Sommarøy, Norway: Things to Do, Beaches, Hikes, and Where to Stay
Where time doesn’t exist and the beaches look like the Caribbean (we didn’t say anything about the water temperature)
Our tired legs appreciated gentle Ørnfløya after a hiking week in Senja
Sommarøy, Arctic Norway, is the kind of place that looks photoshopped until you're standing on it: turquoise water, white sand, and mountains right behind the beach, all an hour from downtown Tromsø. It's earned the nickname the Caribbean of the North for that reason… although the water temperature will quickly bring you back to reality.
We went on a sunny Sunday in May and the place was packed with locals. We did it as a day trip between Kvaløya and Senja, but you can just as easily stay the night. And you probably should. Here are the best things to do in Sommarøy, and everything else you need to know!
🛌 Where to stay:
• Sommarøy Arctic Hotel — right on the water, the island's main hotel and by far its best-known name
• Yggdrasil Farmhotel Retreat — absolute peace and animals next to Sommarøy
🇳🇴 Top experiences:
• Sea kayaking tour at Sommarøy from Tromsø — paddle the coastline with transfer included
• Sommarøy fjord tour with picnic from Tromsø — explore the island and swim in its turquoise waters (thermal included)
🚗 Car rental:
• Rent a car in Tromsø — the easiest way to reach Sommarøy on your own schedule
Jump to: Getting there · Hikes · Beaches · Things to do · Where to eat and shop · Where to stay · FAQ
Things to do in Sommarøy: quick answer
Sommarøy sits about an hour from Tromsø by car, over the Sommarøy Bridge from Kvaløya, or a longer ride on bus 420 or 422 (you can’t do a return trip from/to Tromsø on the same day). Come for the beaches (Sandvika and Otervika are the two everyone means when they say "Sommarøy beach"), stay for a short hike up Ørnfløya, and eat at the hotel or the little grocery-slash-everything-shop, Matkroken, since there isn't much else on the island itself. It works as a day trip from Tromsø, a stop on the way to Senja via the Brensholmen ferry, or a night or two at the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel if you want to slow down.
How to get to Sommarøy from Tromsø
Break to admire the view before the ferry to Senja
By car, it's about an hour from central Tromsø: cross onto Kvaløya, then follow road 862 the whole way out to the coast. No tolls or ferries involved on this route, just a straightforward drive once you're off the mainland.
Without a car, bus 420 or 422 gets you to Brensholmen, close to Sommarøy, though it's over an hour each way with limited departures. we go into the specifics, including current route numbers, in our hikes by bus from Tromsø guide.
Sommarøy is also the jumping-off point for Senja. The car ferry from Brensholmen to Botnhamn runs several times a day, more on weekdays than weekends, and takes somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour depending on the crossing.
A lot of people, us included, treat Sommarøy as a stop on the way between Kvaløya and Senja rather than a separate trip, and it shows up as a stop on plenty of guided Senja day tours from Tromsø too. Several Tromsø-based kayak and boat tours also run out here specifically, so you don't need your own transport to end up on Sommarøy.
If you’re continuing to Senja, read our guide to the Things to Do in Senja and Best Hikes in Senja.
Hikes near Sommarøy
View over Sommarøy and Hillesøy from Ørnfløya on a sunny Sunday in May
Ørnfløya
The classic Sommarøy hike, short and steep enough to earn the view: a couple of kilometers each way to a summit looking straight down over the village, the bridges, and the islands scattered around it. Easy, about 40 to 60 minutes round trip. When we did it, it was full of local families.
Hillesøytoppen (Nordkollen)
A few kilometers further out on Hillesøy, connected to Sommarøy by its own bridge. Three routes up, one short and steep enough, another that drops down to a pristine beach on the way. All three end in the same kind of ocean panorama, Senja visible in the distance.
The coastal walk from Steinsvika
A flatter option if you'd rather not climb anything, following the shoreline past the Steinsvika archaeological site toward Kvitnesvika. Good for slow mornings or if you just came back from a hiking frenzy in Senja (guilty).
Both Ørnfløya and Hillesøytoppen are also covered, with full bus access details, in our hikes by bus from Tromsø guide, worth a look if you're doing this without a car.
Beaches on Sommarøy
The Caribbean of the North… until you go for a swim!
Sandvika is the one most people picture when they hear Sommarøy, white sand, clear shallow water, and mountains close enough behind it that the whole thing looks unreal in photos.
Otervika is quieter and a short walk from Sandvika if you want the same water with fewer people around. Both get busy on a sunny weekend. We found that out in May, so don't expect to have either one to yourself in good weather.
Grøtfjord on Kvaløya is worth a stop too if you’re coming from Tromsø. We've covered it separately in our Kvaløya guide (including a secret beach you won’t find in guides).
Things to do in Sommarøy
These are probably the most photographed houses on Sommarøy
Kayaking in Sommarøy
Beyond the beaches and the hikes, sea kayaking is the main organized activity. A few operators run guided trips along the coastline, including midnight sun paddles in summer, with transfer from Tromsø available if you don't want to drive yourself.
🐧 Explore Sommarøy kayaking tours from Tromsø
Fishing
Fishing is serious business on Sommarøy, not just a tourist add-on. It's the island's actual main industry, and there are dedicated fishing charters if that's what you're after.
Northern lights
In winter, the island's low light pollution makes it a superb option for the northern lights too. Our northern lights in Tromsø guide covers the wider region.
The place where time doesn’t exist
There's also a really cool story behind Sommarøy's relationship with time. During the midnight sun, from mid-May to late July, the sun never sets here, and in 2019 a local named Kjell Ove Hveding led a petition asking Norway's parliament to declare the island the world's first time-free zone for those 69 days. The bridge onto the island still carries decorative watches as a nod to it. Nothing about local time actually changed, but residents had informally been ignoring the clock for generations anyway, and the story made it around the world.
Where to eat and shop on Sommarøy
The goats didn’t seem to mind us on our way to Havfrua Kro
Shopping
Don't expect much beyond the essentials, and that's kind of the point. Matkroken, right in the village, is grocery store, yarn shop, and fishing gear shop rolled into one, useful for picking up food if you're self-catering. Butikkjellarn, a small second-hand shop, shares the same building. It was closed on the Sunday we visited.
Restaurants
For a proper meal, the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel runs the main kitchen on the island, open for lunch and dinner daily with a bar that stays open later. Havfrua Kro is a small café and tavern by the bridge (we had yummy suksessterte there, one of our favorite Norwegian cakes), and Hillesøy Art and Craft sells local handicrafts alongside coffee and waffles on Saturdays.
If you're coming from Tromsø and want a stop en route, our go-to Bryggejentene at Ersfjordbotn serves great food with a view (what a view!!) and has a small home goods shop. Worth knowing about even though it's technically on the way rather than on Sommarøy itself.
Where to stay in Sommarøy: Sommarøy Arctic Hotel and more
Rorbu near Sommarøy Arctic Hotel
Sommarøy Arctic Hotel
Although technically on Hillesøya, Sommarøy Arctic Hotel is the name almost everyone means when they search for a hotel here, and for good reason: it's right on the water, runs its own restaurant and bar, and is the only full-service hotel actually on the island. And it’s soooo picturesque!
Other options
If you want something smaller and quieter but still on Sommarøy itself, Ecolodge Båthuset 69Nord is a small guesthouse right in the village.
Booking.com sometimes has private apartments in and around Sommarøy.
Outside of Sommarøy
Yggdrasil Farmhotel Retreat, Spa & Yoga is another option worth knowing about. It's not on Sommarøy itself but in Straumsbukta on Kvaløya, close enough to be on the way in or out, with its own spa and yoga, without forgetting the cute animals.
For the wider Tromsø area, our Best Hotels in Tromsø guide (by area) and Best Hotels for the Northern Lights guide cover options if you're basing yourself in the city instead and visiting Sommarøy for the day.
Or zoom in and out on the map to find hotels, cabins and apartments in and around Sommarøy:
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FAQ: Things to do in Sommarøy
How do I get to Sommarøy from Tromsø? By car, about an hour over the Sommarøy Bridge from Kvaløya via road 862. Without one, bus 420 or 422 reaches Brensholmen, close to Sommarøy, though it's a longer ride with limited departures.
What is the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel? It's the main hotel on the island, right on the water with its own restaurant and bar, and the only full-service hotel actually in Sommarøy itself.
Is Sommarøy worth visiting as a day trip from Tromsø? Yes, that's how most people, including us, actually see it. The beaches, a short hike up Ørnfløya, and lunch at the hotel fill a day comfortably without needing to stay overnight.
Can you take a ferry from Sommarøy to Senja? Yes, from Brensholmen to Botnhamn, several times a day depending on the schedule. A lot of people treat Sommarøy as a stop between Kvaløya and Senja rather than a separate destination.
What beaches are in Sommarøy? Sandvika and Otervika are the two main ones, both known for white sand and clear water, with Sandvika the more well-known of the pair.
Sommarøy earns the photos you've probably already seen of it. It's a small island with an outsized reputation (and the visitors who go with it), and once you're standing on Sandvika with Senja on the horizon, it's obvious why. Go for the day if that's all the time you have, stay the night if you want to see it without the Sunday crowds, and either way, build in the ferry to Senja if you're already out that far. It’s worth every second.
Finally, explore all our Norway Travel Guides here.
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