Some countries just “do” winter better than others. In Britain, things generally grind to a halt with the first flurry of snow. Norway, on the other hand, positively celebrates the white stuff.
No crippled train and bus services, closed schools and snow turning mushy in the blink of an eye. But if you thought the UK in winter was cold and dark, it’s not a patch on Norway where, because of being that bit further north, temperatures plunge and there is even less daylight.
Yet it even makes a virtue of the darkness. Noctourism – night-time travel experiences – has been named by Booking.com among its travel trends for 2025. More than half of Brits are said to be considering visiting darker sky destinations, with star-bathing experiences, once-in-a lifetime cosmic events and constellation tracking top of the adventure list.
One city capitalising on the trend is Tromso, more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where my 17-year-old daughter, Isla, and I travelled to. Amid a vast expanse of snow-covered mountains, remote Tromso is magical in so many ways. Even the snow positively sparkled.
In recent years, Tromso’s popularity as a tourist destination has steadily grown in large part due to the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, to give them their proper name. Last year sky-watchers were treated to rare glimpses of this natural phenomenon across large parts of the UK due to the biggest geomagnetic storm since 2003.
But heading deep into the Arctic Circle vastly increases your chances, and seeing the lights was top of the list for our visit. We took an early flight from Heathrow – leaving in pitch darkness – heading first to Oslo, then an internal flight to Tromso.
All told, the flights with SAS took five hours. We opted for a slightly convoluted journey that allowed us to get to there as early as possible. Direct flights from the UK, which we took on our return with Wizz Air, are also available. When we arrived at around 2pm, it already felt like dusk.
Indeed, when we went in late December, the sun never actually rises, with daylight a muted affair. On the flipside, in summer it barely gets dark. As I say, Norway nails winter and, whether it was the Christmas lights or the sparkling snow, the semi-darkness added to Tromso’s Narnia-like qualities, with a stunning mountainous backdrop.
One of the delights of being in a city as small as Tromso is the size of the airport – one baggage carousel – and short hop into the centre. We took a taxi but, being Scandinavia, there is a clean and efficient bus service too.
The other surprise that hits you is the cold. Not just chilling but a teeth-chattering -6C on the day we arrived, yet manageable under various layers of clothing. Home for the two nights was an apartment in a new complex in the Vervet district, perfectly situated on the edge of the city centre.
With an hour to kill before our check-in time, we took refuge in the wonderful Vervet Bakeri for delicious coffee, cheesecake and solboller, or “sun buns” (think coconut-covered doughnut combined with a custardtart). After a quick relax, and keen to pack everything in, we headed out for a Northern Lights “hunt”.
Where a decade or so ago there were a handful of such tours, now many have popped up, arranging trips on land or sea. Be warned, they can be pricey and some last eight hours: worth remembering given they typically set off at 7pm or 8pm.
The reason is often to head long distances, sometimes into Finland, to try to find the elusive Aurora. We opted for an “express” four-hour tour with Wandering Owl.
As luck would have it, we stopped 40 minutes outside of Tromso where, after a short wait, the first wisps appeared. Everyone will have their own experience of the Northern Lights but the delayed exposure of the latest smartphones and cameras can make the display look even more incredible then with the naked eye.
In our case, it was an almost eerie, celestial experience, with the bright streaks of cloud arching over our heads, coupled with the bright stars and even brighter, clear moon. It was an experience unlike any I have had before, made all the more special by a herd of reindeer that just happened to wander slowly by.
The next day saw us take a Silent Whale Watching trip aboard the Brim Explorer (tip: arrive 30 minutes before departure to bag good seats as it can be busy) leaving at 9am.
The darkness gave way to semi-daylight as we set off on our four-hour sail heading through stunning fjords to where we caught sight of migrating minke, humpback and killer whales.
The “Silent” element of the trip was about making as little noise as possible as we approached these majestic creatures of the ocean. That said, we were far from alone, with around half a dozen other ships and small boats closeby.
Our crew gave lots of information about the whales and area while serving endless cups of very strong Norwegian coffee (I’m a caffeine fiend but could only manage two cups). Over dinner that night, I made what soon felt like a rash snap decision to book an early morning sauna the next morning. And not just any sauna but Pust, a floating sauna with an added twist: a bracing plunge in the sea to cool down.
Leaving the warmth of our cosy apartment and heading off for my 6am to 7am slot, I was filled with nerves, made worse by the biting cold. Isla was true to teenage form and (somewhat understandably) stayed in bed.
But while I’d be lying if I said I did so enthusiastically, lowering myself into the freezing waters was exhilarating – albeit for the 10 seconds or so I managed the first time.
If, like us, you have a few hours to spare, Tromso is packed with places to visit (Troll Museum anyone?) and cafes serving amazing food. We opted for the Fjellheisen cable car, which takes passengers 1,380ft above sea level in just fourminutes to catch fantastic views of the city.
It is also where, if you are lucky, you can glimpse the Aurora Borealis. Though we didn’t, we were gifted the perfect departure from Tromso. Jetting off and heading into the night sky, the Northern Lights suddenly burst into view, almost on cue.
Book the holiday
Norwegian flies from Gatwick to Tromso from £284 return.
Scandinavian flies from Heathrow to Tromso from £352 return.
Wizz flies from Luton to Tromso from £62 return.
Book flights via booking.com
Rooms at the Radisson Blu Hotel Tromsø start at around £301 a night.
Rooms at the Scandic Ishavshotel in Tromso start at around £289 a night.
Rooms at the Home Hotel With in Tromso start at around £340 a night.
Book hotels via booking.com
More info at visittromso.no
