Seeing the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, is a Bucket List item for many people. Despite the lights having appeared briefly (and faintly) over our home in the UK recently, the experience somehow didn’t feel real and left me wanting to see them in a Northern Lights hotspot. With reports of the strongest solar activity in 10 years, then now is a great time to plan a Tromso city break in Norway.
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Why book a Tromso city break in winter?
Tromso is regularly ranked as one of the top places in Europe, and the world, to see the Northern Lights. This is due to its latitude location (69° 39’ North), over 300 km (186 miles) above the Arctic Circle (approximately 66° 33’ North), hence Tromso’s nickname the Gateway to the Arctic. As a result, Tromso is well set up for Aurora Tourism and is a key hub for Northern Lights Photography tours.
Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap for seeing the Northern Lights in Tromso
Companions – couples, friends, families with older children
Tromso in winter should appeal to anyone who likes snowy landscapes, wildlife and natural phenomenon. On this occasion, I travelled with my university-aged daughter to Tromso. On our guided tours, we met a mix of travellers from Asia, Australia and Europeans; interestingly, not from North America, as I guess there are Northern Lights closer to home in Alaska and Canada.
Most of the people we met were travelling in couples, with friends, or with older children. The younger children on our guided tours were struggling a bit with long drives in the van and cold temperatures – many of them slept on the minibus and stayed on board throughout the Northern Lights sightings when it was dark and cold outside.
That said, there is plenty to do on a Tromso city break with younger children – day-time husky sledding, a visit to the Sami reindeer farm, sledging, Aquarium and lots more, although I am not writing about this here.
Type of trip – City break
In summer, when driving conditions are good, Tromso makes a great jumping point for a road trip to the Lofoten Islands archipelago. However, in winter, when road tripping is not advisable due to the weather and road conditions, basing yourself in Tromso for a city break is a great idea.
There seems to be a lot going on in Tromso, so check out my blog about What to do in Tromso on a 3-day winter stay in Norway for ideas about what to do and see.
Best of both worlds
The beauty of a Tromso city break is that you are surrounded by stunning landscapes which are easily accessed without travelling very far – so you get the best of both worlds, city and scenery. The basic geography of the area is as follows:
- The city of Tromso sits on the east side of Tromsoya island, just off the mainland of Northern Norway.
- Tromsoya island is surrounded by Tromsoysundet Strait, part of the Arctic Ocean, and connects to Tromsofjord with snowy mountains as a backdrop to the water and city.
- To the east, Tromsoya island is connected to the mainland suburb of Tromsdalen by the Tromso Bridge and the Tromsoysund Tunnel.
- To the west side, Tromsoya island is connected to the suburb of Kvaloysletta on the island of Kvaloya by the Sandnessund Bridge.
- You can drive over to Kvaloya, Norway’s 5th largest island, to picturesque Sommeroya (Summer Island) for a wonderful day out along the Arctic Fjords but take a tour.
So, even on a short city break, you can experience a great balance of town time and incredible landscape scenery. Incredible views surround Tromso, from the easily accessible Fjellheisen Cable Car viewpoint, to further afield around the north Norwegian fjords.
When to travel to Tromso?
Tromso is a year-round destination; however, if your goal is to see the Northern Lights, then head to Tromso between September and late March when the Aurora most typically appear. To increase your chances of success, visit during the Polar Night period, when the skies are darker.
Polar Night period
The Polar Night period runs from late November to mid-January when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all. During the Polar Night period, for a few hours a day you may be treated to atmospheric blue twilight. In the second week of January, we enjoyed this twilight between 10am and 2pm and were treated to a pastel pink glow on the horizon as the sun prepares to make a full appearance later in the month.
As light is limited during the Polar Night period, then the city of Tromso ‘goes to town’ lighting up its houses, shops, bridges and sculptures with tasteful white lights which look incredibly pretty against the dark skies.
This was one of the first things we noticed about Tromso, when travelling from the airport to our hotel late at night – how pretty the white wooden houses looked with strings of white lights and simple paper star lights in the windows. Understated, but impactful style – no tacky lights in sight!
The Polar Night season officially ends on 21 January on Soldagen (Sun Day) when the run finally rises above the horizon, all but briefly, after months of darkness. There are big celebrations in Tromso on Soldagen when many Solboller (Sun Buns) are eaten at gatherings and festivities.
Temperatures – unsurprisingly, it is cold during the Polar Night season without the sun to warm things up. However, Tromso is protected to some degree by the Gulf Stream which keeps the waters of Tromsoysundet Strait warmer and prevents them from freezing over.
Daytime temperatures in Tromso in January average around –6 C. However, the temperature drops at night and when you move further inland or into the mountains. So, if you are planning on taking an evening Northern Lights safari trip, be prepared for much lower temperatures.
However, don’t worry too much about the temperatures as Tromso has adapted to the arctic cold and polar nights – if you wear the right warm clothing, then you can enjoy exploring a city bathed in fairy lights, participate in cosy cafe culture, take a sauna, visit a museum in one of the well-insulated wooden buildings, or even try out an arctic sport. It’s all part of the charm of the city.
Where to explore on your trip
On a Tromso city break, exploring downtown Tromso is very easy as it’s so compact.
Research – Unusually for me, I didn’t use a guidebook to plan our Tromso city break in winter, instead choosing to source relevant blogs online and save Instagram posts for research. Social media provided me with endless reels and posts about Tromso – what to wear, see and expect. The more posts I saved on Instagram, the more the algorithm gave me, but it was very useful (and timely) intelligence.
GYG App and website – I also used the Get Your Guide (GYG) App to generate ideas for tours and activities which were available on the dates of our visit.
Tours – there are so many potential tours that we will wish you were staying for 10 days, such as:
- Northern Lights focused tours.
- Husky Dog Sledding – guided or self-drive.
- Visit the Sami Reindeer Village to learn about Sami culture and meet the reindeer.
- Explore the Arctic Fjords and islands including Kvaloya and Sommeroya.
- Whale watching trips from November to January.
As a result, the temptation might be to overschedule, so make sure to leave enough time for wandering and exploring downtown Tromso as well. For ideas about what to see, check out my blog What to do in Tromso on a 3-day winter stay in Norway.
Budget and bookings – flights, cars and accommodation
Easily accessible from the UK
Tromso is easily accessible from the UK with direct flights leaving from several airports around the country. We were able to fly directly from Manchester with Norwegian airline in 2.5 hours (EasyJet also operates). It’s a very popular route and ourflight was full in the second week of January.
Tip – try to book a left-hand side window seat as you might just see the Northern Lights as you fly into Tromso. My daughter did!
Hire Car
There’s no need to rent a car for a Tromso city break in winter as:
- The airport is just 15 minutes from downtown and there are plenty of green taxis waiting outside, even if you arrive late at 11.30pm.
- There’s a great local bus service that you can use to get around and out to the Arctic Cathedral and Fjellheisen Cable Car.
- If you book guided tours, you travel in their minibus vans and some even pick you up from your hotel, so that you don’t need to drive yourself.
Note – tourists are advised not to hire a car in winter because of the hazardous driving conditions. On our guided tour of the Arctic Fjords, we saw 6 stranded hire cars which had come off the road and landed in a ditch, waiting to be towed out.
In addition to the hazard of snow and ice on the road, there is also the risk of wildlife, such as reindeer, running out in front of cars which might cause you to swerve, and end up in that ditch.
Accommodation
There is a good range of accommodation available in Tromso, which you can access on the website Booking.com
Although not cheap, we enjoyed our stay in a Twin Room at The Dock 69 39 Hotel – great location, helpful staff, great breakfast buffet and a rooftop bar or viewing area should Lady Lights appear!
Organised Tours
With so many different options to choose from, setting priorities for your Tromso city break will help you decide what to sign up for.
We decided to prioritise trying to see the Northern Lights in the limited time that we had, so the reindeer, huskies, sauna and museums will have to wait for another time. Check out my blog about What to expect on a Northern Lights photography tour in Tromso, Norway.
Book tours early as they do fill up quickly, especially the husky sledding and Northern Lights tours. I tried to book a husky tour with a guide driving the sled, but they were all booked up on our dates.
Costs
There’s no getting away from it, but the costs of a Tromso city break can add up and become quite expensive, particularly once you start booking tours. Aside from selecting your tours carefully, other ways to keep costs down might include:
Use public transport – take the public bus (Number 26) to the Arctic Cathedral and on to the Fjellheisen Cable car, rather than using the more expensive Cable Car Shuttle Bus from the Tourist Office.
Alternatively, walk across Tromso Bridge to the Arctic Cathedral and then pick up the Number 26 bus from there to the Cable Car.
Only visit the Fjellheisen Cable Car if the weather conditions are clear as it is very expensive, and you are really paying for the view at the top – if it’s cloudy then you will wish you’d hung onto your money.
Eat cheaply (sometimes):
Visit the ‘World’s most northerly MacDonalds’.
Pick up a Reindeer Hot Dog from Raketten Bar & Pølse.
Check out the small food trucks or kiosks around town, such as the ‘Soup Bar’ in front of the Tourist Office Shop, or the French crepe food truck in front of Raketten bar & Polse.
Tax Refunds – if you buy anything substantial whilst you’re in Tromso, then keep your receipts and apply for a Tax Refund at the airport before you leave. This can save you around 19% on purchases if you complete the appropriate form.
The clothing you need for your winter trip to Tromso can also be expensive, so for ideas about keeping these costs down see the following section.
What to pack for your trip
Check out my blog What to pack for a trip to Tromso in winter for some ideas about what to pack for a Tromso city break.
Travel in Confidence
Before any trip, do the following homework:
Check FCDO Travel Advice
Check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice, or the advice of the equivalent body in your country of residence. At the time of travel, there were no specific concerns for the Tromso region.
Make sure you have the correct documentation for Norway
Passports and visas
Norway follows Schengen area rules. UK citizens can enter Norway for up to 90 days in any 180-day period as tourists (at the time of writing).
Passports need to be valid for at least 3 months from the date of entry (and not be more than 10 years old).
Note – check the requirements for your nationality before travelling as it may be different to the above.
Driving documents (if relevant)
You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Norway for up to 90 days.
Please note that, if driving in Norway, the drink driving limits are much stricter than the UK – the limits are a quarter of England’s legal limit of alcohol in your system. There are frequent roadside checks for alcohol, with fines or imprisonment for those over the limit.
Take out the right Travel Insurance
Take out the best insurance that you can afford to cover you in case of an accident. We find AIG travel insurance to be very good, with a 24-hour Helpline if needed.
Access to healthcare
UK nationals can use their UK passport to access free state-provided medical treatment in hospitals if required but may need to pay for GP trips. You can also use the European Health Insurance Card to access healthcare in Norway if you have one.
Mother Nature – weather conditions
Monitor local weather forecasts for Tromso, so that you know what is happening in the area and can pack accordingly. About 10 days before we travelled there was an Arctic storm blasting through Tromso during which time visitors were advised to stay indoors – this gave me a reality check about what we could experience on our visit (but luckily didn’t).
Language
English is widely spoken in addition to Norwegian. We found everyone to be very helpful and friendly when conversing with them.
Currency
The local currency is the Norwegian Krona, but cards are accepted in most places. We took a small amount of Krona with us but didn’t feel that it was needed.
If you’re struggling to work out your spending in Norwegian Krona, then use the handy Currency Converter function on the iPhone calculator (if using IOS). Whilst the rate of exchange might not be exact, it will be in the right ballpark.
Tipping for service is not expected in Norway, but optional.
After your trip
To help make your Tromso trip last a little longer:
Leave reviews – leaving reviews for the tour operators you have used and the places you have visited or restaurants visited, is one of the best ways to help the travel community. I use TripAdvisor all the time to get a real sense of a place, so I like to be active with my reviews in return. I also left reviews of all the tours we’d taken on the relevant tour company sites.
Edit and save your photos to the cloud – I hope that you will be leaving Tromso with some incredible photos of the Aurora Borealis on your trip. If so, enjoy editing these and then saving them on the cloud for longevity. No one wants to lose their photos of the magical Northern Lights!
Write your list of what you would do next time – write a few notes somewhere on what you would do next time if you returned to Tromso. I am hoping for a future trip to Tromso, next time in the summer months as an entry point to road trip through the Lofoten archipelago, so capturing some ideas for a return visit is useful.
Final thoughts...
If you’re planning a Tromso city break in winter specifically to see the Northern Lights then you will need to manage your expectations as nature is at play here – Mother Nature may grant you sightings of the Northern Lights, or she may not.
So, it’s important to make the most of our time in Tromso, and make other special memories, just in case the lights don’t show – view Aurora sighting as a very special bonus!
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Enjoy your travels!
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