The best itinerary for a week in Tromso in Winter

Quite often, people plan on coming to Tromsø for 3/4 days, thinking there isn’t much to do apart from seeing the northern lights (that’s the kind of question I get regularly).

From my experience with this city, that isn’t enough, and for several reasons. First of all, in 3/4 days, you have no great guarantee of seeing the northern lights. When the weather is rubbish, it can drag on across that whole stretch, especially in winter when the weather is a real tease. And on top of that, in only 3/4 days, you’d miss out on brilliant activities and places to see, each one lovelier than the last.

That’s why I think a short week in the region gives you plenty to enjoy, plenty to do, and plenty to look at.

So I’m suggesting a one-week itinerary in Tromsø, in winter, based on the spots I love, the activities that are great fun, but also taking into account quite a few things like the short daylight hours, not rushing, and above all enjoying yourself without ending up completely shattered.

A few practical notes to start with

This itinerary works with or without a car. It’s optimised for those who have hired a car in Tromsø (or anywhere else around here, really), but for every day where a car is needed, I give you an equivalent for those who don’t drive.

• Driving on snow or ice here is relatively easy as long as you follow the common-sense rules, that shouldn’t be what puts the brakes on you 🙂 (ohohoh)
• Absolutely compare prices before you hire (on something like Discover Cars or Booking Cars)
• avoid electric cars in the middle of winter if you’re planning to chase the lights far out every evening

If you don’t have a car, then I’d suggest reading my article on what to do in Tromsø without a car which also has an itinerary made for that 🙂

In terms of accommodation, we’ll talk about it later but if you want to be in the centre, there are some interesting apartments like the Skaret by Vander. For a hotel in the centre my absolute top recommendation is the Dock 69 39 but it isn’t cheap.

Otherwise, since you have a car, you can take the chance to get out of the city, why not stay somewhere lovely nearby like the Ersfjordbotn Brygge?

Day 1: Exploring the city and the Fjellheisen cable car

Daytime: Walking around Tromsø, the Paris of the North

Before you go charging off into the region, I suggest starting with the pretty city of Tromsø, wandering its streets between the wooden houses, along the harbour, walking across the bridge and admiring the view all the way to the famous Arctic Cathedral. Tromsø is a very pleasant city to explore, with a few small cafés that do wonders when it’s cold!

Tromsø is nicknamed the Paris of the North and it’s true that it’s clearly one of the most beautiful cities in Norway, especially in winter under the snow. Right, I have to admit it doesn’t have much in common with Paris. That reputation came from its relationship with fashion, more than from its architecture.

So what I’d recommend above all:

• the really pretty city centre
• the little harbour
• the polarmuseet
• grabbing a hotdog and a mulled wine at the smallest restaurant/bar: the Raketten

Here are all the reasons to visit Tromsø 🙂

Sunset and evening: Fjellheisen

Maybe my favourite spot in Tromsø, taking the cable car up to Fjellheisen to look out over the city. You shouldn’t go up only in the evening for the lights, nor only in the daytime for a walk up there. So I go for sunset (the photo at the top of this article), with a 180° view over the mountains, and I wait for the lights to arrive. OK fine, if the sun sets early, that can mean a decent wait, but you can settle in up there, have dinner, grab a coffee and watch the city light up bit by bit. And if the lights join in, then it’s brilliant.

In winter, the wind up there can be freezing, but if you arrive early enough, you can go for some lovely walks!

Here’s more information about the Fjellheisen cable car

Day 2: discovering Kvaløya along the road to Tromvik

Daytime: the Tromvik road

Today, we’re off to explore the superb island of Kvaløya, mainly by taking the road that leads to Tromvik. But before that, don’t forget to stop at Ersfjordbotn, one of the most beautiful fjords in the region. Then, on the way to Tromvik, you’ll stop quite a few times because the road is great and runs along the east and north coast, but above all at the little village of Grøtfjord and its gorgeous fjord a bit further on. Finally, the fishing village of Tromvik is full of charm and is an ideal place to watch the sunset.
If you have a bit of time, carry on along the road to Rekvik, with some lovely viewpoints at Brosmetinden.

Evening: watching the northern lights at Grøtfjord

You’ll have seen it during the day, the Tromvik road has loads and loads of good spots for watching the northern lights. It’s very open to the north west, which is the best orientation, even if it isn’t an exact science. So how about going back into the Grøtfjord fjord, this time to wait for the lights? the setting is gorgeous and it isn’t too cold. You can also set yourself up above the village, which gives you a full panorama, but a bit more lit up by the village lights.

You can find other viewpoints for the northern lights in this article.

Alternative without a car

If you want to explore the surroundings without a car, taking the bus is impossible because there’s only one a day, it doesn’t stop anywhere, and you won’t be able to get back to Tromsø at the end of the day.

So you have to go through the agencies, which run trips into the fjords in particular to discover the Tromsø region, which is superb.

I’d particularly suggest The Green Adventure which is great and in a small group, or Jeshua, very good but by bus (and cheaper).

For the evening, start with a northern lights evening with a guide, because staying in Tromsø to see the lights and depending only on the weather is a bit bold! I’ve put 4 excellent agencies below.

4 northern lights agencies in Tromsø

Day 3: heading out to sea to see the whales, the fjords, or to fish

Daytime: Seeing the whales or going fishing with a local

Because Tromsø is also known for its marine wildlife (orcas, whales), it would be a shame not to make the most of it if it’s the right season. Generally, after the start of February, it gets complicated, but it changes every year and they move from one place to another, following the fish. Right now, whales and orcas are hanging about around the island of Skjervøy, 3h away by road. So doing that much driving can be a bit tiring. But there’s also a brand new electric boat that’s more respectful, in Tromsø.
The nice alternative, if you don’t want to go that far or if they’ve moved on, is to head out to sea with fishermen. 2-3 companies offer this in Tromsø and, having already done it in summer, it’s quite funny (especially for those who get seasick! remember to take some coke, it helps a lot). You can find out more about how to see whales and orcas in Tromsø

• See the whales with Brim Explorer

The nice alternative, if you don’t want to go that far or if they’ve moved on, is to do a boat trip out to sea with fishermen. 2-3 companies offer this in Tromsø and, having already done it in summer, it’s quite funny (especially for those who get seasick! remember to take some coke, it helps a lot).

Generally the fishing part is paired with a tour of the fjords. For example here with the lovely fishing boat Hermes II.

Finally, if you only want to explore the fjords by boat, I’d recommend the Brim Explorer boat trip. Comfortable, a tour of the fjords around Tromsø, a very recent and very quiet boat. Honestly good!

But in the following article, I list all the fjord boat trips!

Evening: watching the northern lights at Breivikeidet

Because there’s a good chance that after a trip out to sea we’ll be completely wiped out, especially if we’ve done the round trip to Skjervøy, we’re not going to go too far for this northern lights evening.

The Breivikeidet valley is a good place to see the northern lights, because it’s colder there (careful, yes, it can be freezing!) and the weather is often better there. In winter there are places to stop along the road, sometimes to head a bit deeper into the forest or take the little roads with nobody on them.
It’s 20min from Tromsø, so handy!

After that it’ll depend on the weather of course, so depending on where the clouds are, have a look in this article at the good spots for the northern lights, or head off to explore Kvaløya!

Day 4: Spending the day (and the evening) on Senja!

Daytime: exploring Senja

You can absolutely spend a day on Senja from Tromsø (by car or with an agency)! and honestly it isn’t a bad idea because the island is incredibly beautiful. Senja is stunning, so it’s worth spending a big day over there if night doesn’t fall too early (otherwise you really won’t have time to enjoy it).

Leave early to catch the ferry from Sommarøy to Senja, so you get there around 10am.

And from there, the magic happens. Do the fjord road, starting with Husøy, Fjordgard, then head off to Mefjordvaer, the famous Tungeneset mountains and the Bergsbotn platform (a superb viewpoint!).

If you still have time, carry on to Gryllefjord and its fantastic view from the bridge. But you can do a variation and go to Sifjord, for what is, in my opinion, the most beautiful view on the island as you come out of the tunnel. It knocks you sideways!

Ideally, the best way to do this trip is to sleep near the ferry the night before, so you don’t have too much driving beforehand and you’re not in a rush, like at the Sommaroy Arctic Hotel.

Evening: watching the northern lights on Senja

If the weather is good on Senja, take the chance to watch the northern lights! The place is perfect for it, there are loads of good spots (Tungeneset, Bergsbotn, Ballesvika…) but it’ll depend on the cloud cover. But it’s really something I’d recommend, even if it means getting back to Tromsø late!

Alternative: heading for the Signaldalen mountain

Fair warning, you’re going to get an eyeful. And not just from the destination, because the whole road is gorgeous. First you’ll head down to Nordkjosbotn, following the coast, two lovely fjords, and you have to stop at the Sorbotn campsite, there’s a magnificent view, the water in the fjord is partly frozen. Then you’ll get a view over a superb mountain range. They’re everywhere, you’ll want to stop all the time, watch out :p

You’ll take a little turning off the road, you’ll head towards Laksvatn, to get into a superb valley. From there, you carry straight on to the Naustbukta fjord where you can go down to the water.

Then, carry on to Lakelvbukt, you’ll be facing the Lyngen Alps, magnificent! If you have time you can carry on a bit further north, along the Lyngen. Jøvik is quite far but the road is lovely.
You can take the little Lakselvdalvegen road to get back onto the main road.

Once in Nordkjosbotn, you enter a lovely valley (where it’s a bit more freezing :p) and start to catch sight of the Lyngen Alps again. After Oteren, take the road signposted Signaldalen and the mountain will be right in front of you. Then, you’ll have loads of really great viewpoints for snapping away, and you can get closer to the river. More info and photos of Signaldalen here!

You can also carry on a bit further to Skibotn to treat yourself to a lovely view of the Lyngen. It’s the Northern Lights Road.

Day 5: going dog sledding

Daytime: dog sledding and a full dose of cuddles!

An activity you really shouldn’t skip in Norway. If you have enough snow (it does fall in abundance at that time of year), you can get your fill of doggos and thrills. Because first off the dogs are genuinely adorable, they love their job and they let you know it! And then, dog sledding is a funny and physical activity. It pulls on your arms, your abs, your thighs. And you can end up tasting the snow if you don’t hold on properly 😀

It’s really one of the best moments of a stay in Tromsø, so I’d encourage you to do it even if it costs quite a lot. There are several operators, in the following article I give you the different dog sledding agencies in Tromsø, but I’d recommend choosing the one at Breivikeidet, for the superb view. You’re facing the Lyngen Alps.

If you have a car, you can go to Quentin’s little kennel, in Malangen, it’s very friendly!

Alternative: going out on snowshoes

It would also be a shame not to take the chance to taste the snow a bit closer up.

It’s very easy to hire snowshoes or cross-country skis, for example at Tromso Outdoor. You’ll find loads of trails in Tromsø itself, or at Kattfjordvatnet, but let’s go instead to the Breivikeidet valley, a superb, very wild valley, where you’ll find absolutely nobody apart from a few skiers. There are several starting points, but it really depends on what they’ve cleared of snow. Actually the simplest is really Kattfjordvatnet, now I think about it.

If you’d rather, or if you don’t have a car, you can go with a guide. Done it before, it’s really nice too.

ALTERNATIVE: why not go snowmobiling? that’s another very outdoorsy activity, with big thrills! Especially as most of the tours take place in the Lyngen Alps. Hard to do better! It comes at a price, around 280€, but if you have your licence, you won’t regret it 🙂

• I’d recommend Camp Troll in the Lyngen Alps

Evening: watching the northern lights on the Kvaløyvågen road

The Kvaløyvågen road is probably the best place to watch the northern lights, in terms of orientation. Because you have east/north/west wide open, and on top of that the setting, right by the water, is really nice. A bit popular with the tours, which is understandable. You need to stop 5/10min after avoiding the tunnel to Ringvassøya, just after passing some abandoned cabins. The view is completely open, sitting on the pebbles, you’re pretty comfortable. And on top of that you’re not too far from the city.

Day 6: off to Sommarøy

Daytime: the road to Sommarøy

The second road you shouldn’t miss on Kvaløya (doable by car or with an agency). First off, Sommarøy is a superb little archipelago, with paradise beaches, transparent water, fine white sand, water at 5°, and a wind that would straighten a sheep’s curls. But it’s great. It’s the new fashionable spot, quite a lot of building work is going on. The road to get there is also worth its weight in gold, between fjords and reindeer, frozen water and mountains.

Alternative without a car: seeing the reindeer

It’s true that I haven’t mentioned it until now, but you can absolutely go and see the reindeer and discover Sami culture! They’re the indigenous people of the region, the first inhabitants, and the only ones allowed to herd reindeer, friendly animals but a bit clumsy.

Unfortunately it’s impossible to go to a farm on your own, as they’re organised visits at fixed times you absolutely have to book. I explain all that in my article dedicated to reindeer in Tromsø (with a few places to see them in the wild, with a bit of luck).

Evening: watching the northern lights at Sommarøy

Since it’s an archipelago, there are loads of great viewpoints, very well oriented. On the island itself, but you need to get a bit away from the lights by going to the north west tip, or else along the 2-3 km just before the bridge. You’ll find little beaches, rocks, views of the mountains, but also the pretty Sommarøy bridge from a distance. Here, really, viewpoints are not what you’ll be short of 🙂 But watch out for the wind, it doesn’t mess about!
While you wait for the lights, Sommarøy has 2-3 cafés and restaurants where you can settle down in the warm. You don’t necessarily need to go back to Tromsø if you have all your stuff with you.

Day 7: discovering the Lyngen Alps

Daytime: a trip around the Lyngen Alps

For your last day, the Lyngen Alps will give you an eyeful. There are two possible ways to do it. Via the south, but you’ve already taken that road to get to Signaldalen, or via the Breivikeidet to Svensby ferry.

So to get there, I’d suggest taking the ferry fairly early (especially if the days are short). Then head north to start with. You’ll be driving along the most beautiful mountains in the area, with the hike to Blavatnet as an option.

Then, come back down towards Lyngenseidet, with a magnificent fjord before you reach the town. If you have time, I’d suggest going north, to Koppangen, it’s really lovely.

Finally, to get back to Tromsø, you can take the road (that’s more than 1h30) that goes around the Lyngen to the south or take the ferry, it depends how much time you have and whether you want to do a lot of driving or not.

Alternative without a car: ice fishing

Fancy trying the locals’ favourite winter activity? (along with ski touring of course). Every weekend or after work, plenty of Tromsø residents head out onto the frozen fjords to go fishing.

They drill a hole with a sort of giant screwdriver (you can tell I know all the technical terms), drop their line in and wait. With the birds waiting alongside to grab the leftovers.

Either you hire the gear (you can do that in town, in the sports shops or in the fishing shop in the centre) or else you can go with an agency. There’s a really great, very local one that will take you far from the city to a place where few people go, it’s Total Adventures.

Evening: an activity under the northern lights

Finally, to round off this trip in style, I’m suggesting an activity that always goes down well: seeing the northern lights but not only that. In Tromsø, you now have the chance to see them in a different setting, combining it with another activity:

• by boat
• while dog sledding
• on a snowmobile
• with the reindeer

So several really nice options. Apparently dog sledding under the lights is great, I haven’t done it yet but it’s really something I’d like to do.

• the snowmobiling takes place at Camp Tamok, 1h15 south of Tromsø in the middle of superb mountains, 195€
  • Info and booking
• the dog sledding also takes place at Camp Tamok. As well as the outing under the lights, you also get to cuddle the dogs, 205€
  • Info and booking
• seeing the reindeer on a Sami farm, at night with the northern lights if you’re lucky, is possible with Tromso Lapland. Learn more about Sami culture,120€
  • Info and booking
• going on a cruise to see the northern lights, board a comfortable boat in the evening to sail the Tromsø fjords looking for the lights, 80€
  • Info and booking

Notes

Suggesting an itinerary for Tromsø in winter is a bit of a gamble. Because there are a huge number of things to take into account.

First off, the days are short! You might only have 4/5h of daylight. Or 12, depending on whether you go at the end of December in Tromsø (winter solstice, the longest night, on the 21st) or in March, for example (equinox on the 21st).

But the weather will also make a big difference. If it’s rubbish out, snowshoeing isn’t great. In extreme cold, you’ll want to avoid the hikes. For my part, my favourite activity is still exploring the roads, the little ones, to get new views, new playgrounds for the northern lights in particular.

Finding a hotel in Tromsø

Finding somewhere to stay in Tromsø isn’t necessarily straightforward. There isn’t a huge amount on offer and it’s mostly very expensive. But by booking early, by travelling outside high season, you get access to the few hotels that aren’t too pricey and to the nice hotels like the Thon Hotel, the Radisson or the Scandic.

In the following article, I explain how to find your accommodation in Tromsø, I list and compare the main hotels in the city, trying to cover every budget.

4 recommended places to stay in Tromsø

Find your dream accommodationIn Tromso !

In conclusion

Obviously, this is only a suggestion based on the huge range of possible activities, and on perfect weather. It isn’t necessarily to be followed to the letter. If you don’t much like driving, then maybe you shouldn’t go to Signaldalen. If you don’t like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, you can also just walk in the same places. And for the northern lights suggestions, feel free to change them or move them around depending on the weather. If it’s rubbish at Kvaløyvågen, it can be magnificent at Signaldalen. There’s a list of the best places to watch the northern lights in Tromsø.

And by the way, if you want to go through an agency to see the northern lights, there’s the list of the best guides in Tromsø.

Which shows that you can have fun, get an eyeful and enjoy Tromsø easily for a week 🙂

All this comes at a cost, and if you want to plan ahead a bit, you can work out the budget for a trip to Tromsø in this article.

Also, do have a look at the infographic in the following article to find out when to go to Tromsø, and whether it fits the activities you want to do.

Finally, this itinerary doesn’t include a stop on Senja. But it’s very easy to fit in because it’s right next door! In the following article, I tell you how to get to the island of Senja.

List of articles about Tromsø:

• What to do in Tromsø
• 2-week itinerary between Tromsø, Senja and the Lofoten islands
• All the activities in Tromsø in winter
• When to go to Tromsø
• Where to stay in Tromsø
• Discovering the island of Kvaløya
• the essential map of Tromsø
• How much a trip to Tromsø costs
• How to visit Tromsø without a car
• Going to Tromsø between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Information about the ferry between Tromsø and Senja
• Everything about the ferry between Tromsø and the Lyngen Alps
• Discovering Tromsø by boat
• Going snowmobiling in Tromsø
• The best northern lights agencies in Tromsø
• The best places to see the northern lights
• Going dog sledding in Tromsø
• Seeing the whales in Tromsø
• Seeing the reindeer in Tromsø
• Where to hire a car in Tromsø
• An itinerary for Tromsø in summer – what to do day by day when the sun never sets