Northern Lights of Norway: Oslo to Tromsø

Board your overnight flight to Oslo.

Welcome to Norway! Get to know your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Meet up with your local guide this morning to discover Oslo—the vibrant Norwegian capital and a city that was first settled in the mid-10th century.

• Take a private tour of the Nobel Peace Center. One of the most-visited museums in all of Norway, it occupies a former railway station. Here, through a series of interactive and multimedia exhibits, you’ll learn about the laureates whose tremendous efforts helped make the world a better place.
• Walk through Vigeland Park and stroll among over 200 bronze, granite, and cast-iron sculptures created by artist Gustav Vigeland. Known as Frogner Park to the locals, this open-air exhibition doubles as the largest greenspace in all of Oslo.

Spend a free afternoon in Oslo or add an excursion.

Fly into Harstad/Narvik Airport this morning. Then, set off on a scenic drive to the town of Narvik (known as “the Land of the Northern Lights”), taking in stunning landscapes en route.

After settling into your hotel, enjoy an included dinner before making your way to a Sámi village to spend an evening immersed in their culture—and hopefully viewing the northern lights dance across the sky.

• Meet with a Sámi family and leader inside a lavvu (a traditional tent) and learn about their indigenous lifestyle in the Arctic north.
• Hear the history of reindeer herding and its importance to Sámi culture before taking part in a ceremony to honor the northern lights.
• Enjoy a cup of chaga tea—a holy drink, made from mushrooms that grow on the trunks of birch trees, said to give you energy and strength—followed by the singing of a traditional Sámi song.
• Head out into the darkness to search for the aurora borealis.

Please note: This excursion is weather-dependent and seeing the northern lights is not guaranteed.

Get to know the charming town of Narvik this morning. Perched on a peninsula between two minor fjords, this settlement of just over 14,000 people is one of the country’s best-kept secrets.

• Take a guided tour of the Narvik War Museum. Located in the center of town, it tells the story of the 62-day-long Battles of Narvik and the five ensuing years of Nazi occupation Norway endured during World War II.
• Board the Narvikfjellet cable car and climb to an altitude of 2,150+ feet above sea level, admiring sweeping views of the area during the four-minute ascent.

Spend a free evening in Narvik or add an excursion.

Head further into the Arctic Circle as you travel to the Tromsø Ice Domes in the Tamok Valley, where a guide will take you through the intricately built structures.

• Enjoy a welcome drink in an ice shot glass before watching a brief film about the process of designing the domes.
• Marvel at beautifully carved ice and snow sculptures as you learn about the snow’s impact on Arctic life.
• Spend time exploring the domes and the surrounding area at your own pace before sitting down for an included lunch at the dome complex.

Transfer to your hotel in Tromsø, a unique city spread across two islands and surrounded by impressive landscapes, and enjoy free time for the rest of the day.

Please note: Warm clothing, hat, scarves, and sturdy footwear are recommended for the visit to the Ice Domes. As they are constructed fully of ice, the Ice Domes are seasonal and open from mid-December to the end of March. When they aren’t open, you’ll head to an ice bar in Tromsø for a drink and an included lunch.

Meet up with a local guide this morning to get to know Northern Norway’s largest city, which sits at the beginning of the Arctic Circle.

• Ride the Fjellheisen cable car up Mount Storsteinen to an altitude of roughly 1,380 feet above sea level, taking in panoramic views of the city and surrounding fjords.
• Step inside the Arctic Cathedral, the northernmost cathedral in the world, and admire its Arctic-inspired design.
• View remnants of Tromsø’s medieval settlement in the city’s historic core, before heading to Stortorget—Tromsø’s main square—to experience its vibrant marketplace.
• Head to the Polar Museum, situated in a 19th-century waterfront warehouse, to hear the epic tales of Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, and other Arctic explorers and hunters.

Spend a free evening in Tromsø or add an excursion.

Please note: On some departures, entrance to the Arctic Cathedral will take place on day 6.

Enjoy a free day in Tromsø or add an excursion.

This evening, head out into the night with a local guide and scour the sky for signs of the aurora borealis. (Keep your eyes peeled: Thanks to its northerly location and low levels of light pollution, Tromsø’s one of the best places in the world to spot the northern lights.)

Please note: This excursion is weather-dependent and seeing the aurora borealis is not guaranteed. On some departures, the northern lights search may take place on day 6.

Fly to Oslo this morning. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in the Oslo region and get settled in for your last night in Norway.

Later, rejoin your group to celebrate your trip during a farewell dinner.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home, or extend your trip to explore Flåm and Bergen.