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Tromso cable car location:
Fjellheisen, Sollivegen 12, 9020 Tromsdalen, Norge
Tromso cable car prices:
Adult: $51 / child: $24
Tromso cable car opening hours:
9am to 12am.
One of the things I did when I visited Tromso was ride the Fjellheisin Tromso cable car. Fjellheisen is a mountain cable car in a town in Tromso that brings you from Solliveien in Tromsdalen up to Storsteinen, 421 meters above sea level. The ride takes about 2 minutes one way.
You’re not going to spend a lot of time up here, maybe 6 hours or so. The Fjellheisen cable car is like a gateway to other cool adventures. The activities you can do from the Fjellheisen cable car are snowshoe hiking, seeing the northern lights, paragliding and chilling in the cafe and restaurant.
In this guide I’m going to tell you about my experience at Fjellheisen and some general information about the trip. For a full Tromso travel itinerary read my article here.
Is The Cable Car Worth It?
Definitely, the Tromso cable car is 100% worth it for me and probably for other people who are not used to a lot of snow and mountain tops. It’s a nice way to fill your day up with activities and have a laid back evening. This is also one of the best ways to see the views of Tromso. After you go up to the top, there’s a huge area overlooking the city, the surrounding mountains and the arctic ocean.
I visited in February, one of the coldest months of winter. I loved the cozy vibe the snow gave everything. Going up the snow covered mountain was so cool. It’s also one of the best spots to see the northern lights. Because it’s high up on top of a mountain where there is little light pollution, your chances of seeing the aurora are high. Plus it’s a more romantic and chill way to see the lights.
For others who visit during summer, you will realize that the day light lasts a really long time. You’ll experience the sun at midnight. A strange experience for people living in more central parts of the world, like me, who lives in the Caribbean.
You can also do a range of hikes at Fjellheisen. Sherpatrappa, Fløya, Bønntuva, Tromsdalstinden, Tromsdalen power line and Steinbøhytta are some of the hikes you can do.
How to get to the Fjellheisen Cable Car
We walked from our Airbnb in Asvegen, Tromsdalen to Fjellheisen in about 30 minutes. The road was a little slippery, but if you have proper shoes that’s no problem. There are many ways you can get to the cable car and that depends on how far away you are from it.
- By Bus – You can use the app Svipper to track the busses in Tromso. The app shows you all the busses passing near you and the times they’ll arrive. There are bus stops everywhere in Tromso, so it shouldn’t be difficult to do.
- Taxi – A city center taxi would arrive at Fjellheisen in about 10 minutes.
- Driving – if you drive yourself, there is free parking at the base station.
- Walking – If you prefer walking like me and you’re coming from Tromso city, you can cross the Tromso bridge, head into Tromsdalen and walk a few more minutes to the cable car. In all it might take about 45 minutes.
Here are the directions to the Fjellheisen cable car.
Can you see the Northern Lights from the Cable Car?
Yes you can see the northern lights from here. But, sometimes you won’t be able to see the lights and you will have to hunt the northern lights through Tromso and maybe further. If the night is clear enough right above Tromso you’ll be able to see the lights from the cable car top station. If you’re not seeing the light at the cable car station, don’t be sad. You can arrange a bus tour that takes you around to see the lights.
There is a bus tour that takes you out of the city to the place that has the highest chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The guides will locate the best spots on that day and wait for the lights to appear. As I’ve experienced before, the weather in Tromso can be strange and unpredictable. You more than likely, might have to move spots depending on the weather. When the light appears the guides will take photos and send then to you after the tour. It costs $123 USD to book the northern lights bus tour.
Tickets and Ticket Prices
You can buy tickets online or at the base station on site. If it’s busy and peak season you can book online to save time. There are both one way and round trip tickets. This is because sometimes people like to hike up or down on their own for more fun. These are the types of tickets you could buy:
- Return Ticket – This is a round trip up and down the cable car. It doesn’t include any extra activities like hikes or northern light bus tours. Adult: $51 / child: $24.
- Fjellheisen shuttle bus and cable car round trip – This is for the cable car plus bus transport from the Tromso city center. Adult: $61 / child: $34.
- One way Ticket – If you want to just go up or down on your own, you can buy a ticket for that as well. Adult: $25 / child: $16.
- Group tickets round trip – If you’re booking for a group of minimum 15 persons then you can book this group ticket and save some money that way. 15 persons: $697.
- Family Trip round Ticket – I guess this is for families and not groups of 15 people. If your family just consists of 2 or 3 people that would be great compared to buying regular individual tickets. 2 adults and a child: $109.
- Annual Card – This is a card that gives you exclusive access to the Floya and Storsteinen all year. Adult $236 / child: $160.
- Snoeshowing Tickets – This is a ticket for a snowshoe hike and a chance to see the northern lights. $157.
- Paraglider club annual card – As the name suggests it’s a card for an annual pass for paragliding. $236
Tromso Cable Car Opening Hours
There are many times where the cable car will just be closed due to bad weather conditions. The first time I went to book on the website, it said, cable car closed due to weather conditions or something like that. When it’s available though, you’ll see a big banner on the homepage of their website with the opening and closing hours. As I type this article, it’s open from 9am to 12am. The hours will vary depending on the season and weather.
Remember to always check the website before coming to visit.
Tromso Cable Car Restaurant
This restaurant is more like a cafe and it’s open from 10am to 11:30 pm. The cafe is really cozy and warm compared to being on the rooftop overlooking the city. There’s a wide glass window offering great views while you’re here. This panoramic seating area is the real highlight of the place.
When I was there it had reindeer stew for dinner. I’m not sure if that’s a normal dish there or not. There’s fresh fish, seafood, sandwiches, burgers, beers, coffee and tea.
The prices of food in this restaurant were ridiculous though. I’ll recommend just buying come coffee and that’s it. If you don’t want to waste money on overpriced average tasting food then bring your own snacks and just enjoy the views.
