around for an hour and watched the sunset, then spent some time with a coffee and waited for it to get dark.
I didn’t have the patience to stay all night hoping for a glimpse of the aurora, and I knew I had lots of opportunities to chase the Northern lights throughout the rest of my trip, so I headed back down without a glimpse of the lights.
The Fjellheisen Cable Car runs until midnight, so if you want to make the most of your ticket, you can stay up there late into the night f you wish and eat dinner at the café (it is open ’til 11:30 PM). If you prefer to eat a meal in Tromsø proper and/or go on a Northern lights tour outside the city, read the next section.
Having seen the views from both day and night, I can tell you both are beautiful. However, I think it’s best to see the view from daylight if possible and think of nighttime as a bonus if you have the patience!
If this is your only day in Tromsø, I’d suggest heading back down the cable car, returning to your hotel to freshen up, and going on an aurora tour if you have the time.
Day 2: Dog Sledding & Aurora Chasing in Northern Norway
Start the day with a dog sledding experience.
For your second day in Tromsø, be sure to eat a hearty hotel breakfast — you’re in for a workout today if you opt for a self-driving dog sledding tour. To me, this is the most essential part of any Arctic trip. I’ve gone dog sledding five times and it never stops being incredibly fun.
I highly suggest doing a self-drive dog sled tour if you are able to and you and your travel companions meet the age and safety requirements for the tour.
Want to learn more about what kind of dog sledding tour I suggest? I overview the differences between the two kinds of tours in my post on dog-sledding in Tromsø and suggest the best tour companies to go with.
This is the exact tour that I did and I loved the experience. What’s not to love, controlling your own dog sled as you zip through the snow with views of fjords and the Lyngen Alps surrounding you everywhere you look?
While you self-drive the dog sled, taking turns with a partner, you are traveling as part of a small group with several mushers and local guides. Don’t worry, they’re fully available to help you keep your dogs safe and not get lost while you embark on a winter adventure!
However, if you are traveling with young kids or you want a less active experience for whatever reason, a guided dog tour sled is also a great option. This basically means that a musher conducts the sled and you sit and enjoy it. It is less hands-on, but it’s also a great experience.
Personally, I have done four self-drive husky safaris and one musher-led tour. I much preferred the self-drive experience, but I can absolutely see the benefits of a musher-led dog sled tour, especially for families with kids or for those with mobility limitations.
Book your self-drive husky adventure or your musher-led tour!
Visit one of Tromsø‘s museums.
After your dog sled adventure, you’ll have some free time between your morning and evening activities. Use this time to see a few of the other sights in Tromsø that you didn’t get to see earlier.
I have visited at least a half dozen museums during my two trips to Tromso and here are my personal highlights:
One favorite museum was Perspective Museum (Perspektivet Museum), pictured above, which focuses on, well, different perspectives in Norway through the lens of photography. Admission is 95 NOK (~$11 USD) for adults and free for those under 18.
Another great museum is the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Northern Norwegian Art Museum, pictured above) which focuses on the fine art of Northern Norway.
Admission here is 110 NOK (~$13 USD) for adults and again, free for those under 18. There is discounted admission (50 NOK) for students.
I appreciated that they were dedicated to showing a diverse array of art including art by women and Sami artists.
Have an early dinner.
You’re in for a late night tonight when you chase the Northern lights, so be sure to eat a light early dinner to hold you over. Most Northern lights tours — at least the one I did! — include a dinner around the fire.
That said, this often won’t be until 10 PM or later, once you set up your aurora camp, so it’s better to be well-fed walking into your aurora tour!
I suggest eating at Bardus Bistro — the reindeer and lingonberry open-face sandwich was one of my favorite meals in Norway!
If you’re traveling on a budget, you can never go wrong with a Norwegian hot dog, whether it’s from a kiosk-type shop or from the famous sausage stand, Raketten Bar & Pølse. Try the reindeer-and-beef sausage for just 70 NOK (~$8 USD). But be prepared to stand in line for as long as 30 minutes!
Go on a minibus tour to see the Northern lights.
If there’s one essential tour during your first time in Tromsø, it’s a Northern lights minibus tour!
This is the best way to see the Northern lights because it is an activity specifically dedicated to chasing the lights wherever that may take you — even into neighboring Finland!
Some tours market themselves as Northern lights tours but they are stationary, meaning so your chances are far lower of seeing the lights. When you take a minibus tour specifically dedicated to seeing the lights, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see the beautiful aurora borealis!
If you think you want to chase the Northern lights multiple nights, I suggest starting with a Northern lights tour and seeing if you are satisfied.
Otherwise, pick other evening tours that have a chance of Northern lights. You can always switch activities (virtually all activities booked via GYG, my recommended tour booking platform, offer 24-hour free cancellation) if conditions change or you didn’t get to see the lights on your first try.
Day 3: Hit the Fjords & Meet Reindeer
Pick a whale-watching cruise or a fjord wildlife cruise
If you visit Tromsø in time for whale watching season, which runs from November through late January, then you really ought to make time for a whale watching cruise.
It is pretty much a full day endeavor and you will be quite tired afterward, but it’s well worth it: humpbacks, orcas, and other kinds of whales are all but guaranteed if you visit during the right time of the year.
Due to changing migration habits and food locations due to climate, the whales now are mostly found off the island of Skjervøy, which is rather far from Tromsø.
By sea, it takes a long time to get out there and it can be some pretty rough seas. If you are prone to seasickness, I recommend taking a tour that brings you to Skjervøy area by bus first, then you go out in a RIB boat, like this one which limits your time at sea without sacrificing the opportunity to whale watch.
Those tours are a little pricier but they are a lot more intimate, with a small group on the boat, plus you avoid the rough seas.
If you’re traveling on a budget, this electric-hybrid catamaran whale watching cruise is a lot easier on the wallet, but it does involve way more time at sea.
If you arrive in Tromsø in February or later, the whales will have already left. Don’t worry, though — you can do a wildlife fjord cruise where you can still see quite a bit.
However, we got to see sea eagles, pods of dolphins, and all sorts of other incredible Arctic wildlife, including sea eagles
If you are very prone to seasickness, the calmer waters of a Tromsø fjord cruise are a safer bet. The waters can be really rough out in Skjervøy area, so if that’s a concern, a more local fjord cruise is easier to manage.
Have lunch or spend time relaxing at the hotel.
Depending on what kind of tour you did, and whether food was included or not, it might be just about lunchtime!
In which case I suggest grabbing the lunch special at Mathallen, which is a delicious place to eat that has relatively affordable prices. But honestly, most places will have an affordable lunch menu that is about half the cost of a meal from the dinner menu.
Not feeling Norwegian food? Grab the lunch special at Burgr for a delicious burger and fries.
Do a Sami reindeer camp and Northern lights tour.
When in the Arctic, it’s a must to visit a Sámi reindeer farm for a variety of reasons. Of course, reindeer are adorable. But more importantly, I think it’s essential to have an understanding of the people whose ancestral lands you are visiting when you visit Tromsø.
I go into more detail on who the Sami people are and why reindeer are important to them in my article on reindeer sledding in Tromso.
For the sake of brevity in this already mega-detailed itinerary, I’ll just say that learning about Sámi culture and history is an integral part of being a responsible tourist in Norway. If you can afford it, booking tours that support the Sámi is one way to give back to a people who have been historically marginalized, oppressed, and erased throughout much of Norwegian history and society.
Supporting the preservation of the rich Sámi culture through supporting Indigenous tourism enterprises is an easy and enlightening way to ensure that Norway’s tourism riches extend to the Sámi people.
You could do this activity during the day, as I did, but I have spent nearly one full month in Tromso, so it was pretty easy for me to spread out my activities.
If you have a limited amount of time to dedicate to Tromsø, this is a great activity to do at night. The scenery is not especially jaw-dropping to where you absolutely need to see it during the daytime, and you can interact with reindeer just as well by night as you can by day!
Book your Sámi reindeer tour with Northern lights opportunity here!
If you go reindeer sledding, the sledding portion of the excursion lasts about 10 minutes, so the lack of daylight during this part of the tour isn’t a big deal. The majority of the tour experience takes place indoors in the lavvu, a traditional Sami tent.
This is where you’ll eat a meal (bidos or traditional Sami reindeer stew — vegetarian options also available) and then listen to Sámi storytelling and joiking (traditional Sami song, part of their oral tradition).
Since so much of the activity is inside, it’s a great option for nighttime. You’ll be far out from the light pollution of Tromsø which gives you a good shot of seeing the Northern lights if they are out and about that night!
If You Have More Than 3 Days…
This itinerary has so far jam-packed a lot of activities into it. If you have more than 3 days in Tromsø, you can simply spread the activities out so you are traveling at a more leisurely pace. If you want to do some other activities while in Tromsø, here are my top suggestions.
- Spend an afternoon relaxing and enjoying the MS Vulkana, a floating Arctic spa where you can jump into the Tromsø fjord for a cold plunge!
- Visit the calm Sommarøy fjords with its white sand beaches via boat, with a salmon picnic lunch on the way.
- Explore the area by snowmobile, or if you prefer a slower pace, by snowshoe
Where to Stay in Tromso in Winter
First things first: when it comes time to pick where to stay in Tromso in winter, book early. The best-priced rooms go fast, as accommodation is limited and Tromso is soaring in popularity.
Accommodation will be one of the pricier parts of your trip to Tromso, so be sure to budget accordingly. Expect to spend, even on the budget end of things, approximately $200 USD per night for a double room.
Budget: The best budget option in Tromso is hands-down Smarthotel Tromso.
It’s right in the heart of central Tromso, so it’s easy to get to all your activities, it has all the things you need in a hotel — 24 hour reception, comfortable beds, a work desk, some food available in the lobby.
Note that breakfast is not included in the price but can be added for a fee.
Mid-Range: If you want to stay in a chic boutique hotel that’s not overly fancy, Thon Hotel Polar is a fabulous choice.
The decor is irreverent yet modern with a polar theme. Breakfast is included and there is also a restaurant on-site should you want to dine in.
The location couldn’t be better, so it’s a fantastic choice for mid-range travelers to Tromso in winter.
Luxury: A few new luxury hotels have opened in Tromsø over the years, upping the ante. Whereas before there used to be mostly Nordic chains like Scandic and Thon at the upper end of the spectrum, St. Elisabeth Hotel is a beautiful luxury option.
The spa facilities are gorgeous and a great way to escape the cold, and their on-site fine dining is exquisite.
Travel Insurance for Tromsø
When planning any trip, especially a winter trip, be sure not to forget about travel insurance! I use SafetyWing and its Nomad Insurance to insure all of my trips for its affordable rates and comprehensive coverage for all my travel needs.
For a trip as expensive as traveling to Norway — and of course, weather as unpredictable as it is in the Arctic — it’s especially important to me that I have travel insurance coverage!
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance provides both travel insurance (coverage for trip delays, cancellations, interruptions — the likelihood of which increases in winter) and travel medical insurance (coverage for things like accidents, illnesses including Covid, etc. — also more likely in winter!).
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.