Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on October 14, 2025.
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If you’re heading to Tromso in the winter to try and see the aurora borealis, you’re going to the right spot. This city is a great gateway to get out on an aurora chase with decent odds of seeing the aurora (in town, not so much, however).
But, as with all travel destinations, you may be wondering where the best play to stay in Tromso is. Should you stay in the city center, on the hillside overlooking Tromso, or on the opposite side of the hill looking away from the city for less light pollution?
Well, there are pros and cons to each, and we have to admit, staying closer to the city center may end up being a great choice all around. In this one, we thought we’d share a few key points to keep in mind about the different areas you may consider for your stay.
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Central Tromso is Rather Accessible
One of the best things about central Tromso is that it is small. Not the smallest of cities, of course, but you can easily walk across the tourist center in about 15 minutes.
Within this area covers just about every museum, restaurant, tour meet up point, and bar you would want to experience in the city, with the exception of the Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen) and the Fjellheisen cable car, which is located across the fjord a short bus ride or a 30-40 minute walk across the bridge.
Staying at a hotel or apartment rental in the flat part of the city center is an excellent idea because of the proximity to everything and subsequent accessibility to explore via Tromso’s robust bus system.
Of course, rooms with views can be somewhat limited, and if aurora viewing is on your agenda, then staying in the city center may be a bit harder due to the city lights and clouds. That isn’t to say that you can’t see the aurora in the city center, but it is often a lot harder than nearby (we advocate going on a Tromso aurora borealis tour to really increase your chances- simply staying in town isn’t good enough).
So, while we think you would probably want proximity above all else when deciding where to stay in Tromso, if you want a stellar view, you may be going up the hill and further away from the center, and that comes with its own challenges.
The Hills Have Views and Steep Walks
Now, if you’re like us, you may want to stay further up the hill above Tromso to get a rental with a better fjord view.
We have to admit that we were even looking at staying on the opposing side of Tromso to try and have potential darker skies to see the aurora (note that it is still incredibly difficult even if not facing the city), but we decided to get a rental with a Tromso city view to split the difference.
Even just being a few blocks out of town, we are glad we did it- for the most part, at least. Tromso is hilly, and our view was quite incredible when it wasn’t a white-out snowstorm, even if it was so cloudy that we never saw the aurora from our place!
Now, we will say this is partly a good thing. The views you can get by being just a little bit up the hill are exceptional. But there are two key details to keep in mind that may change your mind.
First, the hillside can be fairly steep. Coupled with regular snow, this means the roads and sidewalks can become slick at times. We definitely had unsure footing on a lot of our walks in town, and it was harrowing to say the least. Sure, you could take the bus within a short walk of most rentals. But if you like to walk, keep that in mind if visiting in winter.
Second, if you are heading out for aurora tours, you likely won’t get back in until 1, 2, or even 3 am (or later). Apart from finding a rare taxi, if you’re staying out of town, you’ll likely be walking, and that is quite the trudge when it’s dark, cold, and you are exceptionally tired- a double issue if it is icy out.
We witnessed many other guests have this realization at the start of a tour, and being outside of easy walking distance would, to put it bluntly, not be fun. (And I say that knowing it was decently warm when we were there, too. Try all this when it is even colder out and it sounds a bit miserable!)
As such, you really need to take weather and late night considerations into mind if staying outside of the city center in winter.
