Highlights
- Take a ride up on Tromsø's cable car for a restaurant with mountain views
- Cook cozy meals in your glass-topped igloo, surrounded by alpine scenery
- Enjoy snowy activities like snowshoeing and dogsledding
- Take an overnight ride on the famous Hurtigruten to the Lofoten Islands
- Visit the picturesque Lofoten archipelago without the summer crowds
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive Tromsø | Tromsø |
| Day 2 | Explore Tromsø in Winter | Tromsø |
| Day 3 | Transfer to the Lyngenfjord Alps - Igloo Hotel | Djupvik |
| Day 4 | Explore the Lyngenfjord Region | Djupvik |
| Day 5 | Return to Tromsø - Board the Hurtigruten | Onboard Hurtigruten |
| Day 6 | Hurtigruten - Arrive in Svolvær | Svolvær |
| Day 7 | Explore the Lofoten Islands in Winter | Svolvær |
| Day 8 | Ferry to Bodø - Explore | Bodø |
| Day 9 | Depart Norway |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Oslo - Flight to Tromsø
Welcome to Tromsø, the largest city in Northern Norway!
Surrounded by snowcapped mountains, Tromsø is a lively place with 65,000 inhabitants. In addition to its lovely scenery and rich history, the city has a large student population and is famous for its robust music and film culture, so get out and explore this self-proclaimed 'Gateway to the Arctic'.
A good place to start is taking a ride on the cable car, which runs up to a mountain ledge in just four minutes. The two gondolas, known as Seal and Polar Bear, each have a capacity of 28 passengers. From the viewing platform at the upper station, you can enjoy spectacular panoramic views of Tromsø and the surrounding islands, mountains, and fjords.
If you want to stay for dinner, Fjellstua restaurant on top offers dinner with views. Otherwise, head back down to Tromsø for a variety of pubs and restaurants.
Day 2: Explore Tromsø
After breakfast, you will have the whole day to explore Tromsø. Here are a few suggested tours and activities that can be arranged with local guides:
- Walk Through History: Meet your local guide and set off on a three-hour walking tour of Tromsø. Visit the largest city in the north—street by street—and take in its rich culture and beautiful architecture, including historic wooden houses dating as far back as 1789. View relics and buildings dating back to medieval times, and learn about the city’s extensive fishing culture, which was established when trade in Norway was at its peak. You will also tour the stunning Arctic Cathedral.
- Dogsledding: After breakfast, get ready for an active day of dogsledding in the Norwegian countryside. (This is a half-day trip, lasting about 4 hours). You'll sled along a 2.4 mile (4km) trail and have a meet-and-greet with 300+ huskies and their puppies. Stop for hot coffee, tea, and biscuits along the route and have time to hear more about the history of dog sledding from experienced guides. At the end of your journey, you will sit around a campfire and have a traditional Norwegian meal of Bidos—hearty stew made of reindeer meat with broth and veggies (vegetarian meals are available upon request). If there isn't enough snowpack, you also have the option to hike with the dogs!
- Northern Lights Chase: In the evening, get ready to chase the Northern Lights*! Your guide will pick you up in Tromsø and take you on this fun after-dark excursion as they find the best locations away from the city lights for viewing and photographing this spectacular natural occurrence. Throughout the evening, your guide will offer interesting information about the Northern Lights, including why and how they occur, as well as legends and folklore of the indigenous Sami people. Your guide will even be able to assist you in adjusting your camera settings for the best photographs. If the weather allows, there will be a campfire with hot chocolate and marshmallows to end your night.
If you remain in the city in the evening, great restaurants and lively nightlife await.
Day 3: Transfer to the Lyngenfjord Alps - Igloo Hotel
Today, you'll have breakfast in Tromsø before you head out for a unique experience in the Lyngen Alps! You can either take a bus to the Spåkenes Peninsula (it's a three-hour journey east), or a private driver can be arranged.
Upon arrival, you'll be greeted by the host of Lyngen North—a remote seaside hotel that offers glass igloos and houses with views of the snowy mountains. These cozy accommodations are perfect for short-term stays and are ideal for couples who are interested in seeing the Northern Lights (October through March).
In fact, the igloos come with glass ceilings so that you can look for glimpses of the aurora borealis while in bed. They're furnished with a double bed, a small equipped kitchen, a table with two chairs, and, of course, a bathroom with a toilet and shower. You'll be taken to the grocery store nearby to buy dinner and breakfast supplies. All that's left of the evening is to sit back and enjoy the peaceful scenery!
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Explore the Lyngenfjord Region
Wake up to magnificent alpine views and enjoy the morning!
When you're ready for some exercise, the area around the Lyngen Alps offers a wide range of activities including hiking trails, ski tours of varying difficulty, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice climbing.
If you're interested in dog sledding, you can take a hands-on tour where you are encouraged to help prepare the Huskies and sleds. You even have the choice to be a musher for a day and steer your own sled of 6 to 8 dogs through the wonderful Reisa National Park. The dogsledding guides will closely assist you and share their experience while you see what it takes. The whole tour takes roughly three hours depending on the snow conditions, and then you'll be returned back to Lyngen North for another night in the cozy igloos.
Day 5: Return to Tromsø - Board the Hurtigruten
After breakfast at Lyngen North, you'll say goodbye to your igloo and then transfer back to the bus stop for your return trip to Tromsø. When you arrive, you'll have the rest of the day explore more of the city, often called the 'Paris of the North!
If the weather cooperates, a great activity is to walk up to Prestvatnet, a beautiful little lake at Tromsøya that offers snowshoe rentals.
In the evening, dine in town at one of Tromsø's trendy restaurants or lively pubs and then wait for the Hurtigruten—the overnight coastal steamer—to dock at the port. You'll board the ship in the late evening and begin your journey to the Lofoten Islands. If you're not too exhausted, keep an eye out for Northern Lights sightings from accommodations at sea.
Day 6: Hurtigruten - Arrive in Svolvær
Today, you can sleep in and relax and then have a long, leisurely breakfast. You will spend most of the day on the Hurtigruten as you sail your way towards the Lofoten Islands along the Norwegian Sea, passing some spectacular scenery along the way. This is a great day to catch up on reading, or perhaps a good old-fashioned card game with your travel mate.
When you arrive at the village of Svolvær in the early evening, check into your hotel and then take a stroll and have dinner in one of the charming restaurants like Børsen, which serves seasonal fare. While this is the busiest village in Lofoten, it still only has a population of fewer than 5,000 people.
Day 7: Explore the Lofoten Islands in Winter
This morning, after breakfast at your hotel in Svolvær, you'll pick up a rental car and have time to explore the Lofoten Island at your own pace. One of the best ways to appreciate the stunning natural scenery of the Lofoten Islands is to follow the E10 road, which runs along the archipelago allowing you to stop and admire the dramatic landscape along the way.
In particular, two fishing villages on Moskenesøya Island worth exploring are Reine and Hamnøy. Reine is particularly breathtaking from the highway with red and white fishermen’s huts from the late 1800s—called rorbuer—dotting the shoreline and surrounding peaks of granite shooting out of the Reinefjorden. The small neighboring town of Hamnøy is the oldest fishing village (cod is in season during winter months) in the Lofoten archipelago and unbelievably beautiful.
From here, you can head back to Svolvær, have dinner and relax. More adventurous types can sign up for an epic four-hour horseback adventure in the dark. The tour crosses ridges, sandy beaches, and ancient remnants from the Viking Age while participants search for the Northern Lights.
Day 8: Ferry to Bodø - Explore
Enjoy your last morning in Svolvær with a leisurely breakfast before you're transferred to Moskenes—a port along the western part of the Lofoten Islands where you'll catch an afternoon ferry to Bodø. Along the way, you'll encounter more scenery and other beautiful villages.
When you arrive in Bodø, you'll have the rest of the day to explore the area. Some suggestions include:
- Visit the Norwegian Aviation Museum, the largest aviation museum in the Nordic countries.
- Check out the world’s strongest tidal current in Saltstraumen during a guided tour. Your guide will take you through the area's breathtaking scenery while you learn about proud coastal heritage.
- Walk along Mjelle Beach, 30-minutes from the city center of Bodø. From the parking lot, there is a nice 15-minute hike along a trail by the sea before you get to the beach—beautiful in any season.
- Join a guided Arctic Coastal Walk where you will learn about the elements geology of the area. Your guide will tell you about the local history and explain our dependency on the sea. He/she will also you some of the many Viking graves discovered in this area.
Day 9: Depart Norway
After breakfast, head to the airport and catch your departing flight. Although it's time to say goodbye to Norway, the memories from your trip will surely stay with you forever!
Map
