The sheltered fjords and sounds around Tromsø, about 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, seen from the deck of a warm boat.
Watch a sea eagle drop to the water below snowy peaks, pull up a cod for the soup pot, or sit in a deck hot tub while the low sun turns the mountains pink.
What is on board, spelled outSoup, rods, suits or a hot tub: per boat
Real guest ratingsLive figures from GetYourGuide
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every cruise here
Secure checkoutBooked and paid on GetYourGuide
Cruises
Choose your Arctic fjord cruise
In the centre, the classic catamaran cruise past the Arctic Cathedral. On the left, a fishing trip with
fish soup on board; on the right, a small sailing yacht with a hot tub upgrade. Every card opens a full tour page.
Out to Ramfjorden on a small boat, drop a line, and the crew turns the catch into fish soup on board. Book the all-inclusive option if you want the rods and the soup.
What's included
All-inclusive option: fishing, fish soup, bread, snacks
Hot drinks and thermal suits on board
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Smaller boat, smaller group than the big catamarans
A quiet catamaran past the Arctic Cathedral and out between snowy islands, with a guide on the mic. Coffee and tea are free; the photo lesson on board is a nice extra.
What's included
Round-trip cruise on a modern catamaran
Live guide in English and Norwegian
Free coffee or tea, heated cabin with panoramic windows
Every cruise leaves from the harbour in central Tromsø. Thermal suits are lent on the fishing
cruises and on Hermes II; on the catamarans you dress for the deck yourself.
Before you book
Half a day on the water, not a voyage.
The name sounds like a ship and a week at sea. In Tromsø, an Arctic fjord cruise is a day boat: you walk to a pier
in the centre, sail for two and a half to four and a half hours through the sounds and fjords around the island
city, and are back in town for a late lunch or dinner. Overnight Arctic cruises exist, on the coastal ships and the
expedition lines, but they are a different trip with a different price.
The fjords here are not the narrow cliff walls of the Nærøyfjord either, which lies about 1,100 km to the south.
They are wide, open water ringed by sharp white peaks, small fishing villages and wooden racks for drying cod. What
makes them Arctic is the light: no sunrise at all from late November to mid-January, the midnight sun from late
May to late July, and in between some of the longest, lowest golden light you will ever photograph.
350
Kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, give or take. Tromsø sits at
about 69°N, yet the Gulf Stream keeps its harbour free of sea ice, which is why boats can sail all winter.
Nerstranda pierCatamaranThe Arctic Fjord Cruise, behind the Nerstranda shopping centre. Meet at 10:40.
Pier 12Hermes IIOn the sea side of Kystens Hus, by Stortorget. Be there 15 minutes early.
Killengreens gatePolar AdventuresThe office on the front pier, next to the Radisson Blu and the Scandic Ishavshotel.
Skarven pierNight cruiseBeside Skarven Kro at Kaigata 6, for the electric northern lights cruise.
On deck2.5 to 5 hoursThe trip length is mostly time on the water: no bus, no transfer.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation up to a day before, on every cruise here.
Where it starts
All cruises leave from the harbour
A short walk from any hotel
Piers along the waterfront between Nerstranda, Stortorget and Kaigata, central Tromsø
Unlike most Arctic tours, a fjord cruise needs no bus. The boats tie up along the waterfront of Tromsøya, the island
the city stands on, and the piers are a few minutes apart on foot. Two operators also offer pickup from central
hotels. Check which pier your boat uses the evening before: four companies, four different meeting points.
A fjord cruise is a half day close to town. Whale watching is a different trip: a full day on a bigger boat, heading north to where the orcas and humpbacks follow the herring in winter. Book it for another day of your stay.
The seven cruises on this site leave the same harbour, and the photos all look alike: blue water, white mountains, a boat.
The trips are not alike. Here is how to read them.
What you actually see
Tromsø stands on an island, Tromsøya, in a sound between the mainland and the much bigger island of Kvaløya. The
cruises follow that water. Most pass the Arctic Cathedral, the white triangle across the bridge, then head south into
Balsfjorden or Ramfjorden, or west between the islands towards Kvaløya. Expect wide fjords, mountains well over 1,000
metres along the skyline, scattered farms, and racks of cod drying in the wind in late winter.
The wildlife is mostly birds. White-tailed sea eagles are the stars, and the fishing boats have a trick: throw a
fish, and one comes down to take it. Seals and eider ducks are common; porpoises and otters turn up now and then.
Whales are a different story, and a different trip.
On the catamarans, the best view is often from inside, through glass, with a coffee.
The boat is the real choice
The classic cruise runs on a modern catamaran: steady, quiet, warm, with leather seats and big windows. It is the
comfortable choice and the one with the most guiding. Hermes II is the opposite, a wooden boat built in 1917
with two small saloons, rods for fishing and a fish cake from a local fishmonger. The sailing yacht is the small-group
option, twelve people with reindeer soup and a hot tub on deck. Polar Adventures sits in between: small boats, a
cook, and fish soup made from whatever you catch.
Read the inclusions: two cruises with the same photo can differ by a whole lunch. On the
fishing cruise the soup comes with the all-inclusive option only, and on the classic catamaran food is for sale
at the kiosk. Each of our tour pages lists what is on board.
Arctic light, month by month
Timing matters more than the boat. From about 27 November to 15 January the sun does not clear the horizon, and
the day is a few hours of blue and pink twilight around noon. It is strange and lovely, and short. February and
March bring the sun back over snowy mountains, the light stays low all day, and this is when the photos look like the
brochures. Summer is green, bright and endless: from about 20 May to 22 July the sun never sets, and an evening
cruise sails in full daylight.
Hermes II, built in 1917, runs both the history cruise and the fishing trip.
Not the fjords from the postcards
Many visitors arrive with the Nærøyfjord or the Geirangerfjord in mind: narrow, steep, with waterfalls. Those are in
western Norway, about 1,100 km south of here, and you will not see them on any cruise from Tromsø. The fjords up here
are wider and lower, and the drama comes from snow, light and space rather than cliffs. If the narrow fjords are the
dream, our Nærøyfjord vs Tromsø guide helps you decide.
The northern lights question
A daytime fjord cruise will not show you the aurora. The night cruise can, between November and the end of
March, if the sky clears. Book it for an early night in your stay, so a cloudy evening leaves you time to try again
another way.
The yacht's hot tub upgrade: the warmest seat on any fjord cruise from Tromsø.
Straight answers to what people ask most about fjord cruises from Tromsø.
How much does an Arctic fjord cruise from Tromsø cost?
Online, from $125 for a 3-hour summer evening cruise to $282 for a small-group yacht trip with lunch. The classic catamaran cruise is $132, the fishing cruise with fish soup $177, and the 1917 wooden boat $144 to $212. All prices are per person and move with the season. The cruise comparison shows what each one includes.
Is an Arctic fjord cruise worth it?
Yes, if you know what you are buying: half a day on a warm boat among snowy islands and mountains, with sea eagles and a guide, close to town. It is not a voyage, and it is not the narrow cliff fjords of western Norway. For many visitors it is the easiest way to see the Arctic landscape without driving on winter roads.
What is the best month for a fjord cruise from Tromsø?
February and March: snow on every peak, the sun back above the mountains and long, low golden light. From about 27 November to 15 January the sun does not rise at all, which gives you blue twilight around midday. Summer brings the midnight sun, roughly 20 May to 22 July. More in the best time to go.
Can you see the northern lights from a fjord cruise?
Only on a night cruise in the dark season, and never guaranteed. The aurora season runs from about September to early April; the night cruise sails from November to the end of March. Most fjord cruises run around midday. The electric northern lights cruise sails at night towards the clearest forecast. See northern lights by boat.
Is a fjord cruise from Tromsø choppy?
Usually not. The routes stay inside sheltered sounds and fjords, which are much calmer than the open sea, and captains change the route when the wind picks up. Take a seasickness tablet if you are prone to it. Details in is a fjord cruise choppy.
Can I cruise the Nærøyfjord from Tromsø?
No. The Nærøyfjord and the Geirangerfjord are in western Norway, about 1,100 km south of Tromsø in a straight line. Tromsø’s fjords are wider and Arctic, with snow on the peaks for much of the year. Our Nærøyfjord vs Tromsø guide explains the difference.
Is there a cruise to Norway that includes the Arctic Circle?
Yes: the coastal ships of Hurtigruten and Havila sail between Bergen and Kirkenes and cross the Arctic Circle on the way, calling at Tromsø. A day cruise from Tromsø starts about 350 km north of the line already. Compare the two in Arctic cruise or day cruise.
Will I see whales on a fjord cruise?
Probably not. In winter the orcas and humpbacks follow the herring north of Tromsø, hours away by boat, so whale watching is its own full-day trip. On a fjord cruise the wildlife is sea eagles, seals, eider ducks and, with luck, porpoises or otters. For whales, book the whale watching day.
What should I wear on an Arctic fjord cruise?
Layers: a wool or synthetic base layer, a fleece, a windproof jacket, a hat, gloves and warm boots. The cabins are heated, but the views are on deck. The fishing cruises and Hermes II lend thermal suits; the classic catamaran does not, so dress for the wind.
Where do the fjord cruises leave from?
All from the harbour in central Tromsø, within a ten-minute walk of each other: the Nerstranda pier, pier 12 by Kystens Hus, the Polar Adventures office on Killengreens gate and the Skarven pier on Kaigata. Each tour page gives the exact spot.
Can I cancel a fjord cruise?
Every cruise on this site cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before departure. If the captain cancels for wind or ice, you get a refund or a new date.
Ready to book
Pick your boat, pick your light.
Departures from central Tromsø and free cancellation up to 24 hours before, on every cruise.
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