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.

Why Australians come to Tromsø in December and January

For many Australian families and couples, the long summer break is the one time of year when a big trip is realistic. It is also the season when Tromsø is at its most atmospheric, with polar night, snow, lights in the harbour and a real chance of the northern lights. The contrast with a hot Australian Christmas is part of the appeal.

It is also a very long way. We live in Rovaniemi, so we are used to guests who travel far for the north, and the advice we give is always the same: build in a buffer. Flights from Australia usually connect through hubs in Asia, the Middle East or Europe, and winter weather in northern Norway can delay a final leg. The tours are the part of the trip you want to protect.

This post is based on the operator’s published tour facts and on general planning sense, not on a claim that we have done these tours ourselves.

How many nights you need

We would not do fewer than four nights in Tromsø after a trip from Australia. The aurora is weather-dependent, and a single night is a single attempt. With four nights, you can arrive, rest, take a first chase, keep a spare evening and still have a day for something else.

A simple template for four nights looks like this.

• Night 1: arrive, eat, sleep. Do not book anything demanding.
• Night 2: the northern lights tour, after a quiet day to recover from the journey.
• Night 3: a spare evening, or the second chase if night two was cloudy.
• Night 4: a gentle evening before the flight home.

If you have a week, add a fjord day and a snowshoe morning, and spread them out so you are not exhausted.

Book the northern lights tour for night two

Jet lag is real after a long flight, and a 5–8 hour tour that starts at 18:30 asks a lot of a tired body. By night two you are usually adjusted enough to enjoy it. The shared Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 leaves outside Clarion Hotel The Edge at 18:30 from 25 October, with a local guide in a premium Mercedes-Benz vehicle, a winter suit, a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks. It is NOK 2,300 per person, with 2–8 guests per vehicle.

For a family or a group, the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 15,000 per group, open to all ages, with a pickup at 19:00 from the location you choose at checkout. For a family of five or six, it can be both cheaper per head and kinder to tired children.

If night two is cloudy, you still have night three. That is why we do not recommend leaving the chase for the last evening.

A daytime fjord tour in the polar-night light

Daytime in Tromsø in December and January is not sunlit, but it is not dark either. Around midday the sky turns blue and pink, and snow-covered mountains glow softly. The Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 uses this light well. It is NOK 2,100 per person, 5–6 hours, with a 10:00 pickup and a local lunch included. The tour is a year-round experience, so the route exists in every season, but winter gives it a quiet, blue character.

For a family with younger children, the Private Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 15,000 per group, open to all ages. For a shorter day, the Ersfjord & Grøtfjord Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 1,500 per person for 3–4 hours.

Visitors from Australia often tell us that the unfamiliar landscape, with sea and mountains under snow, is the thing they did not expect to love. A fjord day is a good way to let that sink in without staying up all night.

Cold, clothing and what to bring from a warm country

If your wardrobe is built for 35 degrees, Tromsø will feel dramatic. The coastal climate is milder than inland Arctic places, but wind, damp and darkness make it feel cold. You do not need to buy everything, because the northern lights tour includes a winter suit, but you do need good layers and boots.

• Base layers: wool or synthetic, top and bottom.
• Insulation: fleece or a light down jacket.
• Boots: waterproof and insulated, with grip. This is the item most visitors underestimate.
• Hat, neck warmer, gloves: two pairs of gloves, one thin and one thick.
• Small items: hand warmers, a power bank, a spare phone battery and lip balm.

Hotels and some shops rent or sell winter gear, so if you are travelling light you can buy the essentials on arrival. Children’s boots are the thing to bring from home if you can.

A gentle outdoor day: snowshoeing

If you want something active but not extreme, the Arctic Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 1,500 per person for 4 hours including transfer, with a 10:00 pickup, snowshoes and poles included and a recommended minimum age of 10. For an evening version with a chance of the lights, the Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 1,500 per person at 18:30, with snacks and a hot drink included.

Snowshoeing suits people who have never been in deep snow. There is no technique to learn, and the group is small, with 2–8 guests. It is also a good way to see how your family copes with cold before committing to a full night outside.

A sample four-night budget in NOK, tours only

We will not convert currencies, because exchange rates move and we do not want to quote you a wrong figure. Here are the tour costs in Norwegian kroner so you can convert them on the day you book. These are the operator’s published prices; flights, hotels and meals are on top.

With the 5% reader discount applied to each booking, the all-three totals come to about NOK 11,210 and NOK 22,420. A family that prefers the private versions would pay NOK 15,000 for the private northern lights tour and NOK 15,000 for the private Sommarøy tour, which is NOK 30,000 for the two, and also gets pickup from the place it chooses.

Many Australian visitors choose one big evening and one big day, and keep the rest of the trip free for walking, food and sleep. That is a sensible budget and a sensible pace.

The arrival day and the first evening

After a journey of this length, the first day is about recovering. Check in, drink water, go for a short walk to feel the cold, and eat something warm. Resist the urge to book an evening activity just because you are awake at midnight in your body clock. A calm first evening makes the second night much better.

If your flight lands late, check how far your hotel is from the Clarion Hotel The Edge pickup point, because the shared tours meet there. The private tours let you choose your pickup location at checkout, which is an advantage for families arriving with luggage and tired children.

Finally, share your plan with your hotel. Staff in Tromsø see many visitors and can tell you about local conditions, open restaurants and how to dress on the day.

Booking early for the summer-holiday window

Australian school holidays overlap with Christmas and New Year in Tromsø, when many European and North American visitors are also in town. We cannot tell you how full a specific date is, and the live availability on the operator’s booking page is the only reliable source. What we can say is that small-group vehicles are limited, so booking your northern lights night as soon as your flights are confirmed is the safest approach.

For shared tours, free cancellation applies more than 48 hours before departure, and the full price is charged inside 48 hours. That gives you some flexibility if your flights change.

What we’d book, and how to get 5% off

For four nights, we would book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on night two, the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on the day after, and keep one evening spare. For a family or a group of six or more, we would price the private versions. See our Tromsø activities guide for the wider list of options.

Open the tour from our link on Legendary Adventure’s own booking page, choose your date, and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field before payment. The discount works on the operator’s own page. We are the operator’s partner and may earn a commission; it never changes your price.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

A trip from Australia to Tromsø is a big undertaking, and the tours are the part you want to get right. Give yourself four nights, put the chase on night two, add a fjord day in the polar-night light and keep a spare evening. Dress for the cold, book early and let the guides handle the sky.

Book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø picks for a summer-holiday escape

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 →Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Small group · 4 HoursArctic Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 1 500 per personBook 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.