Northern Lights tours from the Tromsø cruise port

Prostneset or Breivika: where your ship docks

Tromsø has two places where cruise passengers come ashore. Smaller ships and the coastal express tie up at the Prostneset terminal, right on the harbor in the city center. Larger cruise ships usually use the Breivika quay, about 4 to 5 km north of town, in a port area that is not pleasant to walk from. Cruise lines generally run a shuttle bus into the center, and taxis wait at the quay; plan on about 15 to 20 minutes each way.

That matters because all six tours on our comparison page meet in the center. From Prostneset it is a short walk. The reindeer camp bus departs from the bus side of the same terminal, and our pick gathers its guests outside the Scandic Ishavshotel next door. From Breivika, you add the trip into town at both ends.

Choose by your all-aboard time

We go by one rule. Add the length of the tour to its start time, then at least an hour of buffer, and more from Breivika. If that lands after all-aboard, choose a shorter tour.

The ship waits for its own excursions only

If a Northern Lights coach sold by your cruise line runs late, the ship waits for it. A tour you book yourself is often cheaper, as our price guide shows, and runs in a smaller group, but if the lights come out at midnight and the guide stays two more hours, the ship will not hold. That is not a reason to avoid independent tours, only a reason to be honest about the timing. On a same-night call, the reindeer camp at ~$203 is the safest choice, because its return time is fixed. What happens at the camp is in its own guide.

Overnight in Tromsø: go for the chase

Many winter itineraries built around the aurora stay in Tromsø late or overnight, and some stay two nights. That is when you should book a proper chase. Take our pick, the unlimited chase from ~$168, or the family-run Arctic Glow tour from ~$146, which can drop you at the taxi rank in the center for the ride back to Breivika. Ask before the night whether the operator drops guests at the quay. Breivika sits on Tromsø island, which is the drop-off area for our pick's unlimited option, yet confirm it for your ship before you go.

On a two-night call, book the first evening. If the sky is closed, you still have the second, and with free cancellation up to 24 hours before, you can move your booking when the forecast changes. How to read the forecast is in its own guide.

A boat that leaves from the harbor

Brim Explorer's electric boat at ~$134 is the second short choice. It leaves from a pier at Kaigata 6, next to the Skarven restaurant, a few minutes from Prostneset, and lasts three and a half hours. It is the one tour of the six listed as wheelchair accessible, and you wait in heated lounges instead of a snowfield. A boat cannot drive inland when clouds sit on the coast, though, and that is its weak spot. Boat versus bus is in our guide.

What to bring from the cabin

• Your ship card and a photo ID or passport. The card gets you back on board; the passport matters on chases that cross into Finland.
• Every warm layer you packed. Thermal underwear, a sweater, hat, gloves and winter boots go under the suit. Our full list.
• A charged phone and a spare battery in an inside pocket, plus the ship's emergency contact number.
• No big bags. Our pick does not allow luggage or large bags, and there is no room in a minibus anyway.

In midwinter, it is dark early

The sun stays below the horizon from late November to mid-January, and even in February and March darkness falls by early evening. So an evening tour on a cruise call is always a tour in the dark. If the aurora forecast is strong and your ship sails early, ask on deck, because the lights can appear over the harbor itself, and some passengers see them from the ship. The best months and hours are in our guide.