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If you are in TROMSO there is a good chance that you also want to discover the fabulous island of Senja. And you are right! It is simply my favorite place in Norway. Fjords, mountains, fantastic views.
But to get to Senja, you have two possibilities. First by road, via the superb road that goes along the fjords until Nordkjosbotn and then Olsborg. Or by ferry, from Sommaroy, or rather Brensholmen on the island of Kvaloya (1h15 from Tromso).
As I received a lot of questions about this ferry which is now open all year round, here is all the useful information you need. Schedules, prices, availability… Let’s find out.
Upcoming departures for the ferry between Tromsø (Brensholmen) and Senja (Botnhamn)
What are the ferry schedules between Tromso and Senja
First of all, you can find this information on the website of Torghatten Nord which is the ferry company that runs this route (and many others in the area).
The ferry is available all year round! For almost two years now, you can take it in summer and winter.
The timetable differs:
- low season: from September 11 to April 20
- high season: from April 21 to September 10
Here are the ferry schedules (which you can also find find here). Attention, it’s not easy, we will separate low season and high season, week days, week end:
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- From Tromso to Senja:
- monday to Friday
- 8:45 am / 10:45 am / 3 pm / 5 pm / 7 pm / 8:45 pm (10:15 pm on Friday)
- saturday
- 8:45 am / 10:45 am / 12:45 pm / 5 pm / 7 pm
- sunday
- 10:15 am / 12:15 / 5 pm / 7 pm / 8:45 pm / 10:15 pm
- monday to Friday
- From Senja to Tromso
- monday to Friday
- 8am / 9:45 am / 2 pm / 4pm / 6pm / 8pm (9:30 on Friday)
- saturday
- 8am / 9:45am / 11:45am / 4pm / 6pm
- sunday
- 9:30 am / 11:15 am / 4 pm / 6 pm / 8 pm / 9:30 pm
- monday to Friday
- From Tromso to Senja:
Important: the ideal site/app to plan your trips is Entur.no which of course contains the ferry schedules. Super convenient!
Prices and booking
First of all, it’s not necessary to make a reservation. In fact, it’s not even possible. So you have to arrive a little bit in advance. This ferry is mainly for people who go to their weekend home on Senja, and they hardly go there in winter. So there is room.
Just arrive 30 minutes before, it’s fine.
For the prices (which you can also see on this site), it’s quite simple. If you have Autopass Ferje you pay via the toll tag, and you get a 10% discount.
If you don’t have Autopass, then you pay to the person passing by with their payment terminal.
Well, the prices of this ferry Tromso – Senja:
- Pedestrians and bicycles: free
- Normal car: 228 NOK (about 20€)
- For other sizes, it varies every 2 meters, see the picture below
- Electric cars: 160 NOK
📍 Vangsvik · By the fjord, at the entrance to Ånderdalen park (888 reviews)
Aurora cabins and a lighthouse set by the fjord, each with its own hot tub, at the entrance to Ånderdalen national park.
- Private hot tub and sauna facing the water
- Fjord view from the bed through floor-to-ceiling windows
- Ånderdalen national park trails right outside the cabins
From €79 / night Free cancellation
📍 Hamnveien 1145 · At the end of the road, south-west coast (1,670 reviews)
A hotel village at the end of the road on the south-west coast, facing the fjord, in a quiet that almost every review points out.
- Fjord-facing location mentioned in nine reviews out of ten
- Generous, very fresh breakfast with plenty of choice
- Spacious apartments, some with two bathrooms
From €124 / night Free cancellation
📍 Senjahopen · Fishing village of Mefjordvær (1,315 reviews)
A former fishing village turned into a hotel right on the water, an ideal base for taking on the peaks of Senja.
- Rooms right at the water's edge, bedding often singled out
- Starting point for Segla and the island's hikes
- Restaurant on site, breakfast praised in most reviews
From €130 / night Free cancellation
📍 Stonglandseidet · Panorama over the fjord (609 reviews)
A modern hotel with a fully glazed common room over the panorama, semi-free-ranging reindeer and owners who look after every detail.
- Common room with huge picture windows over the fjord
- Owners praised for their advice, snowshoe rental
- Hot buffet breakfast, dinner on request
From €166 / night Free cancellation
Should I take this ferry between Tromso and Senja instead of the road
Honestly it depends. Will it save you time? Not necessarily.
From the center of Tromso, it takes 1h15 to go to Brensholmen. Then 30 minutes by ferry. So with the wait, let’s say 2 hours. But we arrive in Botnhamn which is at the east of the island.
Whereas Tromso – center of Senja by the road, it is more than 3h.
So I would say that we gain comfort by not driving. But the road is beautiful! Financially speaking, not sure that it is very different in one way or the other.
So I would advise to do a trip by ferry, another one by car !
In conclusion
There you go, I think you know everything! As soon as the schedules change for the new year I will update them, but for now you know that this ferry runs all year round, that you need to turn up a little early (watch out on Friday for the weekend, and on the Sunday evening run), and that you have nothing to pay because it is all automatic.
If you are doing a road trip in northern Norway, is it worth taking this ferry to save a bit of time? Yes if you are already over towards Sommarøy, it lets you cross Senja from east to west, which is handy. But in this article I go through every way of getting to Senja.
