Places you can reach on foot or by bus
Journey times are from Stortorget in the centre, door to door. Last buses are back towards the centre, from Entur’s journey planner for 7 to 13 December 2026; Entur already shows the same times for mid-January 2027. Friday and Saturday nights have buses until about 3 am. Each place links to the planner for the way back, which shows the day you’re going.
Prestvannet
A lake on the high ground in the middle of Tromsøya, and the closest place to the centre that Visit Tromsø names as darker. Visit Tromsø
- Getting there
- About 20 to 30 minutes’ walk, or about 15 minutes by bus 28 or 40 to the Prestvannet stop. Arctic Norway, Entur
- Last bus back
- Sunday to Thursday, line 28 at 23:58. Friday and Saturday nights, until 03:18. Close enough to walk back after that. Plan the way back
- Sky
- Some light: a lit ski trail runs past the lake, and lights have been added around it. A path goes all the way round; going onto the ice is at your own risk, the municipality says. Tromsø kommune
Telegrafbukta
A beach and park on the south tip of Tromsøya, with views east, south and west. It faces away from the city, but a weak display low in the north can fade into the city’s light. Arctic Norway
- Getting there
- About 35 to 40 minutes’ walk, or about 15 minutes by bus: line 33 out, line 34 back via the centre. Visit Tromsø, Entur
- Last bus back
- Sunday to Thursday, line 34 at 23:53. Friday and Saturday nights, until 02:39. Plan the way back
- Good to know
- Some toilets are seasonal, so don’t count on them in winter. Visit Tromsø
Rundvannet and Langvannet
Two lakes in the north of Tromsøya. The municipality calls Langvannet a good place to see the aurora, and Rundvannet has a boardwalk round it. Tromsø kommune
- Getting there
- About 20 to 25 minutes by bus 20 or 42 to the Rundvannet stop. Arctic Norway, Entur
- Last bus back
- Monday to Thursday, line 42 at 23:59; Sunday, line 20 at 23:38. Friday and Saturday nights, until 03:11. Plan the way back
Tromsdalen valley and Fjellheisen
Across the bridge on the mainland. Arctic Norway rates the valley’s light pollution as low. Fjellheisen, the cable car, runs until midnight; Visit Tromsø calls the top a good winter spot, looking down over the city’s lights. Arctic Norway, Fjellheisen
- Getting there
- Bus 26 to the Fjellheisen stop for the cable car, about 17 minutes, or to Gausdalsvegen to walk up the valley. Fjellheisen says the walk from the centre takes about 45 minutes.
- Last bus back
- Sunday to Thursday, line 26 at 00:05 from Fjellheisen and 00:07 from Gausdalsvegen. Friday and Saturday nights, until about 03:45. Plan the way back from Fjellheisen · from Gausdalsvegen
- Good to know
- While building work goes on, the original viewing platform at the top is closed, and the cable car can close at short notice in strong wind. Check its status page before you go. Fjellheisen
Nordspissen
The northern tip of Tromsøya, the furthest of these from the centre.
- Getting there
- About 50 minutes: bus 20 or 42 to Skattøra Borettslag, then about 30 minutes on foot, or bus 28 to Gaupevegen, then about 20 minutes. Part of the walk is by a road, so wear a reflector and carry a torch. Entur
- Last bus back
- From Gaupevegen, line 28 at 23:40, Sunday to Thursday. From Skattøra Borettslag, line 42 at 23:55 Monday to Thursday, or line 20 at 23:35 on Sundays. Friday and Saturday nights, until about 03:00 from both. The nearer Ringheim stop has nothing after 17:39. Plan the way back from Gaupevegen · from Skattøra Borettslag
Ersfjordbotn, on Kvaløya
The head of a fjord on the next island, away from the city’s lights. The one darker place a bus reaches in the evening, but only just.
- Getting there
- About 55 minutes: bus 42 to Eidkjosen, then bus 425. On weekdays the last bus out arrives at 20:36; on Saturdays the evening ones arrive at 15:39 and 18:39. Visit Tromsø, Entur
- Last bus back
- 20:48 Monday to Friday and 18:48 on Saturdays. None on Sundays or public holidays. So it works only for an early window: on a weekday, arriving at 19:41 gives you an hour; on a Saturday, arriving at 15:39 gives you three. Svipper’s timetable for route 425 runs from 17 August 2026 to 3 January 2027. Svipper timetable 425 · Plan the way back
City light or a dark sky: the trade-off
Visit Tromsø’s advice is to get out of the city, to places with little or no artificial light. Visit Tromsø Everywhere above has some light pollution, but on a clear night with activity that shouldn’t stop you: a strong display is easy to see from town. Arctic Norway
The darker places on Kvaløya are a different matter without a car. Grøtfjord’s bus runs on weekdays only, out in the afternoon and back the next morning; Visit Tromsø says a car is the easiest way there. Kattfjordvatnet has no bus stop at all. Visit Tromsø For those, a guided tour is the practical choice, and in winter Visit Tromsø recommends public transport or organised trips over driving yourself. Visit Tromsø
| Place | From the centre | Last bus back, Sun–Thu | Sky |
|---|
| Prestvannet | 20–30 min walk, 15 min bus | 23:58 | Moderate light |
| Telegrafbukta | 35–40 min walk, 15 min bus | 23:53 | Low to moderate; city light to the north |
| Rundvannet | 20–25 min bus | 23:38–23:59 | Low to moderate light |
| Tromsdalen | 17 min bus | 00:05 | Low light |
| Nordspissen | 50 min bus and walk | 23:35–23:55 | Not rated |
| Ersfjordbotn | 55 min, two buses | 20:48 Mon–Fri; none Sun | Darker than town |
Light ratings for the places on Tromsøya and in Tromsdalen are Arctic Norway’s, from its walking-distance guide. Ersfjordbotn’s is from the satellite night-light data Little Aurora uses for each spot.
Timing, and the last bus
- Visit Tromsø says the aurora is often most active between about 20:00 and 02:00. Visit Tromsø Our forecast gives the best window for each night, and it can be after midnight.
- Tromsø has no separate night buses, but some city lines run late. Svipper From Sunday to Thursday the last ones towards the centre leave between about 23:35 and midnight; on Friday and Saturday nights they run until about 3 am. Buses to Kvaløya stop much earlier.
- Holidays change this. On 24 December there are no buses in the evening, and on 31 December the last ones leave between about 20:10 and 20:50. On 25 December and 1 January the city lines run as on a Sunday. Bus 425 to Ersfjordbotn doesn’t run on any of these days.
- Check the last bus for your date before you go, with the planner links above, the Svipper app or Entur. Timetables change at the start of a new period and around holidays. If the window is after midnight, Prestvannet and Telegrafbukta are close enough to walk back from.
- Buy a ticket in the Svipper app and activate it before you board, or pay on board by contactless Visa or Mastercard; not every card works. Cash isn’t accepted on the bus. Svipper
Walking at night in winter
- Wear ice grips: paths and streets get slippery in town as well as outside it. Shoe and sports shops and the tourist information sell them. Visit Tromsø
- Wear a reflector, in lit streets too. In dipped headlights, a driver sees you at 25 to 30 metres without one and 140 metres with one. Svipper and Trygg Trafikk
- Don’t stand in the road to watch. Visit Tromsø Statens vegvesen asks drivers not to stop on the road for the aurora either, so watch for cars that do. Statens vegvesen
- Leave winter mountain walks to people with experience, and check the avalanche forecast on Varsom if you go higher. Visit Tromsø
On the night
Look at tonight’s forecast for Tromsø in the afternoon and again before you go out. If the city is cloudy, the darker places usually won’t help without a car; if it’s clear with activity, the nearest place above with an open view north is a good bet. How the forecast works explains what the window and the cloud figures mean.
Sources
Checked on 28 October 2026. Bus times and last departures: Entur’s journey planner for every day from 7 to 13 December 2026, 24, 25 and 31 December, 1 January and 13 January 2027, counting only buses from the stop named; and Svipper’s timetables, valid to 3 January 2027. We check them again when a timetable period ends. Places and advice: Visit Tromsø, Arctic Norway (NordNorsk Reiseliv), Tromsø kommune, Fjellheisen, Svipper and Statens vegvesen. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@littlestudio.app.