Top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway

Tromso is a small city in the North of Norway – North of the Arctic Circle. It’s a great place to visit to enjoy winter activities. Here are the top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway.

Where is Tromso, Norway, how to get there and where to stay

In the North of Norway, Tromso is a small city packed with charm and adventure. It’s just north of the Arctic circle, meaning it has cold, snowy winters. This means there are lots of options for the top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway.

Winters in Tromso can be dark – there’s no sun for much of December and January. But if you visit in February, you’ll get a decent amount of daylight for daytime activities. You can fly to Tromso in about 2 hours from Oslo, the capital city of Norway. There are some direct flights from Tromso to other European cities, but a lot of flights need a transfer in Oslo.

Being a city, Tromso has a good range of places to stay. There are some nice hotels, as well as some cheaper hotels and hostels. Prices in Norway are fairly expensive, so it’s best to book your accommodation at least several months in advance to get the cheapest rates before things get sold out. Then, once your accommodation is booked, you can focus on booking the winter activities. Here are my Top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway.

How to fit the best winter activities into 4 days in Tromso

There’s so much on offer in Tromso, so it can be hard to work out what to fit into 4 days! Here’s the itinerary I did. It was very full on and tiring, but I felt like it gave a great range of experiences.

• Day 1: Morning/Afternoon – Arrive in Tromso. Evening – Night Sailing
• Day 2: Morning – Snowshoe Hiking. Evening – Night-time Reindeer sledding and Sami Experience
• Day 3: Morning – Daytime Sailing. Afternoon – Tromso Musuems. Evening – Northern Lights chase by minibus
• Day 4: Morning – Husky Sledding. Afternoon/Evening – Tromso Restaurants and Ice Bar

Keep reading to learn more about all of these activities in detail. And for more detail about what to wear and what to pack for these activities, check out my blog on what to pack for winter in Tromso here.

1. Night time sailing in the Fjords

The first of my top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway is night time sailing in the Fjords. Tromso is right on the coast, in the middle of Norway’s dramatic Fjords and coastline, so Tromso is a perfect base for sailing.

I really enjoyed relaxing on the boat and enjoying the views. It was so peaceful being on the water in the dark. The company provided us with warm suits, so it wasn’t too cold even when it was snowing. The water is flat and calm most of the time as it’s fairly sheltered in the fjords. I tried to sit outside as much as possible to enjoy the views. But there’s also a warm inside area on the boat, so as soon as you get a bit cold you can just go inside to warm up. Inside, there was plenty of tea and hot chocolate to warm up, before going back outside to take photos.

You can get involved in the sailing as well if you want – including helming, and helping to raise and lower the sails. It was good fun learning a bit more about sailing in this part of the world.

There’s a chance you could see the Northern Lights from the night time sailing. Unfortunately, the night I was there was snowing, so the cloud cover meant the Northern Lights weren’t visible. But even without the Northern Lights, it was still a really enjoyable experience and a great first night in Tromso.

2. Snowshoe Hiking

Another of my Top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway is snowshoe hiking. This is a daytime activity that gives great views. But it’s hard work!

Snowshoes strap onto walking boots and make walking through snow a bit easier. But it’s still not super easy to walk through deep snow. And the route was uphill, so it was really hard. But at least the uphill walking and effort battling through snow meant it didn’t feel cold at all!

We were out for 5 hours, and spent most of the time walking. The minibus was only about 15-20 minutes, and then we were walking. This is definitely an activity to do with a group and professional guides. There’s no clear path to follow, so you’ll need the guides and their local knowledge. But the views are amazing right from the beginning.

Keep an eye out for wildlife as well. We were lucky and saw a white-tailed sea eagle, which was so impressive as it was huge.

At the top of the hill we were climbing, there were lovely views down to the fjords. The weather was very changeable, so we needed to wait for gaps in the clouds to see the view. But the view was lovely.

Going downhill was easier than climbing uphill, but still hard work as you were constantly trying not to slip. But on the steeper parts of the slope, we could use the sleds that the guides had brought – and that was a much more fun way to get down!

Overall, the snowshoe hiking was really enjoyable and the views were amazing. Just be warned that you need a decent level of fitness, as hiking through deep snow is hard work.

3. Night-time reindeer feeding, sledding and Sami Cultural Experience

The next of my top 10 winter activities in 4 days in Tromso, Norway is to meet some reindeer! Reindeer are beautiful, gentle animals so this is a great activity for adults and children. This is offered as an organised tour, with coach pick up in central Tromso, so it’s really easy to do.

After driving for about 30 minutes in a coach, you’ll be dropped off at the reindeer camp. Here, after a short introduction, you can go straight to meet and feed the reindeer. Collect a food bucket and head over towards the herd of reindeer – and once they realise you’ve got food, they’ll come over to you as well! You just need to hold the bucket of food and the reindeer will be right next to you. Just be careful of their antlers so you don’t get poked in the eye! It’s great to be able to get so close to the reindeer to get some lovely photos.

You’ll also get a chance to go reindeer sledding. You sit in pairs in a reindeer sled, and it’s a really magical experience as the group of reindeer leave the lights and noise of the camp and head out into the snow. It’s so peaceful, and feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s a great way to get some amazing photos and also just sit back and enjoy the experience.

Sami Cultural Evening and Reindeer Stew

After the reindeer feeding and sledding, you’ll head into one of the Sami tents. Here, next to the warm fire, you’ll have some food. They offered reindeer stew – which was really nice, but I did feel a bit guilty eating the reindeer stew after I’d just spent an hour making friends with the reindeer!

After eating, you head into a second tent and sit around a fire. And here, you’ll get a chance to learn more about the traditional Sami culture and way of life, including hearing some traditional Sami songs. I found it really interesting to learn more about the culture and how it’s becoming more celebrated in Norway after years of oppression. It was a lovely ending to a lovely evening.

Keep reading on the next page for more amazing winter activities in Tromso!