Cost of a Trip to Tromsø: Budget Breakdown (Winter Edition)

I have long avoided writing a guide about the cost of a trip to Tromsø because whenever I have gone there, I have just packed as many things into a trip as possible, without too much concern regarding cost.

The reason? Because I am going to write about activities, hotels, and food on this blog. So, I want to do as many activities as possible, stay at as many diverse places as possible, and eat at as many restaurants as possible.

But the emails have come through for years. The ‘How much is a trip to Tromsø?’ or the ‘Can I visit Tromsø on a budget?’ emails.

So, after all this time, I feel confident enough to break it down so you can get a better idea of the cost of travel in Tromsø, Norway.

I was recently back in the Northern Norwegian city for a month and have a solid idea of how to visit the city on various budgets and make the most of Tromsø regardless of how much money you travel with!

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments or send me a message.

This is also my first guide on the blog about the cost of a destination, so if there are any suggestions about how to make it better or clearer, I am also open to criticism. Thanks!

The Cost of Tours in Tromsø

I am starting this guide with the cost of tours in Tromsø, simply because that is probably why you’re visiting in the first place!

In Tromsø, you will have a variety of diverse tours to choose from. The one super essential thing to know is that these tours are booked months in advance.

I used to be confident that you could hop on tours at the last minute in Tromsø, but there is currently an imbalance with accommodation in the city, and that is causing a lot of accommodation with few tour opportunities.

This primarily affects dog-sledding and the Sami tours (limited farms/ranches). So, book as far ahead as possible!

Here are some of the most popular tours in Tromsø:

• Northern lights
• Whale watching
• Dog-sledding
• Sami cultural tour (includes reindeer ranch)
• Tromsø Ice Domes
• Fjord boat tour

I have no idea what type of traveler you are or what type of trip you’re seeking, but here are some quick thoughts about the tours above, including what price you should expect to pay (an approximation).

➡️ Northern lights tour: about $174. These tours are strictly northern lights tours. You will go out ‘chasing’ them in a van and set up somewhere to have a small fire. These tours are non-refundable if you don’t see the lights so they can be risky, but it is an adventure (after all).

➡️ Whale-watching tour: about $197. This tour is a must if you’re there during the season (end of October until the end of January). It is a full-day tour and on a spacious, silent catamaran.

➡️ Sami cultural tour (and reindeer ranch): about $193. This tour has two options – one includes reindeer sledding and one does not. I don’t find reindeer sledding ethical so I avoid it (and ranches that do it).

The tour linked above is the latest I went on and I LOVED it. If you do the evening one, you will have dinner included and we even saw the northern lights. I think this is a Tromsø itinerary must.

➡️ Dog-sledding: about $332. This is one of the more expensive tour offerings in Tromsø, but it also consistently gets the best reviews from visitors. This requires a bit of an adventurous spirit.

Usually a half-day tour. There used to be many northern lights dog-sledding tours available, but there seem to be fewer these days.

➡️ Tromsø Ice Domes: about $143. This is a visit to the Tromsø Ice Domes and their reindeer farm. If you have never been to an ice hotel or snow park before, this is a worthwhile and easy tour. If you have been to one before or plan to visit one on your trip somewhere else, I would avoid this.

➡️ Fjord boat tour: about $148. This is a great tour if you are more into ‘soft adventure’ and need a break from the more active side of Tromsø.

There are a few fjord tours, but I have done multiple with Brim Explorer (linked above) and had fabulous experiences on each.

Note: While I didn’t list it here, snowmobiling will be one of the more costly activities in Tromsø (about $247 per person).

However, I will say that I have snowmobiled in many places on my travels and my least favorite experience was taking a tour from Tromsø (to Kilpisjärvi, Finland). I don’t think this is currently being offered as a trip from Tromsø anymore, but if you see it out there, know that I do NOT recommend it because it was slow and boring.

The Cost of Accommodation in Tromsø

Oh, how the cost of accommodation in Tromsø varies from season to season! But this is a winter guide, so these prices will be on the higher side of things.

You have a few options for accommodation in Tromsø: hotels, hostels, camping, and Airbnbs.

While I see the benefit of Airbnbs if you’re staying for a longer duration or are on a budget and want to cook for yourself, I would avoid them for the average traveler.

They are creating a huge tour imbalance in the city and it is creating a huge problem for locals as the cost of buying a place is skyrocketing. For that reason, I am going to leave Airbnbs off this guide.

Hotels in Tromsø

Like everywhere else, the cost of a hotel in Tromsø depends on your dates. But, I would say that it is around $275-300 a night during the winter. However, if you’re booking around Christmas or New Year, expect to pay quite a bit extra (around $400+).

Please find one that includes breakfast in its price and do not pay $30+ for breakfast at a hotel in Tromsø. They are just not worth it. The cafes around town have cheaper food and it’s better.

Here are a few of my favorite hotels in Tromsø:

• Clarion Hotel The Edge: great, mid-range accommodation.
• Smarthotel Tromsø: budget hotel (I have stayed here in multiple cities in Norway).
• Radisson Blu Hotel Tromsø: this hotel is where so many tours leave from that it is worth it just for the location.
• Thon Hotel Tromsø: another great mid-range option.

I did not list prices with each as the price in December skyrockets. But one interesting thing to note about hotels in Tromsø is that you don’t have any super luxurious hotels (yet).

So accommodation all seems to hover around the $250-400 range for most of winter (except for the holidays).

Hostels in Tromsø

Affordable accommodation in Tromsø isn’t the easiest to come by. But, you do have an option (but it books up so far in advance).

• Tromsø Activities Hostel: supposed to be around $30 a night for a dorm. However, I don’t see any prices lower than $100 when I search, and it is all booked up for the season.

Camping in Tromsø

I have an entire guide about camping in Tromsø with more details, but the two things to know here are that wild camping in Norway is legal and that there are some actual camping facilities in Tromsø.

Do note that these also include cabins so make sure you look at the option you’re seeking (and not the wrong thing).

• Tromsø Lodge & Camping
• Storgata Camping

The Cost of Transportation in Tromsø

When you’re in Tromsø, you have a few options for getting around: walking, taxis, rental car, or public transportation.

During the winter months, I would avoid renting a car. The roads of Norway in winter are not for those who don’t have experience driving on snow and ice and it is a shame when tourists rent a car and use local resources because they don’t know what they are doing and end up in a ditch somewhere (seen it too many times in Finland where I live!).

So, I am not recommending a rental car in Tromsø during this time.

🚍 Public transportation: the cheapest way to get around Tromsø. You can see the timetables for buses here.

If you are using the buses frequently throughout your trip, I would get a weeklong pass (you can also purchase this at the Visit Tromsø office at Storgata 83).

👣 Walking: free! This is the easiest way to navigate the city. Throw on a pair of crampons if you’re not comfortable with your gait on ice and snow and head out!

🚕 Taxis: readily available throughout the city but I would download the app ‘Taxifix’. You can get a taxi pretty quickly with it and it is not as unaffordable as you’d think.

You can get around the city for $15-25 (depending on where you’re going). A taxi from Tromsø Airport to the city is around $30-35.

The Cost of Food in Tromsø

Tromsø is not a budget destination. Food will be costly in the city and there is no way around that.

One thing to note beforehand is that you will have meals included in some of your activities! Tromsø Ice Domes visit, whale watching, and a few others have lunch included in the price (or offer an option when booking).

If you have breakfast included in your hotel stay, fantastic. But for other meals? You’re on your own. Here are some suggestions I have:

Breakfast in Tromsø

Included in the hotel or to grab a pastry from one of the cafes in Tromsø. Cafes also have great coffee (and offer cheaper refills if you get the black-filtered coffee). Some of my favorite cafes are:

• Smørtorget
• Kaffebønna
• Risø

A cup of coffee is about $4.50 (black coffee) and a pastry is around $5.50.

Lunch in Tromsø

If you are on a tour, you will likely get enough food to cover your lunch. Otherwise, some good options are:

• Lunch at a normal restaurant: $25 (give or take)
• Hotdog at Narvesen/7-11 (a totally acceptable Tromsø thing!): about $5-6
• Eating a late breakfast and saving food: free (I always take extra bread and a banana from hotel breakfasts and enjoy for lunch)

If you see a restaurant in Tromsø that you want to eat at but it seems unaffordable, see if they have a lunch menu! The lunch menus are often cheaper.

Dinner in Tromsø

This is where prices start to escalate. Naturally, your dinner costs will be reflective of where you eat, but generally, I would say $40-50 per person is a good starting point for a nice meal out.

Here are some of my favorite restaurants in Tromsø city center (all are mid-range in terms of pricing):

• Storhus (pizza)
• Bardus Bistro & Bar
• Burgr
• Mathallen

Grocery Stores in Tromsø

One of the best budget tips for Tromsø is to grab something from a grocery store instead of eating out. You can get a loaf of bread for $4 or so and some toppings like cheese, ham, and more.

Even bread-slicing machines in grocery stores will slice it all up for you, making sandwiches a viable option!

Some of the grocery stores you will find in Tromsø are:

• Coop Extra/Prix
• Kiwi
• Rema 1000
• Joker
• Eurospar

Kiosks in Tromsø

Kiosks have some to-go items like hotdogs and pizza slices. They are easy and tasty (well, the pizza is not but the hotdogs are). But I would avoid buying other goods in them, as they are triple the price of a grocery store.

Some of the kiosks you’ll find in Tromsø are:

• 7-11
• Narvesen
• MIX

The Cost of Flights to Tromsø

Here is where it gets completely all over the place! Tromsø does not have too many direct flights from other places in Europe, but there are some seasonal routes to the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and more. You will find plenty of flights from Nordic cities up there too.

If you are coming from far away (Australia, India, USA, etc), do note that you may pass through Oslo on the way up.

Here are a few glimpses of pricing getting from Oslo to Tromsø during the winter months on Skyscanner (green is the cheapest, red is the most expensive):

The Cost of Winter Gear for Tromsø

Winter gear can cost an arm and a leg for those visiting Tromsø. I live in Arctic Finland, so I have more than enough and don’t have to buy anything but those coming from Australia, for example, probably have to fork out quite a bit of money for winter gear for a one-time trip!

You have a few options for winter gear in Tromsø: buy your own or rent it.

You can rent gear at Tromsø Outdoor. They offer packages for around $55 a day (children’s package is about $35/day) where you can get jackets, snow boots, and more.

One thing to note is that if you’re dog-sledding or snowmobiling (and even on some aurora tours), they will provide winter suits for you. But whale watching, Sami cultural tours, fjord cruises, and others will not. So be sure to dress appropriately.

If you’re on a budget, shops like Decathlon have some great deals here in Europe and the US. I would just recommend 100% wool for your clothing if your budget allows it. It is the warmest!

Visit Tromsø’s Culture Pass

For those visiting Tromsø and wanting to go to every museum or experience in the city, a Tromsø Pass may be a smart option. There are ‘classic’ passes and ‘culture’ passes. The classic pass also includes a family pass option.

These are only good options to consider if you are truly keen to visit a lot of museums in the city!

• Classic pass: includes Fjellheisen cable car (normally $40+ round-trip), Polar Museum, Arctic University Museum of Norway, Polaria, Science Center of Northern Norway, Arctic Cathedral, and a bus ticket (1 day). See pricing here.
• Culture pass: includes Fjellheisen cable car (normally $40+ round-trip), Polar Museum, Arctic University Museum of Norway, Polaria, Magic Ice, Arctic Cathedral, Troll Museum, Perspektivet Museum, Art Museum of Northern Norway, Science Center of Northern Norway, and bus ticket (7 days). See pricing here.

You can pick up your Tromsø Pass at the Tourist Information Center (located on the second floor of Prostneset Harbour Terminal or at Storgata 83). This is the only place you can purchase one.

Tips for Visiting Tromsø on a Budget

I should write an entire guide to this in the future, but here are some quick thoughts for visiting Tromsø on a budget:

✅ Be flexible with dates. Late December is the worst time to go. Hotels and flights are so much cheaper during shoulder season.

✅ Buy filtered black coffee in cafes because refills are generally cheaper than the original cost.

✅ Save food from breakfast and eat lunch with it (only if the hotel permits and doesn’t have a sign stating otherwise).

✅ Use grocery stores instead of kiosks (or even restaurants).

✅ Use public transportation. It is efficient and very cheap in Norway (about $4.75 if you purchase on the app and a bit more if you purchase on the bus). You can purchase a 7-day ticket for around $31. Tromsø is quite walkable, though.

✅ Do activities at night so you can see the northern lights on one of them.

You can do Sami tours, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, and fjord tours all in the evenings and it gives a chance to escape the city to somewhere dark and you can use it as a way to see the northern lights too.

How much is a day in Tromsø?

Here is a general recap of the prices I listed above so you have a better idea of what things cost on a day in Tromsø:

• Hotel: about $300/night
• Breakfast: free
• Lunch: $25/pp
• Dinner: $50/pp
• Tour: $175-200/pp (depends on the tour)

I am not going to add that up as it will depend on group size with hotels (and ages for tour prices).

Naturally, you can make this more expensive or cheaper, depending on how you cut costs. Please note that I am not including transportation costs in this because I am assuming you are taking tours or reaching places on foot.

Do you have any questions about how much a trip to Tromsø costs? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

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