Aurora dinner cruise · 3 hours
Three-course seafood dinner, a local guide and tap water on a quiet hybrid-electric catamaran with heated saloons; drinks for purchase; wheelchair accessible.
Open this sailing ↗Six legs, three hours
The evening, leg by leg
A sailing out of central Tromsø in six legs, from the gangway to the last look back at the lights of town.
- 18:45
Doors open at the quay
Boarding starts at the pier beside Skarven Kro, Kaigata 6, and the meeting time is 15 minutes before departure.
- 19:00
Safety talk and a welcome
The crew runs through the safety briefing and brings round welcome refreshments as the harbour slides away, roughly 18 minutes in all.
- Leg 3
Starter at the first viewpoint
The engines hush at a viewpoint and the first course comes out, about 40 minutes at the table.
- Leg 4
Main course at the quiet stop
Dinner proper is served at a stop the crew likes to keep a secret, an hour of cod, bread and butter well away from the town glow.
- Leg 5
Dessert and the open deck
Panna cotta arrives at a second viewpoint, around 40 minutes, a good moment to pull on your hat and step outside to check the sky.
- 22:00
Back to the quay
The catamaran glides back to the same pier, three hours after it left.
Times shown are for this season; from 28 March 2027 the boat leaves at 20:00 and returns at 23:00. The stops are a guide rather than a timetable, because the crew adjusts the route to the weather and the sky.
On the table
This season's menu
Three set courses of northern seafood, developed with Restaurant Einer, a group of chefs the operator works with exclusively. The menu below is the one listed for the 2026–27 season.
Starter: herring
Cured and spiced herring with crispy potatoes, pickled onions and dill: a sharp, salty way to open the evening.
Main: Arctic cod
Cod on carrot purée with fried leeks, fermented radishes and a tarragon mussel sauce made by Einer, plus bread and butter. In late winter the migrating cod Norwegians call skrei, 'the wanderer', swim down from the Barents Sea to spawn along this coast.
Dessert: panna cotta
Sour-cream panna cotta with an oat and cinnamon crumble and berries, the same finish on every menu.
The vegetarian menu
Charred broccoli, then smoked and baked celeriac, then the panna cotta. Ask for it by email at least 24 hours before you sail.
For children aged 3 to 11
Sweet potato and carrot soup, Norwegian fish cakes and panna cotta. Infants travel along but are not served food.
At the bar
Tap water is free; local craft beer, wine and other drinks are sold from the licensed bar. You can't bring your own food or drink aboard.
Why the sky here
The aurora over Tromsø
Right under the auroral zone
Auroras gather in a ring about 6° of latitude wide, centred on 67° north. Tromsø sits at 69°, close enough to that ring that a clear, dark sky in winter gives you a real chance of seeing one straight overhead.
What you are looking at
Charged particles from the Sun strike oxygen and nitrogen high in the atmosphere and make them glow. The usual colour is green, given off by oxygen at around 100 km up; reds and violets show only when solar activity runs high.
Weeks without a sunrise
From about 26 November to 15 January the Sun stays below Tromsø's horizon all day. Middays turn a deep twilight blue, and the long dark is a big part of why so many evenings out here end up spent looking at the sky.
A church that glows from the water
Across the strait in Tromsdalen stands Tromsdalen Church, known to everyone as the Arctic Cathedral: Jan Inge Hovig's white triangle of concrete panels, consecrated in 1965, with Victor Sparre's glass mosaic added in 1972. The catamaran's route passes it after dark.
Nothing in the sky is promised
Cloud rolls in off the coast often, and the lights come and go with the Sun's activity, so no crew can promise a display on your night. What the sailing does promise is the dinner, the guides and the quiet boat.
Other ways onto the water
Three boats, three kinds of night
| Sailing | What you get on board | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora dinner cruise · 3 hours | Three-course seafood dinner, a local guide and tap water on a quiet hybrid-electric catamaran with heated saloons; drinks for purchase; wheelchair accessible. | Couples, families and groups who want a proper meal at a warm table indoors, with the deck there for the sky. |
| Electric northern lights cruise · 3.5 hours | The same operator's lighter evening on an electric catamaran, half an hour longer, with drinks sold on board and no dinner included. | Anyone who has eaten in town already and wants more time watching the sky for less. |
| Small hot-tub yacht · 4 hours | A 32-metre sailing yacht for up to 12 guests, 30 to 45 minutes of private hot-tub time for your group, soup with bread, hot drinks and cookies; bring swimwear. | Small parties after a slower, more private night; not suitable for wheelchair users. |
Prefer a hot tub to a dinner table? See the small hot-tub yacht cruise ↗
Practical notes
Before you walk down to the quay
Finding the pier
The boat leaves from the pier next to Skarven Kro at Kaigata 6, on the waterfront in the centre of town. Be there 15 minutes before departure; doors open at 18:45.
Dressing for the deck
The saloons are heated, so think layers: a warm jacket, hat, gloves and boots with grip for the moments you go outside. Wind on open water bites harder than it does in the streets.
Dates and times
The cruise sails every evening from 11 September 2026 to 4 April 2027, 19:00 to 22:00. From 28 March 2027 it shifts to 20:00 until 23:00.
Dietary requests
Vegetarian versions of every course are available. Email any dietary need to the operator at least 24 hours before you sail so the galley can plan.
Bringing children
Children aged 3 to 11 get their own menu. Babies and toddlers under 3 can come along but are not served food, so bring what they need.
On board
Free wifi, toilets and warm indoor saloons. The live guiding is in English and your ticket lives on your phone.
Read before you sail
Read before you sail
the night in order
The aurora dinner cruise, from gangway to quay
How three hours on the water around Tromsøya usually unfold, stop by stop.
Read this one → course by courseWhat is on this season's menu, including vegetarian and kids
The three set courses of the 2026–27 season, the alternatives, and how to ask for changes.
Read this one → the skySeeing the northern lights from a boat: what shapes your chances
Latitude, darkness, cloud and the Sun's moods, and why no sailing can promise a display.
Read this one → staying warmWhat to wear on deck in the polar night
The saloon is warm; the deck is not. A short packing list for a winter evening on open water.
Read this one → choosing a boatChoosing between the dinner cruise, the electric aurora cruise and the hot-tub yacht
Three evening sailings out of Tromsø, three different nights. How to match one to your party.
Read this one → special nightsBirthdays, anniversaries and group evenings on board
Planning a dinner cruise around an occasion, for two people or for a larger party.
Read this one →FAQ
What people ask before they board
Will we definitely see the northern lights from the boat?
No. The aurora depends on solar activity and on clear sky, and coastal cloud is common, so sightings can't be promised. The guides watch for it all evening and call everyone out on deck if it appears.
What time should our group be at the pier?
Fifteen minutes before departure, at the pier beside Skarven Kro, Kaigata 6. This season the boat sails at 19:00; from 28 March 2027 it sails at 20:00.
Can the dinner be vegetarian or adapted for allergies?
Yes. There is a full vegetarian menu, and other dietary needs can be handled if you email them to the operator at least 24 hours before your sailing.
Are drinks included in the fare?
Tap water is free. Beer, wine and other drinks are paid for at the licensed bar on board, and outside food and drink aren't allowed.
Is the cruise a good idea with kids?
Children aged 3 to 11 eat from a dedicated menu of soup, fish cakes and panna cotta. Infants can join, though no food is served to them.
Can wheelchair users join?
The dinner cruise is listed as wheelchair accessible on GetYourGuide. If your party has specific needs, mention them to the operator when you send any dietary notes.
How quiet is the boat really?
The catamaran is a hybrid-electric design and, in normal conditions, runs about three quarters of the trip on its batteries, so for much of the route there is little engine noise in the saloon.
What if our plans change?
Bookings made through GetYourGuide can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the sailing, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Pick a night on the water
The evening sailings we would compare
The dinner sailing and the two other evening boats out of Tromsø harbour that we would weigh it against, each opening its own GetYourGuide page.
Electric northern lights cruise · 3.5 hours
The same operator's lighter evening on an electric catamaran, half an hour longer, with drinks sold on board and no dinner included.
Open this sailing ↗Small hot-tub yacht · 4 hours
A 32-metre sailing yacht for up to 12 guests, 30 to 45 minutes of private hot-tub time for your group, soup with bread, hot drinks and cookies; bring swimwear.
Open this sailing ↗More Tromsø evenings on GetYourGuide
Dinner on the dark water around Tromsøya, with the deck a few steps away if the sky starts to move.
Reserve the aurora dinner cruise ↗A per-person starting fare; GetYourGuide shows the exact total for your party, in your own currency, before you pay.