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.

The Arithmetic for Five

The gap is NOK 3,500 before the 5% reader discount. If you add a sixth person, the private tour is NOK 2,500 each and the gap narrows quickly. At seven it is NOK 2,143 each, which is cheaper than the shared price. That is why larger families and friend groups so often end up private.

What You Get in the Shared Tour

The Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is a small-group evening of 2 to 8 guests, with a local expert guide, a premium Mercedes-Benz, a winter suit and a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks. The pickup is outside Clarion Hotel The Edge at 18:30 (from 25 October). The route is prepared from the latest weather forecasts and the guide’s knowledge, heading inland or along the coast.

The social side is part of the appeal. Other travellers share the vehicle and the stories, and some children love meeting people from other countries. The downside for a family is that the pace is set by the group, and a tired child cannot ask to go back early.

What the Private Tour Changes

With the private northern lights tour in Tromsø only your family is in the vehicle. You select your pickup location during checkout, which saves a late walk with tired children, and the tour is listed for all ages. It still includes a local expert guide, a premium Mercedes-Benz, a winter suit and a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks, and it lasts 5 to 8 hours.

The practical benefit is control. You can ask to stop sooner, eat when the kids are hungry, and keep a quiet voice around a sleepy child. For a family of five, those small freedoms are what the extra NOK 3,500 buys.

The Age Question

The group tour carries a recommendation of ages 7 and up, and we take it seriously: a long evening in a vehicle, in the cold, past bedtime, is hard for small children. If your youngest is 5 or 6, the private tour is the sensible route because it is listed for all ages and lets you shape the evening. If the youngest is 7 to 9, the group tour can work if the child is used to long car rides and late nights.

For a deeper read on ages and bedtimes, our guide to northern lights with kids covers the practical side.

A Night That Works for Kids

• Give children a nap in the afternoon, even a short one.
• Eat a light early dinner; the tour includes a warm meal and snacks, so there is no need for a big restaurant meal first.
• Pack a tablet with downloaded content and a spare power bank for the drive.
• Wear thick socks and bring a hat; the winter suit covers the body but not cold cheeks.
• Set expectations: the lights may be faint and grey to the eye at first, and the drive is part of the evening.

If the Sky Does Not Cooperate

Nobody can guarantee the aurora. The guide can move the vehicle to chase gaps in the cloud, which is the main reason to join a chase rather than wait in town. If the evening does not produce lights, you still have a memorable night out, but you will want a second attempt on another evening, so plan at least two nights if you can. For daytime activities that work for five people, the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and the Private Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 are strong options, and we list more on our Tromsø activities hub.

Three Families, Three Answers

The family with two teenagers and a nine-year-old. Everyone is over 7, everyone can stay up, and the budget matters. We would book the shared Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and save the NOK 3,500 for a daytime activity. Teenagers usually cope fine with the long evening, and meeting other travellers is part of the fun.

The family with a five-year-old and a toddler-sized attention span. The shared tour is simply not recommended for that age. The private tour is the right answer, and you should arrange the pickup so that nobody has to walk far in the cold. Take the afternoon nap seriously and keep the second adult free to hold a sleepy child on the drive.

Three generations travelling together. A family of five often includes a grandparent. Comfort and flexibility matter more than price here, and the private tour lets the whole group stop when someone needs a break. If you are travelling with a grandparent who finds cold hard, say so when you book; the winter suit is included, but extra layers underneath make a big difference.

The Day After: Sleep, Meals and Plans

The tour lasts 5 to 8 hours and may return after midnight. Do not book a 10:00 snowshoe pickup the next morning for the whole family unless you are happy with a short night. A slow breakfast and a quiet afternoon are the kinder plan. If you want a daytime activity the next day, choose one with a late start or an easy pace, and keep the evening free.

Meals are easy to plan. The tour includes a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks, so a light early dinner before pickup is enough. Children who are fussy eaters may want their own snacks in the bag; we would pack something familiar rather than rely on the menu. If anyone has an allergy, mention it to the operator when you book so they can advise.

Budgeting the Whole Trip for Five

The northern-lights tour is the biggest single cost for most families, so it helps to see it in context. A shared tour for five is NOK 11,500 and a private one is NOK 15,000. On top of that you will have flights, a hotel or apartment, meals, and perhaps one or two daytime activities. If you want to keep the budget sensible, choose the shared tour on the most important evening, add a second attempt on another night only if the first is cloudy, and use daytime activities sparingly.

The 5% reader discount applies to every tour booked online. On NOK 15,000 it is NOK 750, and on NOK 11,500 it is NOK 575; modest money, but enough for a family dinner, and it takes thirty seconds to enter the code at checkout.

How to Book With the Hungrytravelfamily Discount

Booking is direct with Legendary Adventure (Legendary Group AS, Tromsø) through their FareHarbor calendar, so your payment and your booking terms are with the operator, not with us. Open Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, pick a date and the number of guests, and on the checkout page type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 into the promo-code field. The 5% comes off before you pay. The same code works on Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and on every other Legendary Adventure tour booked online.

Cancellation is the same across these tours: a full refund if you cancel more than 48 hours before departure, and 100% charged inside 48 hours. 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.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

For a family of five, the shared tour is the budget-friendly default if the kids are 7 or older and used to late nights. The private tour is the better choice for younger children, for flexibility, and for peace of mind, at a premium that is smaller than most families expect.

Book online and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5: Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø family picks

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

Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Small group · 5-8 HoursNorthern Lights TourFrom NOK 2 300 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 5-6 HoursPrivate Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Private · 4 HoursPrivate Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 12 000 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.