13 activities to do in Northern Norway in winter

Travel to Northern Norway allows you to enjoy very different experiences depending on where you go in summer o in winter.

I would even tell you that it is precisely in winter when this area of ​​the northern norway, which corresponds to the natural region of Lapland, offers you its most differential and very appropriate attractions if you like to do winter tourism.

Perhaps its greatest and best-known attraction is see northern lights, but I already tell you that that should not be the only objective of your trip to arctic norway, which is also how this region is known.

On a trip of a few days it is not easy to see the northern lights Well, you will be totally conditioned to the weather.

Therefore, you must take into account from the beginning that perhaps during the trip not all the necessary conditions will be met to see them.

Therefore, it is important that you plan a trip with visits and activities attractive enough, so that see a northern lights becomes a possible cherry on top of it.

This is what happened to me on one of the trips I made to northern Norway in winter, which has become one of those unforgettable travel experiences.

What to see and do in Northern Norway in winter

Based on the experiences I have had on the trips I have made in winter, I am going to give you some advice on the best places to see y what activities to do in a trip to northern norway, to the region of Lapland.

Activities to do in Tromso in winter

Tromso It is the largest city in northern Norway and is considered the Gate to the Arctic.

Therefore, to make a trip through Norwegian Lapland you will surely fly up Tromso, a city that will become the starting point of your excursion.

This will allow you visit Tromso in winter, where you can see your Arctic Cathedral, walk the Polar museum, where you will learn about the adventures of Norwegian explorers like Amundsen: go up in funicular to the spectacular viewpoint of the mount Storsteinen.

Here you have information about what to see when visiting Tromso.

Activities to do in Alta in winter

Another alternative for fly to northern Norway from Oslo es get to Alta.

This city is even more north than Tromso, and it is the best option if in the end your trip is going to take place in the most northeastern areas of the country, such as the city of Kirkenes already bordering the Russian border.

Its most characteristic image is known as the Cathedral of the Northern Lights Opened in 2013, with a very modern design with its spectacular façade covered in titanium.

Alta can also be a good base to reach other places in the interior such as karasjok.

Of the city of Alta, it is worth highlighting its great features for viewing the northern lights, as well as the numerous winter activities that you can sign up for, including snow bike.

See fjords with snowy landscapes in northern Norway

Travel in winter to Norwegian Lapland will allow you to enjoy beautiful Snowy landscape, with the great contrast of seeing them on the seashore in the fjords, which do not freeze.

Faced with what is happening in the Baltic Sea that in winter it freezes completely, the warmth of the Gulf Stream It prevents the waters from freezing on Norway's Atlantic coast, including its fjords, even those located further north.

If you like winter landscapes, you won't forget these beautiful norwegian landscapes where completely snow-capped mountains surround the tongues of sea.

See the northern lights in northern Norway

Of course, as I said, the possibility of see northern lights It is a great attraction to travel to Lapland Norway.

This possibility also exists in other places in northern Europe, but it has been proven that the further north you go, the more likely you are to see them.

For example, in the area of Kirkenes, one of the places I have visited northern norwayIf the sky is clear, it is relatively easy to see them.

But I will tell you that it is also possible to see them in the aforementioned city of Tromso, and even in other places further south in Norway.

To see the northern lights in Norway, the ideal is to go to a northern lights camp, which are equipped to spend the night there.

Furthermore, due to its location in isolated areas, far from cities, they ensure minimum luminosity so that, if the sky is clear, you can enjoy the Northern Lights, which is how this natural phenomenon is known.

Here you have detailed information about how to see the northern lights in northern Norway.

Snowmobile driving tour

If there is an activity that we all want to do in a trip to northern norway is a snowmobile excursion for lose you through the enormous snowy landscapes.

In various activities driving a snowmobile It is part of it since it is the way to get to the place where it takes place, but you will always go corseted for traveling in a group or at a very limited speed.

However, on one of the trips I have made to Lapland Norway We participated in a snowmobile excursion in which the objective was to take a long tour through different types of Snowy landscape, from plains to lush forests, to crossing a frozen lake.

The great attraction of this excursion that I enjoyed near the city of Alta was that we could drive completely freely, so you didn't feel like a tourist but almost like a local resident who is using his usual means of transportation for long trips in winter.

Here you have more information about the snowmobile excursion through snowy landscapes.

Husky Dog Sled Tour in Norway

I assure you that one of the most pleasant activities you can do in a winter trip to Lapland Norway is a dog sled excursion.

They are excursions that are organized in such a way that you can go in a dog sled husky, a very original and different way to enjoy beautiful snowy landscapes.

On my trip I did this excursion in an area near Tromso, and I was lucky enough to enjoy a bright sunny day which further increased its appeal.

Here you have information about the dog sledding tour in Tromso.

Visit a Sami camp in Norway

Another interesting excursion that you can sign up for in your trip to northern norway It is what will allow you to delve deeper into the culture Sami.

This excursion called Sami experience we made it near kautokeino, and after a tour in sleigh pulled by snowmobile to reach a camp Sami settled next to a reindeer farm, we did some activities.

Thus, in addition to see the reindeer up close, we were able to manage our own sleigh pulled by a reindeer, emulating the reindeer races that are periodically practiced by Samis.

Then in a big sami store, around a bonfire we tasted some gastronomic specialties of the Samis.

And finally we heard some Sami songs and we were able to delve into all the curiosities that arise to understand what their culture and lifestyle are like. reindeer herders.

Night Snowmobile Tour in Norway

Another alternative within the activity of the driving a snowmobile is one ago night excursion, just like I did too near Tromso, with the added attraction of the possibility of seeing the northern lights.

If you sign up for night snowmobile safari, they will pick you up at 5 pm at a central hotel next to the port of Tromso, and they will take you in a minibus to the place where it takes place.

On this excursion, each snowmobile carries two people, the driver and the passenger, with the possibility of exchanging positions during the journey.

In a route of about 15 kilometers one way, plus another 15 kilometers returning, we went up some winding snowy trails in a heavily wooded area, so the speed was always quite low.

This excursion reaches its goal when it reaches a frozen lake where the most daring had the opportunity to make strong accelerations.

Of course, only the expert guide showed us his skills as a snowmobile rider going up and down the slopes of the mountains that surrounded the lake.

The motorcycle excursion lasts about 4 and a half hours, with the transfer from the hotel to the starting and return point and a dinner, a total of about seven hours.

Snowshoe trekking in Norway

Another activity that you can do in your trip to Lapland Norway is a snowshoe trekking.

Of course, you must have a minimum of physical conditions for the walk because of the snow is really nice.

I have had this experience on a couple of occasions, one of them near Kirkenes, and in addition to doing a type of activity that will surely catch your attention, such as snowshoeing, during the walk you will be able to enjoy beautiful snowy landscapes.

Trekking to fish on a frozen lake in Norway

The activity of snowshoe trekking It is common to combine it with other winter activities, such as fishing in a frozen lake.

This is how I did it one excursion near Karasjok, in the Lapp region of Finnmark Central.

After leaving the city and heading by minibus to one of the nearby places, it was time to put on our snowshoes to start a trekking along the trails that run through a plain with wooded areas.

The objective was to reach a frozen lake where, after opening the relevant holes in the ice, with a simple rod we could start fishing, which is not easy, but possible.

The day is completed with a picnic around the fire of a campfire where we were able to try some local specialties, such as banana with chocolate  o smoked cheese with potato bread.

Here you have more information about the trekking to fish on a frozen lake.

Sleep in an ice hotel in Norway

Without a doubt one of the experiences that can attract your attention the most, as was my case, is sleep in an ice hotel.

I tell you that it is a very exclusive activity because in very few places in the world you find the possibility of staying in a ice Hotel.

Because from the outset you should know that the hotel is set up every winter, so it is not available until December.

The point is not to stay in an ice hotel for several nights, but live a true arctic experience for just one night, because it is very expensive and I can't tell you that it is especially comfortable.

I had the opportunity to experience it in Kirkenes Snowhotel, almost on the border between Norway and Russia, although you also have another alternative to live this experience in the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel Alta.

Here you have the information about what this unforgettable experience is like. sleep in an ice hotel in Lapland Norway.

King crab safari in Norway in winter

In a previous trip to northern norway I had already had the opportunity to participate in a safari King crab, a huge and delicious crustacean with a striking red color originating from the Bering Sea which can weigh several kilos.

In summer this activity is carried out in a motor boat that navigates you closer to the place in the fjord where the fish is fished. King crab to later go to the cabin or store Sami where they are cooked and tasted.

But you have to know that in winter You can also do this activity, just as I experienced it near Kirkenes in one of my winter trips to Norway.

This time you will go in a kind of carriage pulled by a snowmobile that will travel over a frozen area of ​​the fjord to the place where the king crabs.

Then you will return to a comfortable cabin where you will finish tasting them in a very pleasant meal in a wooden cabin.

Here you have all the information about what the experience of a safari King crab in winter.

Fly over snowy landscapes of northern Norway

Finally, facing your trip to northern Norway in winter, I also want to highlight that one of the attractions is fly over at very low altitude on Snowy landscape from this region so far north of the country.

To fly between its small cities you will use the regional airline Wideroe, with small propeller planes with just 20 seats that take you on flights at very low altitude, for example, between Alta and Kirkenes.

This will allow you to enjoy these at all times. beautiful snowy landscapes of Norway, so, without a doubt, this flight becomes another true experience to tell after the trip.