Tromsø Fjord Cruise Seasons

You can take a fjord cruise from Tromsø in any month, but the light changes everything. In the polar night the sun does not rise at all, and a midday cruise sails in twilight; from late May to late July it does not set, and an afternoon cruise sails in full daylight. Polar Adventures’ fjord cruise with fishing is on the calendar from winter to summer, US$193 per adult (checked November 2026); some of the other cruises run only in part of the year.

The light, month by month

Timeanddate, sun table for Tromsø, checked November 2026.

Visit Tromsø describes the same seasons in its own words: “from late November to mid-January, the sun is below the horizon 24/7”, and the midnight sun shines “from mid-May to late July” (Visit Tromsø, checked November 2026).

Winter: twilight cruises and the dark months

A Tromsø fjord cruise in winter is cold on deck and short on light, so the boats lend warm clothes: Polar Adventures includes thermal suits, and Hermes II lends blankets and thermal suits. Polar Adventures’ calendar showed only the 10:00 AM cruise, five hours, on 16 February 2027. Hermes II’s fishing trip showed 9:00 AM on 10 December 2026. Visit Tromsø lists departures of Brim Explorer’s Arctic fjord cruise from February to April and from September to October (checked November 2026). Rødne Fjord Cruise’s polar-landscapes cruise showed 11:00 AM on 18 March 2027, and no departure on 8 December 2026 or 19 January 2027.

See winter dates for the fishing cruise

The northern lights season

Visit Tromsø says the northern lights may be visible in the Tromsø region “from late August to early April”, with the best chances under a cloudless sky and never any guarantee (checked November 2026). The daytime fjord cruises are not for the lights; the evening cruises are: Tromsø northern lights cruise compares five, from Polar Adventures’ evening aurora cruise (US$125) to a yacht with a hot tub.

The whale season

Visit Tromsø says the whale season “usually runs from early November until the end of January”, that the exact timing varies from year to year, and that the fjords around Skjervøy and Kvænangen, north of Tromsø, have been important feeding grounds in recent years; whale watching from Tromsø is “generally a full-day experience” (checked November 2026). The fjord cruises on this site are not whale trips. For a whale day, Brim Explorer’s whale watching tour leaves Kaigata 6: eight hours on a fast catamaran from 8:30 AM, US$197, or nine hours on a hybrid-electric boat from 7:30 AM, US$218.33 on 10 December 2026 (checked November 2026).

Spring and summer: long light, afternoon sailings

From spring the light returns fast. On 18 March and 15 April 2027 Polar Adventures’ calendar showed both cruises, 10:00 AM for five hours and 3:30 PM for four; on 14 July 2027, only the 3:30 PM cruise. In the midnight sun, that afternoon cruise sails in full daylight and comes back in daylight too. Cruise Service’s cruise to Sommarøy showed 18 March 2027 and no date on 15 June 2027. For the white beaches of Sommarøy at their best, see Sommarøy from Tromsø.

Figures from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Daylight from Timeanddate; seasons from Visit Tromsø, both checked November 2026. Your date sets the price you see before paying: these figures are not a quote.