Transportation options: How to get to Tromso from Oslo

Introduction

Tromso is one of the northernmost cities in Europe and the largest in northern Norway. Discovering the Northern Lights, sleeping under the midnight sun and experiencing a polar night, as well as many other attractions, are reasons why Tromso is a must-see Nordic destination.

But how to get to Tromso?

Tromso does not have any airlines that connect to Spanish airports. However, there are many ways to get to Tromso from Oslo, the Norwegian capital. Although the fastest way is by plane, you can also get there by car, train, bus or ferry.

The decision will depend a lot on your intentions, your time and your travel budget. That’s why we will help you find out how to travel from Oslo to Tromso in a comfortable, safe, fun, and tailored way.

How to travel from Oslo to Tromso: best itineraries

In this post, we want to show you the most traditional ways of travelling from Oslo to Tromso to help you better organise your trip to Norway. Have a great time.

Are you ready? Let’s board!

Fly to Tromso from Oslo

Just as travelling to Oslo is a great adventure, visiting Tromso will be great. The fastest, most convenient and cheapest way to get to Tromso from Oslo is by plane. Those travelling to Tromso by plane usually depart from Oslo Airport Gardermoenand arrive at Tromso Airport. Flights from Oslo to Tromsø cover an average of 1116 kilometres and take approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Some airlines have planes flying directly from Oslo to Tromso, and there are more than 10 flights per day. You can take advantage of some cheap flights from Oslo.

The airlines that traditionally offer low-cost flights from Oslo to Tromso in some seasons. So, although the price of plane tickets is usually €49, it is possible to find cheap flights (around €25 or €30). However, to get to the city centre from the airport there are less than 5 km, and you can:

• Take city bus no. 40 or no. 42: This is a bus line that will take you to the centre of Tromso.
• Express bus: This bus can be taken right at the main exit of the airport. The bus makes a few strategic stops in the centre of Tromso: Polaria (the aquarium) and Prostneset (the central bus station), among others. The journey can take around 10 minutes.
• Taxi: This is the most expensive option but the fastest and most comfortable.

Go by boat from Oslo to Tromso.

There is no direct crossing from Oslo to Tromso, so you have to combine train and ferry to complete the Bodo-Tromso journey in a trip that takes approximately 3 days and 5 hours. The route is:

• Oslo-Trondheim: From Oslo Central Station, you can take the night (or day) train to Trondheim. If you take the morning train, you will have the opportunity to take a stroll through Trondheim and take the opportunity to visit the northernmost mediaeval cathedral in the world, Nídaros.
• Trondheim-Bodo: You then have the option of taking the train (day or night) to Bodo. Taking the night train will save you money on a hotel room in Trondheim. However, as the scenery on this line is so beautiful, it may be worthwhile to spend the night in Trondheim and continue to Bodø the next day. It’s a matter of evaluating your time and budget… During winter or summer, the trips are great!
• Bodø-Tromsø with the Hurtigruten: You will have to go to the port of Bodo, 1.1 km from Bodo, where you will board the famous Hurtigruten, the only means of access to many places on the Norwegian coast, which is now a luxury cruise ship that links the south of Norway (Bergen) with the far north on the Russian border (Kirkenes).

The ferry will dock in Tromsø harbour, 1.5 km from Tromso. Hurtigruten is a fleet of eleven ships that function as a large floating hotel with bars, restaurants, and shops (and some even have a swimming pool). Hurtigruten sails year-round between Bergen and Kirkenes, calling in Tromsø twice a day.

Bus and train

Getting to Tromso from Oslo by bus and train will take you approximately 1519 km, that is, about 2 or 3 days, making several stops. Boarding is done in Oslo S, and the final destination is Tromsdalen Bruvegen. The options are:

• Train-bus (29 hours 13 minutes). From Oslo S, you will take the train to Hamar Stasjon station, from here to Trondheim S and then, in about 9 hours, to Fauske. Here, you will transfer to the Fauske Stasjon bus to get to the Narvik bus terminal, from where you will continue to Tromsdalen Bruvegen.
• Train bus via Stockholm. The journey takes 30 hours and 20 minutes. It starts in Oslo S, where you take the train to Stockholm Central Station and then to Narvik station. The journey ends with a bus ride from Narvik Storsenter to Tromsdalen Bruvegen.
• Bus-Night Train. A journey of approximately 33 hours from Oslo to Bussterminal, including stops at Västerås Centralstation and then at Uppsala Centralstation, where you change to the Uppsala Centralstation night train until you reach Boden C/Resecentrum, the key point to adjust to the Bode bus and travel (for 7h 3m) to Narvik bus terminal, from where you take the last bus to Tromsø Prostneset.

By bus and train, the trip can last more than 3 days. The costs vary greatly and can be quite high, but the experience is great.

By car

Tromso can also be reached from Oslo by car. The shortest route is about 1800 km, and the journey time is approximately 23 hours or more, depending on the weather, road conditions and the way you travel. We recommend you take a look at our post about the most spectacular routes in Norway.

As you can see, you can get to Tromso via any means of transport from Oslo: by plane, train, bus or ferry, even by making transfers between buses and trains or trains and ferries. 

Getting to Tromso from Oslo can be exhausting and moving; in fact, those who have experienced it have highlighted that travelling from Oslo to Tromso is a beautiful journey full of many emotions that are worth experiencing. Tromso is a perfect destination to live unimaginable adventures.

Suppose you want to make the most of your trip. In that case, we recommend that you travel to Tromso in January, when the best conditions exist to see the Northern Lights, experience a polar night and enjoy typical Norwegian winter activities. Ultimately, making an appropriate choice of how to travel from Oslo to Tromso will depend on your availability, time, budget and interests. As a specialist agency in Norway, we can help you.