A Tromso Northern Lights Tour: Everything You Need to Know!

Are you thinking about booking a Tromso Northern Lights tour? If so, here’s our experience on a tour and everything you need to know!

Tromso isn’t called the city of the Northern Lights for nothing. It’s one of the best places in the world to spot the natural phenomenon, plus, since it’s located within the aurora oval, you have a much higher chance of spotting the lights.

We recently took a 3-day trip to Tromso on a mission to spot the Northern Lights and decided our best chance was to go on a tour. This ended up being 100% the right decision, and we got lucky and saw an amazing northern lights show.

But initially, we debated whether a tour was the right choice.

So, if you’re debating this too, here’s why you absolutely need to go on a northern lights tour in Tromso and our experience on the tour.

*This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, read our disclaimer.

❤️ We highly recommend this Northern Lights Tour in Tromso – just wait until you see the photos!

What to Expect on a Northern Lights Tour in Tromso

A northern lights tour is easily one of the best things to do in Tromso. We’ve taken two different Northern Lights tours from Tromso: a traditional bus tour and an aurora safari camp tour.

We enjoyed both of these a lot, but this blog is going to be specifically about the big bus tour.

👉 If you are curious about the safari camp, check out this comparison post about the best Northern Lights tours in Tromso.

The start of the tour

Some tours offer hotel pick-up, but most will give you a meeting point in the city centre. For this tour, we met the guides outside the Northern Shot s tourist office in the city at 17:30.

There was a waiting room where we could relax until the tour was ready to start. Then, we all hopped on the bus and began the drive.

The first thing our guides did was introduce themselves and tell us where we would be heading that night. We had two guides, Barbara and Tommy, and they were both very knowledgeable about the aurora.

They told us there was a lot of cloud cover over Tromso, so they decided the safest bet was to drive inland, away from the coast and towards the Finnish border.

The northern lights shining above the tour bus in Tromso, Norway

Barbara said we would make a few stops on the way as we might be able to see something, but if there is too much cloud, we might drive all the way to Finland!

The drive was around 2 and a half hours, so it was a fair distance, but if it increased our chances of seeing the lights, we were okay with this. That’s why we were there after all!

But first, our guides talked us through what the aurora borealis is and how to photograph it on your camera. They also told us the best way to photograph the northern lights on a smartphone, since that’s what most people were using.

After they’d given us plenty of info (and we’d taken a load of notes!), we relaxed and watched the world go by on our journey even further north!

❤️ These tours sell out way in advance, so we recommend booking early!

The first show

For our first stop, we pulled over in a small layby next to a beach. Barbara said that there was some activity in the area, and we might be able to see something.

And sure enough, there was a small glimmer of green over the water. However, our guide said there would likely be a better display further inland if we could find clearer skies, so we all hopped back on the bus.

Northern Lights glow green over a dark landscape with a body of water and distant city lights. — *The first glimmer of the aurora during our northern lights tour in Tromso*

We’d been driving for about 5 minutes when there was a shout from the front – Barbara told us to all look to the right. The skies had cleared, and the northern lights were going insane on the left side of the bus.

Everyone was trying to take photos out the window, but it was quite tricky since the bus was moving and the road was a little bumpy.

But we pulled over as soon as possible, and the display was absolutely beautiful. It lasted around 15-20 minutes, and our guides were taking photos for us with professional cameras.

Vivid green Northern Lights dance across a dark sky over snow-covered mountains and pine trees. — *Then, it got much brighter over the mountains*

Once the lights faded a bit, they checked the forecast and the cloud cover and waited a little to see if the lights would come back. They explained that the aurora often comes in bursts and then has to ‘rest’ between displays.

This was likely a downtime, and we would need to wait until the next display. A few people asked if we were going to move, but Barbara said that we would probably stay where we were.

The northern lights above the mountains during the first display on our tromso northern lights tour

It wasn’t the prettiest spot as we were in another layby about 15 minutes outside of Skibotn, but she said it was safer to stay there since we had clear skies and the lights were still faintly visible, than to keep driving.

And so, we waited.

❤️ Book early, as you don’t want to miss your chance to see this!

The second show

Whilst we waited, the guides regularly checked the forecast and monitored the cloud cover and aurora activity.

They also served us hot drinks and cookies, which were very welcome as it was pretty cold outside. I think it was around -3°C, which you can really feel after you’ve been standing still in it for a while!

We waited quite a while for the second show to appear – well over an hour of very little activity. They, just as we were about to leave, and our guides began packing everything away, the skies exploded again!

Andrew and Alice under the northern lights

It started fairly slowly over the road, but then built up and moved across until it was directly above us. We could literally see the lights dancing above our heads; it was magical!

These were the views we’d wanted, and that alone made the tour 100% worth it for us!

Here are a few images, so you can see just how bright it was. We could see this with our own eyes as well, although the camera, of course, amplified the green.

The northern lights during the second show got really strong

The northern lights in the sky with a hint of pink and red as well as the green

Northern Lights dance over snowy landscape with bus and trees in Tromso, Norway.

Green Northern Lights dance across a cloudy night sky over a forested landscape.

When the second show started to fade away, we all bundled back on the bus, overexcited and extremely happy and began the drive back to Tromso.

We arrived back outside the meeting place in the city at around 1:30 am, so it was a pretty late night. But it was so worth it, and I am so happy we booked this Northern Lights tour in Tromso.

The Tour We Booked

We booked this tour and were incredibly pleased with the experience.

Yes, it was a fairly long drive, but the bus was comfortable and we had snacks and a toilet on board, so it didn’t feel that long.

Another thing we were a little worried about was the size of the group, as we’ve not really been a huge fan of large tour groups in the past.

However, we didn’t find the group overwhelming. There were 35 people in total, but once we got outside, everyone spread out and we didn’t feel cramped or crowded.

Overall, we think this is a fantastic tour to book if you want to go chasing the northern lights. If we hadn’t booked this and stayed in Tromso, I don’t think we would’ve seen them at all, so we’re incredibly grateful to have such knowledgeable guides.

❤️ We highly recommend this Tromso Northern Lights tour – we had the most amazing trip!

The Best Time to Go on a Tromso Northern Lights Tour

The Northern Lights can only be seen when the skies are completely dark.

This rules out most of the summer months because the midnight sun in Tromso means that the sun never sets and, no matter how high the aurora activity, you’ll never see the lights.

You can usually see the lights from the end of August until the end of March.

We often find the best times are in September, October, February and March because there is typically more stable weather and less cloud cover than in November through January.

The northern lights in Tromso on our northern lights tour

But the weather in the Arctic is so unpredictable, you never really know what you’re going to get!

We visited Tromso at the start of March, which is when all of these photos were taken. However, out of our 4 days in the city, there was only one night that wasn’t completely clouded over, and there was still a patchy cloud the entire time.

So, honestly, when it comes to the best time, it’s way too unpredictable to give a definitive answer. But booking a northern lights tour like this one will give you a much higher chance of seeing the lights than if you just stay in the city centre.

👉 For a full Tromso guide, check out our 2-day Tromso itinerary and our 3-day Tromso itinerary.

What to Wear

Now, for this one, we can definitely give you a proper answer. You need to wrap up warm. The weather in Tromso in winter can range from 8°C in September to -10°C or even colder in January and February.

And that’s not even the ‘feels-like’ temperature, which can be even colder. We once saw -4°C in Troms,o which felt like -12°C! So, it can vary massively.

Our top tip is to bring more clothes than you think you’ll need. Wear a good thermal base layer, a fleece mid-layer, a jumper, and a waterproof and windproof outer layer. This should ensure you stay warm.

Andrew under the northern lights in Tromso

Alice under the northern lights in Tromso

You’ll need a sturdy pair of waterproof winter boots, such as these, which I love or these, which Andrew swears by. Of course, gloves, scarves, and hats are also a must.

We also recommend removing all of these layers on the bus because the warmth will make you very sleepy. Plus, you will feel the benefit much less when you get outside.

You may even want to bring some snacks with you, too. We’re used to eating dinner around 19:30, so having to eat at 16:30 was a lot earlier than usual. We both brought some extra food with us, which we ate whilst waiting for the second show.

TOP TIP: If you’ve not tried this hot dog stand in Tromso, we highly recommend it for a quick snack before your tour!

Is a Northern Lights Tour in Tromso Worth it?

Yes! Honestly, we think this is one of the best things to do in Norway, and we don’t think we’ve ever enjoyed a group bus tour as much as this. It was absolutely fantastic, the guides were amazing, and we had such a beautiful aurora display.

We did several different tours in Tromso, including a reindeer sledding tour, and a fjord tour and this one stands out as our favourite.

If you’re trying to see the northern lights in Tromso, we 100% recommend doing a tour like this instead of trying to see them yourself. You’ll likely have much more success as the guides are trying to give you the best chance of seeing the lights.

They have expert knowledge of weather conditions, cloud coverage, and the best viewing locations, often driving long distances to find clear skies.

Plus, they provide warm drinks, snacks, and even professional photography tips to help you capture the magic of the aurora.

While it’s possible to chase the lights on your own, a guided tour definitely maximises your chances of witnessing this breathtaking natural phenomenon.

If seeing the Northern Lights in Tromso is on your bucket list, we cannot recommend this tour enough!

Any questions? Head to our Facebook Group and ask us anything!

👉 Haven’t decided where to stay yet? Here are our favourite 14 hotels in Tromso and the most incredible northern lights hotels in Tromso.