For couples · Tromsø · Norway
Romantic things to do in Tromsø
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Kjetil r assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
Few places are as romantic as watching the northern lights dance over a fjord, or the midnight sun circling over the islands. Tromsø pairs those natural shows with cosy restaurants, candlelit cafés and remote cabins. Couples tend to stay in Sentrum.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 4
- Area for couples
- Sentrum
- Best months
- January–March and June–July
Romantic ideas
1.Aurora from a remote cabin
Stay a night or two in a cabin on Kvaløya or at Sommarøy and watch for the northern lights from the doorstep.
2.Cable car at sunset
Ride Fjellheisen up in the late afternoon and watch the city lights come on below the mountains.
3.Concert in the Arctic Cathedral
Hear a northern lights concert in winter or a midnight-sun concert in summer under the great glass mosaic.
4.Night-time dog sledding
Glide through the snow under a dark sky with the chance of an aurora overhead.
5.Arctic tasting menu
Share a dinner of king crab, Arctic char and reindeer at one of the city's restaurants.
Sights couples love
Experience · Tromsø region
Northern lights tours
Book on your first night, so a cloudy night leaves room to try again, and choose an operator that offers a retry if you see nothing.
- Time needed
- 6–9 hours, evening into the night
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Nature
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Tromsdalen
Fjellheisen cable car
Go up before sunset in winter, or late in the evening between late May and late July, for the most dramatic light.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Photo spot
Experience · Tromsø region
Midnight sun
Take the cable car or climb the Sherpa steps around midnight for the sun circling low over the islands.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Experience · Harbour
Fjord and wildlife boat trips
Choose a boat with an indoor heated cabin in winter, and keep a camera ready for sea eagles.
- Time needed
- 3–5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Nature
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and couples
Sentrum
The city centre on the east side of Tromsøya runs along Storgata and the harbourfront, with 19th-century wooden houses, the wooden Tromsø Cathedral, the Polar Museum and Polaria. Most hotels are here, and almost every northern lights, whale and husky tour picks up from the centre or the harbour, so it is the most practical base.
- Good
- Tour pick-ups on the doorstep; Restaurants and bars within a few minutes; Walk to the Arctic Cathedral over the bridge
- Watch out
- Expensive hotels, especially in winter; City lights mean you need a tour to see the aurora well
- Nearby
- Storgata, Polaria, Polar Museum, Tromsø Cathedral
Romantic day trips
- Sommarøy (About 1 hour by car) — A fishing village on a cluster of low islands with white sand beaches and turquoise water, reached by a scenic drive across Kvaløya past Kattfjord and Ersfjord.
- Ersfjordbotn and Kvaløya fjords (About 30 minutes by car) — The road across Kvaløya leads to Ersfjordbotn at the head of a narrow fjord walled by steep peaks, with a small beach and a wooden pier.
- Lyngen Alps (About 1 hour 30 minutes–2 hours by car and ferry) — A chain of glaciated peaks rising up to about 1,800 metres straight from the fjords east of Tromsø, famous for ski touring in spring, hiking and fjord kayaking in summer, and dark-sky northern lights viewing in winter.
- Senja (About 2–3 hours each way by car) — Norway's second-largest island has some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the north: jagged peaks rising from the sea, fishing villages such as Mefjordvær and Husøy, and viewpoints such as Bergsbotn.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Arctic char, Skrei and mølje and King crab. Supermarkets stop selling beer in the evening and on Sundays; wine and spirits are sold only at Vinmonopolet.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Tromsø romantic?
Few places are as romantic as watching the northern lights dance over a fjord, or the midnight sun circling over the islands. Tromsø pairs those natural shows with cosy restaurants, candlelit cafés and remote cabins.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Tromsø?
Aurora from a remote cabin: Stay a night or two in a cabin on Kvaløya or at Sommarøy and watch for the northern lights from the doorstep.
+Where should couples stay in Tromsø?
Sentrum: Wooden houses, Storgata's bars and the harbour where tours depart.