This guide is built from our own winters in the Arctic and from the live Legendary Adventure tour pages in Tromsø — prices, pickup times and what is included come straight from the operator, never invented.

How We Ranked These (and Why It Is One Operator)

We live in Rovaniemi, 500 kilometres east of Tromsø, and enough Arctic winters have taught us which activities are worth the money and which are padding. When friends ask what to do in Tromsø we send them Legendary Adventure (Legendary Group AS), a small Tromsø company that runs its tours in Mercedes minibuses with a maximum of eight guests, picks up outside Clarion Hotel The Edge on the harbour, and publishes prices, pickup times and age limits openly. Every number on this page comes from their live tour pages.

The ranking is by value for a first-time winter visitor — the most Tromsø per krone and per hour of short daylight — not by price. Shared tours are priced per person; private tours per vehicle for 2 to 8 guests, so a family of six should do the maths before dismissing them. One honest caveat: we have not yet done these exact tours ourselves; what follows rests on the operator’s published details and on our own winters under the same auroral oval.

1. Northern Lights Tour — the One Thing to Book First

Nobody flies to 69° north in winter for the shopping. The Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the operator’s bestseller and the obvious number one: NOK 2,300 per person for a 5 to 8 hour small-group chase, pickup at 19:00 (18:30 from 25 October) outside Clarion Hotel The Edge. The group is 2 to 8 guests in a premium Mercedes-Benz minibus, and the route is decided on the evening from the cloud forecast. If the coast is socked in, the guide drives inland behind the Lyngen Alps or towards the Finnish border where the sky is drier.

Included: a local expert guide, the transport, a full winter suit, and a warm meal with snacks and hot drinks in the field. Recommended for ages 7 and up. Our one rule — book it for your first night, not your last, so a cloudy sky still leaves you a second attempt.

Families and groups should price the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 against it: NOK 15,000 for the whole vehicle for up to 8 guests, all ages welcome, pickup point chosen at checkout. With six people that is NOK 2,500 a head, and the guide turns around when your family is done rather than when the group is done.

2. Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour — the Best Daylight You Will Spend

Winter daylight in Tromsø is precious, and the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is how we would spend one full day of it. It is NOK 2,100 per person for 5 to 6 hours, runs year round, and takes 2 to 8 guests west across Kvaløya to the fishing island of Sommarøy — fjords, snow-covered mountains, white-sand Arctic beaches and several photo stops where the guide lets you out of the van.

Three things make it our number two. The lunch: a stop at the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel by the sea for an Arctic meal of fresh local ingredients, with vegan and vegetarian options. The wildlife: reindeer grazing by the road, moose in the forest, white-tailed sea eagles over the fjords, and seasonal orca and humpback sightings during the migration periods. The people: the guide talks you through fishing traditions and island life as you pass through villages most visitors never see from the city.

Recommended for ages 7 and up. For a family wanting its own vehicle and pickup location, the Private Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 15,000 per group, all ages.

3 & 4. The Two Snowshoe Hikes — Cheapest Way Into the Real Arctic

At NOK 1,500 per person these are the least expensive guided tours in the catalogue and, per krone, among the best. The Arctic Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the daytime version: 4 hours including the transfer, pickup at 10:00 outside Clarion Hotel The Edge, groups of 2 to 8, snowshoes and poles included. You walk through untouched snow with views of mountains and fjords, and the operator says reindeer, foxes and seabirds are possible along the way. The recommended minimum age of 10 is a fair signal: this is a real walk on snow, not a stroll.

The Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the same idea after dark. Pickup at 18:30, 4 hours, NOK 1,500, with a local guide, transport in a Mercedes minivan, snowshoe rental, and snacks with a hot drink. You hike out to open snow away from the street lights and wait for the aurora with a warm cup in your hands. It is more atmospheric than the chase and cheaper, but it stays near Tromsø — if the local sky is cloudy there is nowhere to drive. That is why the chase is first and the hike fourth: the chase for the odds, the hike for the experience.

Both have private versions: the Private Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and the Private Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 are each NOK 12,000 per group, ages 10+, 4 hours — with eight people exactly the shared price per head, with your own guide and pace.

5. Ersfjord & Grøtfjord Scenic Fjord Tour — the Half-Day Alternative

If you cannot spare a full day for Sommarøy, or want a gentler morning after a late chase, the Ersfjord & Grøtfjord Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the compact option: NOK 1,500 per person, 3 to 4 hours, pickup at 10:00 outside Clarion Hotel The Edge, year round, recommended for ages 7 and up. Ersfjord is the steep-walled fjord on Kvaløya that appears on half the postcards in Tromsø; Grøtfjord is the white beach around the headland. You are back in town by early afternoon with the evening free.

It sits fifth for one reason: the Sommarøy tour goes further, includes lunch and covers the same Kvaløya scenery on the way. If you have the hours, do Sommarøy. If you have a short day, or children who do not sit well for six hours, Ersfjord is the honest answer. The private version, the Private Ersfjord & Grøtfjord Scenic Fjord Tour, is NOK 12,000 per group, all ages.

6 & 7. Sámi Culture, Reindeer and Huskies — the Private Days

These are the experiences people picture when they think of Lapland, and in Tromsø they are sold as private days priced per group — expensive for a couple, reasonable for a family or two.

6. Sámi culture. The Spiritual Sámi Culture Experience5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 17,500 per private group, 4 hours, year round, pickup at 10:00 from the location you choose at checkout, ages 7 and up — a morning with Sámi hosts rather than a show in a car park. In winter the Spiritual Sami Experience with chance of Northern Lights5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 moves the same 4 hours to the evening for NOK 22,500. For families who want reindeer, the Private Reindeer Farm Visit with Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 35,000 per group for a 6 to 7 hour winter day, pickup at 08:30, all ages — NOK 4,375 each with eight guests.

7. Dog sledding. The Private Dog Sledding – Husky Experience5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 95,000 per private group, by far the most expensive thing on this page: 5 to 6 hours, winter only, pickup at 08:45, ages 7 and up, 2 to 8 guests. Split eight ways it is just under NOK 12,000 a head; for a couple nearly NOK 50,000 each, which is why it ranks last for most readers. For a family reunion that wants the dogs entirely to itself it is a once-in-a-lifetime day. Everyone else should spend the money on two nights of aurora and a fjord day.

Free Things to Do in Tromsø Between Tours

Tromsø is a compact island city and you can fill every gap between tours on foot. These cost nothing beyond the coffee on the way and slot around the 10:00 and 18:30 pickups.

• Walk the harbour. The Clarion is on the waterfront, so the quay past the wooden warehouses, fishing boats and the Hurtigruten pier is the first walk after check-in. In the polar night the water reflects the city lights at 14:00.
• The Arctic Cathedral. Cross the Tromsø Bridge on foot — fifteen cold minutes — to the white triangular church on the mainland side. The walk back gives you the classic photograph of the city.
• Fjellheisen cable car. The ride is paid, but the top is the best place to understand the geography and, on a clear night, a ready-made aurora viewpoint. Check winter opening hours first.
• Polaria. The small Arctic centre near the harbour with the leaning-ice-block architecture: a warm, child-friendly hour on a wet afternoon (entry fee inside).
• The city centre. Storgata and the streets around the cathedral square are wooden, low and lit for winter. Browse, warm up, eat, and be back at the Clarion for pickup.

How Many Days You Need, What to Book First, and the Budget

Two nights: the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on night one, the Arctic Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or Ersfjord & Grøtfjord Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on the morning of day two, free afternoon in town. Three nights: add the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 as a full day. Four nights: add the Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 as a second, different attempt at the lights, or a private Sámi day for a family.

Book in this order. The Northern Lights Tour sells out first, especially over Christmas and New Year, so book it the day you book flights. Sommarøy second, because a full day fixes the shape of the trip. The snowshoe hikes can be added later, but settle your plan before the last 48 hours — shared tours are refunded in full if cancelled more than 48 hours ahead and charged in full inside that window.

Budget per person, shared tours:

Private days come on top: NOK 12,000 to 15,000 per group for the private fjord, snowshoe and aurora versions, NOK 17,500 to 35,000 for the Sámi and reindeer days, NOK 95,000 for the huskies — all 5% less with the code.

How to Book With the Hungrytravelfamily Discount

Every tour here is booked directly with Legendary Adventure through their FareHarbor calendar; we never handle your payment and your booking sits under their terms. Tap any tour link, pick your date and number of guests, and on the checkout page type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 into the promo-code field. The 5% comes off before you pay, on every tour booked online. If you book several tours, use the code on each checkout.

Full transparency: we are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission on bookings made with our code. It never changes your price — the 5% is a genuine discount on top of the normal rate.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

Tromsø rewards people who book less and choose well. One properly run chase with a guide who will drive to Finland if that is where the sky is clear, one long daylight tour along the coast with a real lunch, and one walk on snowshoes into the quiet — that is the trip, and it costs under NOK 6,000 a person before the discount. The private Sámi, reindeer and husky days are wonderful extras for families who can split the price.

Start with the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, add the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and the Arctic Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off each one.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our ranked Tromsø winter picks

Tap a tour to see live dates and prices. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field at checkout for 5% off.

Small group · 5-8 HoursNorthern Lights TourFrom NOK 2 300 per personBook with 5% off →Small group · 5-6 HoursSommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord TourFrom NOK 2 100 per personBook with 5% off →Small group · 4 HoursArctic Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 1 500 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →

Code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 works on every Legendary Adventure tour booked online. We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission — it never changes your price.