How to Get to Tromsø: Flights, Buses, Trains, and Driving Routes
Tromsø looks remote on a map of the Arctic, but it’s surprisingly well connected to the rest of Europe.
Mac the penguin is enjoying the ferry from Senja as much as are!
Tromsø, Norway, is better connected than its latitude on the map suggests: a busy airport, a long-haul bus that runs all the way into Finnish Lapland, and a coastal ferry route that's been calling here for more than a century. What it doesn't have is a railway, which throws off a lot of people planning a Norway rail trip around it. Here's how to get to Tromsø, whether you're flying in from Europe or working your way up through Norway, Finland, or Sweden.
🛌 Where to stay:
• Villa Havblikk, Tromsdalen — we stayed there. Fjord views, heated bathroom floors, vintage vibe.
• Scandic Ishavshotel — right on the harbor quayside at Prostneset, an easy walk if you're arriving by coastal ferry or catching the Arctic Route bus.
🇳🇴 Top experiences:
• Northern lights minibus tour — a good one to book for your first night, before you've figured out the roads yourself.
• Reindeer sledding, dinner & aurora — a full evening out for anyone who landed with no car and no plan yet.
🚗 Rental cars for the region — worth it once you're ready for Lyngen, Senja, or Lofoten.
Jump to: Flights to Tromsø · Is there a train to Tromsø? · From Finland: the Arctic Route · From Narvik · From Lofoten and Senja · From Alta and Finnmark · Through the Lyngen Alps · By coastal ferry · Where to stay · FAQ
How to get to Tromsø: quick answer
Almost everyone gets to Tromsø by plane. There's no railway anywhere near the city, so flying in from Oslo or connecting through a European hub is the fastest option. If you're already in the Arctic, Tromsø sits in the middle of a few interesting overland routes: a long-haul bus to Finland known as the Arctic Route, a bus-and-train combo through Narvik that connects to Sweden's Kiruna and Abisko, and driving routes in from Lofoten, Senja, Alta, and the Lyngen Alps. Below is what works for each of those, plus where the coastal ferries fit in.
Flights to Tromsø
Offseason, Tromsø airport was very busy… (in May)
Tromsø Airport (Langnes, TOS) sits about 5 km from downtown, and it's by far the busiest airport in northern Norway. From Oslo, it's roughly 1 hour 50 minutes in the air, with several flights a day on SAS, Norwegian, and Widerøe. This is how most travelers get here, including most people flying in from outside Norway, since international connections routinely route through Oslo.
You don't always have to go through Oslo, though. Tromsø has direct seasonal or year-round flights to a decent spread of European cities: London (Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton), Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Paris, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Zürich, Vienna, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Reykjavík, and a few others, mostly with airlines like Norwegian, SAS, Vueling, easyJet, and Wizz Air. Coverage shifts season to season (most of these are winter-only, aimed at the northern lights crowd), so double-check what's flying on your dates.
There are also direct flights to Helsinki and Rovaniemi on Finnair, which is worth knowing if you're bouncing between Norwegian and Finnish Lapland. We'd flag this one for a schedule check too, since we couldn't confirm exactly how many days a week it runs.
Beyond the international routes, Tromsø is also the main hub for flights around the rest of northern Norway: Alta, Bodø, Harstad-Narvik (Evenes), Kirkenes, Hammerfest, Svalbard (Longyearbyen), and a handful of smaller airports are all a short domestic hop away, mostly on Widerøe. When we flew to Svalbard from Oslo, we didn’t change planes, but we had to get off in Tromsø to go through customs.
Tromsø Airport to the city center
Hop on a bus and be at Pust sauna in now time!
The airport is close, so the transfer is quick either way. Flybussen (the airport express bus) meets arriving flights and drops you downtown in around 15 minutes. A taxi covers the same distance for more money but works if you land late or are hauling ski bags and camera gear. We wouldn't bother pre-booking either one; both are easy to sort out after you land.
You can also save and take the regular bus (24, 26, 40, or 42 depending on where you’re going), which we usually do. It’s way cheaper and takes a bit longer, but you can sightsee along the way!
Is there a train to Tromsø?
Between sea and mountains, Tromsø’s topography makes it very difficult (and costly) for a train line to be built — Here at midnight in May
No, and you’ll understand why when you see Tromsø’s topography. However, there was a plan for one, the so-called Northern Norway Line, and Nazi Germany's occupying forces started building part of it during WWII between Fauske and Narvik, but the project was abandoned after the war and never seriously revived. A 2019 feasibility study put the cost in the tens of billions of kroner and concluded it wasn't worth building. Tromsø even has a bar downtown called Jernbanestasjon ("the train station"), decorated like a rail car, playing on the fact that no train ever pulled in.
The nearest real train stations are Narvik (connected only to Sweden, not the rest of Norway's network, handy if you’re coming from Abisko and Kiruna) and Fauske or Bodø further south (on the Nordland Line down to Trondheim and Oslo). If you want to combine train travel with getting to Tromsø, you'd take the train as far as one of those, then finish the trip by bus.
Getting to Tromsø from Lapland, Finland: the Arctic Route
A few days by the sea in Tromsø and then tykky trees in Finnish Lapland? The perfect combo — Here at Riisitunturi National Park
If you're coming from Finnish Lapland, there's a long-haul bus route that runs between Tromsø and Rovaniemi, operated as a partnership between Norway's Arctic Route/Best Arctic and Finland's Eskelisen Lapin Linjat. It departs Tromsø's Prostneset bus terminal in the morning and takes around 10 to 10.5 hours to reach Rovaniemi, with a bus change at the Norway-Finland border in Kilpisjärvi and stops along the way at Karesuvanto, Muonio, Levi, and Kittilä before finishing at Santa Claus Village. It runs daily through the winter season and again for a stretch in summer, though the exact date ranges shift a bit year to year, so check current dates before you plan around it.
You don't have to ride the whole route to make use of it. Kilpisjärvi itself is only about 3.5 hours from Tromsø, which is the relevant stretch if you're headed to the Norway-Finland-Sweden border area rather than all the way into Finland.
There’s a new night option as well, with a lovely name: The Aurora Express (with fewer stops). We included Best Arctic Routes in our guide to One Lapland Trip, Three Countries, if you want to combine destinations.
If you’re spending a few days in Rovaniemi, read our articles:
Getting to Tromsø from Narvik, and on to Sweden
I (Eli) had my best mushing experience in Abisko!
Narvik is about 4.5 hours from Tromsø by bus, with daily connections. It's also where the practical train options for this part of the Arctic start, since Narvik sits on the Ofotbanen (Ofoten Line), which runs east across the border into Sweden rather than south to the rest of Norway.
That matters if you're continuing on to, or coming from Swedish Lapland: from Narvik, the train crosses at Bjørnfjell and continues to Abisko and on to Kiruna, a trip of a little under 3 hours to Kiruna. If that's your route, we've written up the Kiruna-to-Abisko leg in detail, since the logistics of the two towns are closely tied together once you're on that line.
And if you’re spending time in Abisko or Kiruna, read our guides:
Kiruna:
Abisko:
Driving to Tromsø from Lofoten and Senja
Jake hiking Hesten in Senja, with epic views on Segla
Getting to Tromsø from Lofoten
The fastest route between Tromsø and Svolvær is the inland one via Nordskjøsbotn and Bjerkvik, around 420 km and roughly 6 hours, with no ferries required. There's also a longer, more scenic option that swings through Senja, about 450 km and 8.5 hours with two ferry crossings, if you want to break the drive up and see more coastline (if you have time, we strongly recommend this option).
A direct bus also runs the route, but budget more like 7 to 9 hours, since it typically means a transfer partway (you're crossing from Troms into Nordland county, and each has its own regional bus system).
If you’re spending a few days in Lofoten, read our guides:
Getting to Tromsø from Senja
This is a shorter hop, generally 2 to 4 hours by car depending which part of Senja you're starting from, driving in via Fv862 and E8 across the Gisund Bridge. Read our guide to Renting a Car in Tromsø for information about driving in the Arctic and logistics.
There's also a ferry option (drive to Brensholmen, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Tromsø, then a roughly 45-minute crossing, which is really nice — get a pølser!) and an express passenger boat direct to Finnsnes that takes about 1 hour 20 minutes if you don't need a car on the other end.
If you’re staying in Senja for a couple of days (and you should), read our guides:
Driving to Tromsø from Alta and Finnmark
Hiking Haldde in Alta
Alta is about 6 hours from Tromsø by car via the E6, or a 30-minute flight if you'd rather skip the drive (flights run most days of the week). There's also a bus that runs the route through North Troms.
Further north and east, Kirkenes and Hammerfest are both technically reachable from Tromsø, but neither is a realistic day's drive, especially in winter. Flying is the practical option for both, and Kirkenes also shows up as a coastal ferry stop if you're doing part of your trip by ship (more on that below).
If you’re still hesitating between Alta and Tromsø and can’t do both, read our comparison guide: Tromsø vs. Alta.
Getting to Tromsø through the Lyngen Alps
Para, para, paradise in Oldervik, looking at the Lyngen Alps
Coming from Lyngseidet, it's about 30 minutes to Svensby, on the Lyngen side of the fjord, where a car ferry crosses to Breivikeidet in about 20 minutes (there's coffee and waffles on board). From Breivikeidet it's Rv91 to Fagernes, then the E8 the rest of the way into Tromsø. But if you have time, drive from Breivikeidet to Oldervik. It’s our favorite hidden gem (we should definitely stop talking about it…) Learn more in our Best Hikes by Bus from Tromsø article.
The same route runs by bus too, connecting through to Tromsø's Prostneset terminal if you're coming from further out via Alta or Storslett.
Arriving in Tromsø by ferry: Hurtigruten and Havila
Watching the Hurtigruten ships passing by from our rental apartment window in Tromsø
Tromsø is also a stop on Norway's year-round coastal ferry route between Bergen and Kirkenes, run by both Hurtigruten and Havila Voyages, docking right at Prostneset in the city center. Ships call at Tromsø roughly once a day in each direction. Approximate one-way sailing times if you're boarding further south: about 64 hours from Bergen, 51 hours from Trondheim, 24 hours from Bodø, and 17 hours from Svolvær in Lofoten. Port time in Tromsø varies depending on direction and which operator you're on, sometimes just long enough to walk into town and back (you should see these American tourists on a shopping spree!), sometimes several hours.
Most people who arrive this way are doing a longer coastal trip rather than booking a ferry specifically to reach Tromsø.
Where to stay once you’re in Tromsø
Wherever you're arriving from, a couple of picks are worth knowing up front. Villa Havblikk in Tromsdalen is where we stayed during our last trip, with fjord views, a lovely vintage vibe and heated bathroom floors. If you're coming in by coastal ferry or catching the Arctic Route bus, Scandic Ishavshotel is about as convenient as it gets, right on the harbor at Prostneset where both dock.
For the full range of options by neighborhood and budget, our Where to Stay in Tromsø Guide covers it in more depth, by area. And of you’re here for the aurora, read our guide to the best Northern Lights Hotels in Tromsø.
Or zoom in and out on the map to find hotels, cabins, and apartments in and around Tromsø:
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FAQ: How to get to Tromsø
What's the fastest way to get to Tromsø? Flying. Most people connect through Oslo, about 1 hour 50 minutes in the air, though a growing number of European cities have seasonal direct flights, mostly in winter for the northern lights season.
Can I drive from Oslo to Tromsø? You can, but it's a long one, around 22 to 23 hours behind the wheel. Most people fly instead and save the driving for shorter regional routes once they're up north. If you do want the full Oslo road trip breakdown, we cover it in our guide to renting a car in Tromsø.
Is there a train to Tromsø? No. Norway's rail network never reached this far north, and a proposed line was scrapped as too expensive. The closest stations are Narvik and Fauske/Bodø, both several hours away by bus.
How do I get from Tromsø to Rovaniemi or elsewhere in Finland? By the Arctic Route bus, a roughly 10 to 10.5 hour ride with a bus change at the Finnish border in Kilpisjärvi. It runs daily in winter and again for part of the summer.
How do I get from Narvik to Abisko or Kiruna? By train. Narvik connects to Sweden's rail network via the Ofoten Line, crossing at Bjørnfjell and continuing to Abisko and Kiruna, about 3 hours total to Kiruna. We break down that leg further in our Kiruna to Abisko guide.
Do I need a car to get to Tromsø? No, not to reach the city itself, since flights and buses cover it fine. A car becomes useful once you're here and want to reach Lyngen, Senja, Lofoten, or Alta with more freedom.
Tromsø is one of the easier Arctic destinations to reach, and one of the better-connected ones once you're there. Fly in from Oslo or Europe, and you're downtown within the hour. Come overland from Finland, Narvik, or Lofoten, and you've already seen some of the most impressive landscapes in the European Arctic. And once at your destination, read our complete guide to the Best Things to Do in Tromsø.
Finally, explore all our Norway Travel Guides here.
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