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Tromsø guide

Where to Stay in Tromsø

A neighbourhood guide to Tromsø hotels, from a harbourfront Skybar address to a quayside tour hub, a Net Zero sauna hotel, a free-breakfast mid-ranger and a budget base.

Tromsø is small, and almost everything a visitor wants sits on the island of Tromsøya, within a ten minute walk of the harbour. That makes the choice easier than in most cities: all five hotels we recommend are in the centre, so your decision comes down to the view, the breakfast, the sauna and the budget rather than the neighbourhood. The cathedral, the Polar Museum and Polaria are all within walking distance, tours collect from hotels or from the quay, and the airport is a short drive away. The main trade-off is between the waterfront, with harbour views and a livelier scene, and a streetside address that costs less.

The waterfront

Staying on the harbour puts you by the quay where boats and tours depart. Clarion Hotel The Edge at Kaigata 6 is the one to pick if you want the middle of everything, with the cathedral about a minute away, a rooftop Skybar and the pier of the whale-watching boat at the same address. It has 290 rooms and no onsite parking, so it suits travellers on foot or with tour pickups.

On the quay

Scandic Ishavshotel at Fredrik Langes gate 2 is a quayside hotel with harbour views, a restaurant and bar and a breakfast buffet. Several tours, including husky sledding and snowshoeing, meet at its door, so it is a convenient choice if you plan a lot of activities. It does not mention a sauna or a gym, which is the one thing to weigh.

Net Zero and sauna

Radisson Blu Hotel, Tromsø at Sjøgata 7 is a large waterfront hotel with 269 rooms, a tenth-floor sauna and fitness centre with fjord views, two restaurants and a pub. It is Verified Net Zero and Green Key certified. If a sauna after an aurora chase appeals, this is the best of the five for that.

Good value in the middle

Thon Hotel Polar at Grønnegata 45 is a recently renovated mid-range hotel with a free breakfast buffet, an attached restaurant and polar bear touches in the rooms. It is about a minute from the cathedral and six minutes from Polaria, and it offers the best breakfast value of the group.

The budget base

Smarthotel Tromsø at Vestregata 6 has compact modern rooms, self check-in, a 24-hour kiosk and an activity desk. It is a short walk from the cathedral and about seven minutes by car from the airport. Choose it if you will spend most of your time on tours and want to put the money into experiences.

How to choose

Pick the Clarion if you want the harbour and the Skybar, the Scandic for tour convenience, the Radisson for the sauna, the Thon for breakfast value and the Smarthotel for the lowest price. All are walking distance from the main sights, and none is far from the Fjellheisen cable car by bus.

Practical tips

Book early for December, January and February, when the aurora and the polar night bring demand, and for the whale season. Ask about breakfast, since some rates include it and others charge, and ask whether the hotel can store luggage on tour days. Parking is limited and paid in the centre, and you do not need a car for the town. A room facing the harbour or the mountains is worth requesting for the light.

Mentioned in this guide

Do

Northern Lights Big Bus Chase from Tromsø

The classic Tromsø evening: a coach of fellow aurora hunters, a guide who reads the cloud maps and drives until the sky clears, and a free gallery of photos at the end. The best-reviewed and best-value way to chase the Northern Lights.

Do

Silent Whale Watching by Hybrid-Electric Boat

Orcas and humpbacks follow the herring into the fjords of northern Norway each winter, and a quiet hybrid-electric boat takes you to them. The season runs roughly from early November to the end of January, so it is on now, but it is a long day and sightings are never guaranteed.

Do

Polaria Arctic Aquarium

Tromsø's Arctic aquarium and science centre on the harbour: bearded seals that are trained and fed three times a day, tanks of fish and king crab from the northern seas, a panorama cinema showing the Northern Lights and two exhibitions on Arctic climate. The best wet-weather and dark-day plan in town.

Do

Self-Drive Husky Dog Sledding

Drive your own team of huskies through the snowy countryside outside Tromsø. A four-hour afternoon with thermal suits and boots provided, a short lesson, a hot drink and cake, and one of the highest-rated activities in the city.

Do

Fjellheisen Cable Car

A four-minute cable car ride from the Tromsdalen side to Storsteinen, 421 metres above the sea, for the best view of Tromsø, the fjords and, on a clear dark night, the Northern Lights. Open daily until midnight, with a mountain cafe at the top.

Stay

Clarion Hotel The Edge

A large harbourfront hotel at Kaigata 6 with a rooftop Skybar, a restaurant and bar on the ground floor and the cathedral and museum quarter on the doorstep. Our pick for first-timers who want the middle of Tromsø and the waterfront in one address.

Stay

Scandic Ishavshotel

A quayside hotel on the Tromsø waterfront with harbour views, a restaurant and bar, a well-reviewed breakfast and the meeting point for several tours at its door. A comfortable mid-to-upper choice for an active winter break.

Stay

Radisson Blu Hotel, Tromsø

A waterfront Net Zero hotel on Sjøgata with 269 rooms, a fjord-view sauna on the tenth floor, two restaurants and a pub. A solid, well-equipped choice that is a minute from the cathedral.

Stay

Thon Hotel Polar

A newly renovated mid-range hotel on Grønnegata with a free breakfast buffet, a restaurant attached and polar bear touches in the rooms. Good value in the middle of town, a minute from the cathedral.

Stay

Smarthotel Tromsø

The budget pick: compact modern rooms at Vestregata 6, self check-in kiosks, a 24-hour kiosk and an activity desk that books aurora, whale and husky trips. Central, simple and good value for travellers who spend their days out.