How do the buses in Tromsø work, what does a ticket cost, and do you even need one for a few days in the city? It’s likely you do, as they’re the cheapest way to get around by a long way, easy enough that I’d skip the hire car.
I landed not knowing how any of it worked and took an Uber into town. By the end of the trip I was rolling a big suitcase onto bus 40 back to the airport. There’s a cheaper fare that only applies at certain hours, and they happen to be the hours you’ll be out sightseeing.
The locals use the buses here, the Norwegians do public transport well. Services go from early morning to late at night every day, and the bus routes, the bus schedule and the bus tickets all sit in one app, so there’s nothing to work out standing at the bus stop.
More of my Tromsø guides to help plan your trip
- How many days in Tromsø – A day by day itinerary, activity costs and what to skip
- Best restaurants in Tromsø – Where to eat, with a map and what you’ll actually pay
- Best pubs and bars in Tromsø – Where to go after a day out in the cold, with live music options
- Skiing in Tromsø – Alpinpark, lift passes and night skiing in the dark months
- Where to stay in Tromsø – Best hotels for all budgets, plus igloos and cabins outside the city
Getting to and from Tromsø airport by bus
Tromsø Airport (Langnes) is on the far side of the island from the centre, about 10 minutes by taxi and about 20 on the express bus. The cheapest way in is the bus, and you have two options:
Airport Express
Look for the red bus outside the terminal. In town it stops at the Moxy Hotel, Polaria, Storgata, Prostneset bus terminal, Scandic Ishavshotel and The Dock Hotel, all within about a 10 minute walk of the central hotels. If you haven’t booked yet, my hotel guide covers the hotels the express bus stops outside.
- Time to central Tromsø: about 20 minutes, with six stops in town
- Costs NOK 125 (£9) single or NOK 200 (£14.60) return. Children 4 to 15 are NOK 80 (£5.85), and a family of four (two adults, two children) is NOK 250 (£18.25) one way. Purchase here
- Weekday buses from the airport start around 08:00 and the last one leaves close to midnight.
- Full timetable here
Local City Bus
- Time to central Tromsø: a bit longer than the express, it stops more often
- Costs NOK 50 (£3.65) for a single, or NOK 30 (£2.20) off-peak on weekdays between 09:00 and 14:00 and again from 17:00 to 01:00. Purchase here
- You can also buy at ticket machine by the bus stop on Flyplassveien, or by Visa or Mastercard from the driver. Cash isn’t accepted
- Bus stops are a few minutes walk across the car park
- Bus number 24, 26, 40 or 42
- Full timetable here
Pick the express if you’ve got big luggage, you’re a group, or your hotel is one of its stops and you’d rather not think about it. Pick the city bus if you’re travelling light or on a budget, it’s well under half the price. For a family of two adults and two children the saving is smaller so consider that the express has more luggage space.
I got bus 40 back to the airport outside peak times and had plenty of space for my big suitcase. The stop was easy to find, it picked up a few minutes’ walk from where we were staying. The Svipper app makes it a lot easier to get tickets, so get it before you fly.
These are ordinary city routes rather than airport shuttles, so put your hotel into Svipper before you board and it will tell you which bus to take and where to get off.
Taxi options instead of the bus
If you’d rather not do the bus with your bags, the taxi rank is on the left as you come out of arrivals and the ride into the centre takes about 10 minutes. Expect roughly NOK 300 to 400 (£22 to £29) in the daytime and more at night and at weekends.
Taxi prices in Norway vary by company, and the driver has to give you a fixed price before you set off, so ask for it. You can also book at the kiosks by the arrivals exit, where you put in your destination and see the price before you confirm.
We used Uber on arrival. It was quick and easy to get a car and it dropped us right outside where we were staying. In Norway the app puts you in a licensed taxi and shows the fixed price up front, so it’s the same cars with less guesswork.
Getting to and from Breivika Cruise port
Breivika cruise port is about 4 km north of the centre. Most cruise lines lay on shuttle buses into town, so check with yours first. If not, city bus 42 links the port and the centre.
From the ship, use the underpass to cross Stakkevollvegen and pick up the 42 towards Eidkjosen. Coming back, take the 42 towards Stakkevollan and get off at Breivika. It’s a normal city ticket, NOK 50 (£3.65) or NOK 30 (£2.20) off-peak, bought in Svipper or by card from the driver.
You can find the full timetable here
Navigating Tromsø by City Bus
Once you’re in Tromsø, the city buses are a very easy way to get around. The main terminal is Prostneset, the harbour terminal building in the centre with TROMSØ HAVN PROSTNESET on the front, next to the tourist information office.
Buses go from early morning to late at night every day, and some routes carry on into the small hours on Friday and Saturday nights. There’s no separate night bus, the late departures are simply part of the normal timetable on those lines, so check Svipper for your route.
How do I buy my bus tickets?
Most visitors are better off buying singles. A single costs NOK 50 (£3.65) and covers any city bus, the airport routes included. Off-peak it drops to NOK 30 (£2.20), and off-peak means weekdays between 09:00 and 14:00 and again from 17:00 to 01:00, which covers most of a sightseeing day.
- Single: NOK 50 (£3.65)
- Single, off-peak on weekdays: NOK 30 (£2.20)
- 24 hour pass: NOK 140 (£10)
- 7 day pass: NOK 327 (£24)
Children aged 6 to 17 and over 67s pay half. Under 6s go free, and at weekends and on public holidays an adult can take up to four children along for nothing.
The 24 hour pass only wins if you’re making three or more full price journeys in a day, which is more than most people manage. Pick the 7 day pass if you’re here most of a week and using the bus twice a day. Otherwise buy singles and take the off-peak ones where you can.
We only bought singles, some in the app and some from the driver, and I paid by card the whole time. Cash hasn’t been accepted on the buses since February 2026, and the readers take Visa and Mastercard but not Visa Electron.
My Top Tip! The Svipper app is the easy option, I recommend you download it before you fly. If you’d rather not have another app, buy from the driver by card, or from a ticket machine or kiosk. The list is under the map below, and those are also the places to go if you only have cash.
Map of ticket locations for the bus in Tromsø
If you’d rather not use the app, you have two options. Ticket machines take card only and sell singles and travelcard top-ups:
- Prostneset port terminal, on levels 1 and 2
- Tromsø Airport, at the bus stop on Flyplassveien
- Giæverbukta terminal, by the Jekta shopping centre
Shops and kiosks sell tickets and travelcards over the counter, and they’re the only places you can pay cash:
- Svipper’s contact centre at Prostneset
- 7-Eleven on Stortorget
- Narvesen at Nerstranda shopping centre
- Jekta shopping centre, at the information desk
There are more machines and kiosks around the city, mostly at the hospital and the university, and they’re on the map below.
How to get to the Fjellheisen cable car by bus
The cable car is across the bridge in Tromsdalen, so it’s one of the key sights you can use a bus for. Bus 26 from Torgsenteret in the centre takes you there. Get off at the stop called Fjellheisen and the lower station is a short walk away. It’s a normal city ticket, NOK 50 (£3.65) or NOK 30 (£2.20) off-peak.
In winter, from 15 November to 31 March, there’s also an electric shuttle bus from the centre straight to the cable car. It takes about 20 minutes and there are return buses through the day. A taxi from the centre is about 10 minutes and around NOK 150 to 250 (£11 to £18).
Walking from the centre over the Tromsø Bridge takes about 45 minutes, and the Arctic Cathedral is a 15 minute walk from the cable car, so you can do both in one go. We walked across. The walk is nice and you get a different view of the city, the bus is easy and fast if you’d rather not. What the cable car costs and when to go up is in my Tromsø itinerary.
Regional Bus Services
Regional buses cover the villages around Tromsø and leave from inside the Prostneset terminal, beside the tourist information office. They’re how you get out of the city without a hire car, and the tourist office is right there if you want a timetable in your hand.
Regional bus routes connect Tromsø to Kvaløya and Sommarøy (route 420, round the south of the island via Hella and Brensholmen), Ersfjordbotn (route 425, for the fjord and the mountains behind the village) and Oldervik (route 450, north along the mainland through Tønsvik, with marked hiking trails and views out to sea). Timetables change with the season and fares depend on how many zones you cross, so check both in Svipper before you go.
Check here and input your destinations for full timetable information. Tickets are in the Svipper app or by card on board. No cash.
There’s also the Arctic Route, the long distance coaches from Best Arctic. In winter, 1 December to 31 March, they link Tromsø with Narvik, Lyngen, Storslett, Senja and Rovaniemi in Finland, and from 1 November into January there’s a whale route to Skjervøy. In summer they go to Lofoten and Sommarøy from 15 June to 23 August and to Rovaniemi on dates that move a little each year, so check the operator’s page before you plan around it.
Disclaimer: This article may feature affiliate links. If you click these links, and choose to book with that hotel or company, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate the support that allows me to continue providing this information
Rent your own car and self drive
If you’re planning a lot of your own tours or heading further afield, a hire car makes sense. There are plenty of rental firms in Tromsø, and I use a comparison site when I book to make sure I’m getting the best deal, my favourite is below.
Check out the cheapest car rental options
If you’re thinking about driving in winter, be honest with yourself about snow and ice. You want to be an experienced winter driver before you take on the roads up here, and if you’re not, a guided tour or a transfer is the better call.
Taxis in Tromsø
Taxis are easy to find in Tromsø. In the centre there are ranks at Stortorget, Prostneset port terminal, Bankgata, Kirkegata, Nerstranda and outside the Aurora cinema, plus the airport and Jekta shopping centre. Prices vary by company, and the driver has to quote you a fixed price before the trip starts, so ask.
My Top Tip! We used Uber a number of times. It’s pricey next to the bus, but it was reliable and we never had a particularly long wait.
The bus in Tromsø FAQ
Is there a hop on hop off bus in Tromsø?
Not at the moment. The Tromsø hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus operated by Strömma did not run in 2025 and its booking page still shows the tour as unavailable, priced at NOK 350 (£25.50) for 24 hours if it returns. Check the operator before planning around it. The ordinary city buses reach the same sights for NOK 50 a journey.
How much is the bus from Tromsø airport to the city centre?
The Airport Express costs NOK 125 (£9) for a single and NOK 200 (£14.60) return, and a city bus costs NOK 50 (£3.65) for a single or NOK 30 (£2.20) off-peak on weekdays. The Airport Express takes about 20 minutes and stops outside several central hotels. City buses 24, 26, 40 and 42 also serve Tromsø Airport and use ordinary stops.
Where is the main bus station in Tromsø?
The main bus station in Tromsø is Prostneset, the harbour terminal building in the city centre, next door to the tourist information office. Regional and district buses leave from inside the building, which has TROMSØ HAVN PROSTNESET written across the front. The Airport Express stops there too, and it is a short walk from the main street.
How do you pay for the bus in Tromsø?
You pay by card or in the Svipper app. Cash has not been accepted on any Tromsø bus since February 2026, and the card readers on board take Visa and Mastercard but not Visa Electron. The cheapest and easiest option is to buy in the Svipper app before you board, and you can also buy from a ticket machine or a kiosk.
Where do you find Tromsø bus routes, maps and timetables?
Tromsø bus routes, timetables and route maps are published by Svipper, the regional transport operator, on svipper.no and in the Svipper app. The app shows live departures, plans a journey from your location to your destination and sells the ticket in the same place. Printed timetables are available as PDFs on the website if you want one offline.
How do you get around Tromsø without a car?
Most visitors get around Tromsø by city bus and on foot. The buses cover the centre, the airport, Breivika cruise port and the Fjellheisen cable car for NOK 50 (£3.65) a journey, and the city centre itself is small enough to walk across. Northern lights and activity tours pick up from central hotels. Taxis and Uber, which puts you in a licensed taxi at a fixed price, fill the gaps.
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