8 Hikes by Bus from Tromsø (+ 5 with Overnight Stay)
You don’t need a car to access awesome hiking trails from Tromsø. Put on your hiking boots and follow our guide!
Enjoying the view near Movik
Do you need a car in Tromsø to go hiking? Not always. Our full best hikes in Tromsø guide covers everything, including the ones you need a car for, but plenty of the best trails are doable in Tromsø without a car. This is the shorter, more specific version: the 8 hikes here are reachable on Tromsø's local buses, and we added 5 with an overnight stay.
Some of these hikes are possible year-round (with snowshoes or skis in winter), and some are only accessible from late spring to early fall. Also note that buses are infrequent during the weekends and national holidays (sometimes not running at all). Check on Svipper to plan ahead!
🛌 Where to stay:
• Villa Havblikk, Tromsdalen — we stayed here. Minutes from the Sherpa Steps trailhead, with fjord views and a suite in the original 1917 villa.
• The House of Aurora, Ersfjordbotn — we stayed here. Steps from Kvaløya's best trails, cozy and spotless, with reindeer wandering through in summer.
• Sommarøy Arctic Hotel — beach cabins right by the Ørnfløya trailhead, with a horizon that goes on forever.
🇳🇴 Top experiences:
• Guided snowshoe hike to Fløya — a local guide handles the route and the ride, so you just focus on the climb.
• Guided summer hike near Tromsø — Explore Kvaløya trails with a light lunch.
🚗 Rental cars for the region — worth it for Kvaløya and Sommarøy if you don't want to rely on infrequent buses.
Best hikes by bus in Tromsø: quick answer
If you only do one, take the bus or walk to Fløya, it's the shortest bus-accessible hike with the biggest payoff, a full panorama over the city and fjords for a couple hours of moderate climbing. Want something flatter and easier? Telegrafbukta is a walk from downtown. On Kvaløya, Rødtind and Nattmålsfjellet both have a fair bus-time-to-hike-time ratio. Save Tromsdalstinden and the Kjølen ridge for a full day with real hiking fitness behind you, and treat Brosmetinden, Ørnfløya, and Oldervik as overnight trips rather than day hikes; the bus gets you there but not there and back in one day.
Hikes in and near downtown Tromsø (Tromsøya)
At the top of Fløya early May
Vardentoppen
The kind of hike locals and students do after work, a forest trail behind the university that feels removed from the city despite sitting right on its edge. Easy, about 3 kilometers round trip, 66 meters of elevation gain, 30 to 60 minutes. Walkable if you're staying near the university or Breivika, otherwise a short bus ride gets you close. In winter, it’s the go-to trail for cross-country skiiers and snowshoers.
Access: Walkable from the university or Breivika, or a short ride on any bus heading that direction.
Telegrafbukta and the forest loop
The flattest, most accessible walk on this list, following the beach promenade along the water through coastal forest and grassland. You'll pass preserved 19th-century wooden buildings and an actual beach, and it's a decent spot for birdwatching, eider ducks, cormorants, and sea eagles all show up here. About 7.9 kilometers round trip, 120 meters of elevation gain, 1.5 to 2 hours. A walk or a short bus ride from downtown. You can also follow the trail through the forest from Telegrafbukta to cross the entire Tromsøya island (doable with skis in winter!)
Access: A walk or a short bus ride from downtown.
Fløya
The one everyone does. The main route climbs 1,203 stone steps built between 2016 and 2019 by a team of Nepali stonemasons, the Sherpa Steps (which is nothing if you hiked Reinebringen in Lofoten), with benches along the way if you need them. The summit delivers a full panorama over the city, Tromsøya, the surrounding islands, and the fjords. About 3.5 kilometers round trip with 623 meters of elevation gain, 2 to 3 hours, moderate (or easy by Norwegian standards!). There's also a wilder, quieter alternative route (Dalbergstien) through the forest if you'd rather skip the crowds.
Access: Walk over the bridge to Tromsdalen near the Arctic Cathedral, or take bus 26 or 28 to Tromsdalen and pick up the trail from there.
Tromsdalstinden
The big one, and a real mountain day, not an extension of the Fløya walk. A gravel track gives way to forest before the real climbing starts, about 18 kilometers round trip, roughly 1,160 meters of elevation gain, and around 7 hours, rated demanding (by Norwegians!). The summit is frequently in cloud, fog, or snow, but on a clear day the payoff is a view that takes in Lyngen, the Kvaløya peaks, and Senja all at once. Bring proper mountain fitness and a full day.
Access: Buses 26 and 28 both serve Tromsdalen. Same trailhead as Fløya, then continue past the viewpoint.
Hikes reachable by bus on Kvaløya
Glorious day hiking Nattmålsfjellet (Kvaløya) in May
Most of Kvaløya needs a car, covered in our Kvaløya guide, but a handful of hikes there are easily doable by public bus.
Nattmålsfjellet, via Ersfjord
Our go-to if you only do one hike by bus from Tromsø. A full panorama of Ersfjorden, Kaldfjorden, and the ring of peaks around them, the kind of view that feels like paradise on a clear, sunny day. There's a waterfall at the base that freezes into cascading ice formations in winter, popular with ice climbers, and turns into a thundering torrent once the snow melts in spring. Moderate, about 3.5 kilometers round trip, 291 meters of elevation gain. The view/effort ratio is excellent! (Shall we patent that ratio?)
The Kattfjordeidet approach to the same peak needs a car, so make sure you're headed for Ersfjord specifically. After the hike, make sure to stop at Bryggejente for lunch or a piece of cake. The view is just too good.
Access: Bus 42 toward Eidkosen, then change in Eidkjosen for bus 425 (no wait), about 40 minutes from the center.
Rødtind
Uphill nearly the entire way, but on a well-marked, easy-to-follow forest path with rail boards to guide you. Expect a few wet sections. Waterproof footwear helps, before the trees open up to expansive ridge views. Easy, about 4 kilometers round trip, 470 meters of elevation, roughly 2 hours. Access: Bus 42 toward Eidkjosen, get off at Storelv Snuplass, about 25 minutes.
The Kjølen ridge, above Kvaløysletta
An ambitious full-day route for anyone comfortable on exposed terrain. The trail climbs past a string of high mountain lakes before reaching a plateau, and the upper section gets genuinely demanding if the weather turns. The reward is a sweeping view across Tromsøya and the whole island, and the Norwegian Trekking Association keeps an unlocked emergency cabin up on the plateau with underfloor heating, a welcome sight if the wind picks up. Demanding, about 15 kilometers round trip, 820 meters of elevation gain, 5 to 7 hours. Best attempted late May through October. We tried mid-May and could only go half-way, even with crampons.
Access: Buses 420, 40, or 425 all stop at the Kvaløysletta terminal.
Movik, to Blåkollkoia
A proper mountain outing rather than a stroll, climbing through coniferous forest with genuinely nice scenery the whole way. There's also a shorter alternative, Linken, a wide and easy trail through the forest that tends to come with company, sheep graze along parts of it (we loved it!). The full hike is hard, about 6.6 kilometers one way, 425 meters of elevation gain, 2 to 2.5 hours each direction.
Access: Bus 450 runs to Movika or Tønsvika (usually infrequent on Saturdays, not running on Sundays or holidays).
Bus-served hikes from Tromsø, but needing an overnight stay
The Lyngen Alps viewed from Oldervik, our little corner of paradise
Not every bus-accessible hike works as a same-day trip. These five have bus service, but the schedules don't line up for a there-and-back day from Tromsø.
Brosmetinden
Ocean and island views for the entire hike, through fjords and valleys where tall, jagged peaks drop straight into the sea, with Senja visible from the summit on a clear day. Another fantastic view/effort ratio in our humble opinion!
Moderate, about 4 kilometers round trip, 525 meters of elevation, 1 to 2 hours. Bus service exists, but the timing works out so that this is realistically an overnight-in-the-area trip rather than a day hike from Tromsø.
Access: Buses 42 and 425 both serve the area (Tromvik), but schedules mean plan on staying overnight rather than a same-day return.
Hillesøytoppen (Nordkollen)
Three ways up here. One route is short but steep enough. Another, the most scenic of the three, descends to white beaches and turquoise water on the way. All of them end in ocean panoramas with Senja visible in the distance and small bays with Caribbean-looking beaches (we didn’t say anything about the water temperature) below. Easy, 2 to 3 kilometers round trip, about an hour. Hillesøya is bridge-connected to Sommarøy, which is bridge-connected to Kvaløya, so this sits in the exact same remote corridor as Ørnfløya below, and the bus runs on the same limited schedule.
Access: Bus 420 toward Hillesøy, about an hour and 35 minutes each way; plan on staying overnight in the area. A great excuse to stay at the fabulous Sommarøy Arctic Hotel!
Ørnfløya, Sommarøy
A short, easy climb (a favorite among local families on a sunny Sunday, as we could see) with an outsized view, the fishing village of Sommarøy and neighboring Hillesøy laid out below, Senja and Håja Island in the distance, and easy beach access afterward if you're up for a swim. Easy, about 2 kilometers round trip, 40 to 60 minutes.
Access: Bus 420 or 422 to Brensholmen, over an hour each way; plan an overnight.
Trehørningen
A well-marked path straight from the road, climbing steadily rather than steeply, up to a summit view that takes in a scatter of islands and Skulsfjord (don’t you love that name?). Easy, about 3 kilometers round trip, an hour.
Access: Bus 426 toward Skulsfjord, departures are limited, plan on staying overnight.
Oldervik
Our absolute favorite little secret around Tromsø (we gotta stop sharing it!!) Quiet and well off the tourist route, sitting in a deep valley where a river meets the fjord, flanked by mountains reaching around 900 meters, and with views of the Lyngen Alps. The landscape reminds us of Vancouver Island or Alaska.
We don't have specific distance and elevation figures for the hike itself to hand, as we only came for the day and just walked along the shore for a few kilometers. Given how remote it feels once you're there, plan on an overnight (unless you’re only doing the gentle walk along the sea) rather than assuming the bus schedule will cooperate for a same-day return. Oh, and also, you’ll never want to leave anyway.
Access: Bus 450 runs directly from Tromsø to Oldervik, but plan to stay overnight.
A quick word on safety and trail grading in Norway
Mid-May, the mountains above Kvaløysletta, on Kvaløya, were still very white!
Arctic terrain and weather turn fast, even on the easy hikes on this list. A clear morning in Tromsø doesn't guarantee a clear afternoon on a ridge above Kvaløysletta. Check yr.no for weather and varsom.no for avalanche conditions in winter before you go, tell someone your route and expected return time, and don't hesitate to turn back if conditions change (it’s hard, we know; we did it multiple times, but better safe than sorry). If something does go wrong, 112 is the emergency number in Norway. When in doubt, ask locally, at your hotel, a visitor center, or a tour operator, before committing to anything past the easy category.
Also, the altitude might be deceiving. 600 meters might seem like a gentle hill where you come from, but in the Arctic, the conditions at the top will be like a high mountain, even in summer.
Norway grades trails green, blue, red, and black through the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT), roughly easy to expert, and it's worth knowing that Norwegian grades tend to run a level harder than the color implies. We go into this in more depth in our main hikes in Tromsø guide and our other hiking articles, which are worth a read before you tackle anything we've flagged as demanding here!.
Where to stay
Our best hotels in Tromsø guide covers our picks both in Tromsø, Kvaløya and Sommarøy, most of which put you within walking distance of the downtown bus stops these hikes start from.
If you’re hiking during northern lights season, we gathered our favorite northern lights hotels in Tromsø and around. cabins,
Or zoom in and out on the map to find hotels, cabins and apartments in and around Tromsø:
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FAQ: Hikes by bus in Tromsø
Do I need a car to hike around Tromsø? No, several good hikes are reachable by local bus, including Fløya, Telegrafbukta, and a handful of spots on Kvaløya like Rødtind and Nattmålsfjellet. Our full hikes guide covers the ones that do need a car too.
Which Tromsø hike is easiest to reach without a car? Fløya, hands down. It's a short walk over the bridge from downtown, or a quick bus ride to Novasenteret if you'd rather skip the walk.
Are the Kvaløya hikes worth the bus ride? Some more than others. Rødtind and Nattmålsfjellet have a reasonable bus-time-to-hike-time ratio and work fine as day trips. A couple of others on Kvaløya, Hillesøytoppen and Trehørningen, technically have bus service too, but not on a schedule that gets you there and back in a day, so we've grouped those with the overnight hikes instead.
Which bus-accessible hikes actually need an overnight stay instead of a day trip? Brosmetinden, Hillesøytoppen and Ørnfløya near Sommarøy, Trehørningen, and Oldervik all have bus service, but the schedules don't line up for a same-day round trip from Tromsø. Plan on staying nearby rather than counting on the bus to get you there and back in one day.
A bus ride shouldn't rule out a good hike, and around Tromsø it doesn't have to. Norwegians transports are efficient and very reliable, so you can relax and enjoy the ride. The in-town options get you moving without any planning at all, the Kvaløya routes just take a bit more patience with the schedule (but sooo worth it), and a few of the farther ones deserve an overnight if you've got the time. Check the bus times before you go either way, since a missed connection on some of these routes means a long wait for the next one.
For everything else in the city, see our full guide to things to see and do in Tromsø, and if you're visiting during the midnight sun season, read our guide to things to do in Tromsø in summer. For a place to stay, check our guide to the best places to stay in Tromsø and around.
Finally, explore all our Norway Travel Guides here.
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