Iceland’s flag carrier is quietly reshaping how travelers reach some of Norway’s most spectacular landscapes. With a brand‑new seasonal route to Tromsø and a newly extended year‑round service to Bergen, Icelandair is turning its Reykjavík hub into an even more powerful bridge between North America, Iceland, and the fjord‑ and aurora‑rich coasts of Norway. For anyone dreaming of northern lights, deep blue fjords, and easy multi‑country itineraries, these new flights are a signal to start planning now.
A New Arctic Gateway: Inside Icelandair’s Tromsø Launch
Tromsø has long been one of Europe’s premier northern lights capitals, but reaching it from North America often meant backtracking through major hubs in Oslo, London, or continental Europe. Icelandair’s newly announced Reykjavík Keflavík to Tromsø route changes that equation. Starting October 23, 2026, the airline will fly twice weekly through the winter season, with services scheduled on Mondays and Fridays through March 29, 2027.
The route will be operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and is designed specifically around the peak aurora and winter adventure window. By focusing on late October through late March, Icelandair is zeroing in on the period when days are at their shortest, skies are at their darkest, and the odds of seeing the northern lights are often at their best in Northern Norway.
Strategically, Tromsø marks Icelandair’s first foray into Northern Norway, strengthening Iceland’s long‑standing role as a natural transatlantic bridge. For travelers coming from cities such as Seattle, Denver, Boston, New York, and other North American gateways already linked to Reykjavík, it means a more direct northern corridor to the Arctic, with just a single connection on Icelandic soil.
For Tromsø itself, the route is about more than convenience. Local tourism leaders see it as a critical new link that will help manage the region’s growing popularity in a sustainable way, spreading arrivals more smoothly across the winter season and encouraging longer, more meaningful trips in cooperation with Icelandic partners.
Year‑Round Bergen: Fjords in Every Season
While Tromsø is grabbing headlines as Icelandair’s newest Arctic gateway, an equally important shift is happening farther south. The airline’s long‑running seasonal service to Bergen is being upgraded into a year‑round route, with winter operations kicking in at two flights per week on Thursdays and Sundays. After several years of spring, summer, and autumn flying, the move reflects a decisive vote of confidence in the West Norwegian city as a true four‑season destination.
Bergen has experienced a surge of international interest, particularly from American travelers. New data from Statistics Norway shows that overnight stays by visitors from the United States have soared compared with pre‑pandemic levels, and Americans now rank as Bergen’s largest international market. By keeping planes in the air year‑round, Icelandair is answering that demand while giving travelers fresh reasons to experience the fjords beyond the crowded peak of July and August.
Winter in Bergen has its own quieter magic. Snow dusts the mountains that frame the city, the Hanseatic wooden wharf glows under soft Nordic light, and the nearby fjords take on a steely, atmospheric beauty. With Icelandair’s winter flights connecting through Reykjavík to North America, it becomes easier to plan itineraries that include a storm‑watching weekend on the coast, a rail journey on the famous Bergen Line, or a fjord cruise surrounded by snow‑covered peaks.
Crucially, making Bergen a permanent fixture in the network allows Icelandair to build deeper partnerships with local tourism operators, from coastal voyages and fjord tours to city‑based cultural institutions. That, in turn, benefits travelers with more coherent itineraries, smoother connections, and packages that link air, sea, and rail in a single, well‑timed journey.
Why This Matters for North American Travelers
For travelers based in the United States and Canada, these network changes are about more than new dots on a map. They reshape what is realistically possible within a typical vacation window. Instead of spending precious hours zig‑zagging across European hubs, North Americans can now connect through Reykjavík and find themselves in Tromsø or Bergen with a single, well‑timed change of planes.
Consider the Tromsø flights operating on Mondays and Fridays. These days are ideal for extended long‑weekend getaways or week‑long trips that capture the best of the aurora season. A traveler could fly from a U.S. East Coast city to Reykjavík on a Thursday night, connect to Tromsø on Friday, enjoy a long weekend of northern lights and Arctic activities, then return via Iceland after a short stopover. For those with more time, extending the trip to a week leaves room to add dog sledding, Sami cultural experiences, and fjord sightseeing north of the Arctic Circle.
Bergen’s year‑round service opens equally appealing options. American visitors can now treat the fjords as a shoulder‑season or winter escape, pairing the city’s historic waterfront and foodie scene with snowy landscapes and far fewer crowds. With weekly winter departures on Thursdays and Sundays, it becomes easy to plan a four‑ or five‑night stay that fits between work commitments, school schedules, or longer itineraries that also include Reykjavík or mainland Europe.
Underpinning all of this is Icelandair’s hub‑and‑spoke model, which links more than a dozen North American cities with a broad spread of European destinations via Keflavík. By adding Tromsø and solidifying Bergen, the airline is filling in some of the most scenic gaps on the map, giving North Americans a more direct way to the Arctic without sacrificing time, comfort, or flexibility.
Northern Lights, Arctic Nights: Tromsø’s Winter Allure
Tromsø has earned its reputation as one of the world’s premier northern lights destinations for good reason. Located well above the Arctic Circle, it sits squarely beneath the auroral oval, the belt of activity where the lights most frequently appear. From late autumn through early spring, clear nights often deliver swirling ribbons of green, pink, and violet dancing across the sky, whether you view them from a mountain viewpoint, a boat in the fjord, or a snowy clearing far from city lights.
Because Icelandair’s new route is explicitly tuned to the October to March window, it effectively places travelers in the heart of the aurora season. Arriving from Reykjavík, visitors can join evening excursions that head into the surrounding countryside, where expert guides read space‑weather forecasts and chase gaps in the clouds. On nights when the lights are strong, even a short walk away from the city center can be enough to catch a show.
Tromsø’s appeal, however, goes beyond the night sky. Winter brings husky and reindeer sledding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and whale‑watching safaris in the surrounding fjords. The compact city center is home to lively cafés, a growing restaurant scene that leans into Arctic ingredients, and museums that explore polar exploration and Indigenous Sami culture. Icelandair’s schedule makes it possible to combine several of these experiences in a short visit, especially if you time your arrival and departure to maximize nights on the ground.
For many travelers, Tromsø will not be the only stop on a Nordic itinerary. With Icelandair’s network, it is easy to imagine itineraries that link the Icelandic highlands and waterfalls with Arctic Norway’s auroras in a single trip, turning Reykjavík into the hinge point of a broader northern adventure.
Fjords, Culture, and Coastal Light: The Pull of Bergen
If Tromsø is about big skies and polar nights, Bergen is about water, history, and steep mountains that seem to rise straight out of the sea. Often called the gateway to the fjords, Norway’s second‑largest city sits at the intersection of maritime heritage and spectacular coastal scenery. Extending Icelandair’s service to all twelve months of the year means visitors can now see that landscape transformed by the seasons.
In spring and summer, the famous fjords near Bergen are lined with emerald slopes, thundering waterfalls, and villages that cling to the shoreline. Popular cruises and excursions depart daily, weaving between cliffs that were carved by ice and shaped by the sea. Autumn brings richer colors, with golden birch and russet hillsides providing a vivid contrast to the slate‑blue waters. Winter, once overlooked by international visitors, turns the fjord country into a dramatic study in monochrome, with snowcapped ridges and low light that photographers adore.
Within the city itself, Bergen’s old wharf, with its colorful wooden houses, is a UNESCO‑listed reminder of the days when Hanseatic traders crisscrossed the North Sea. The fish market, innovative galleries, and a strong contemporary music and food scene give the city an energy that goes beyond its postcard looks. The surrounding Seven Mountains offer year‑round hiking and viewpoints that are easily accessible by funicular or cable car, making it simple for travelers of all ages to connect with the landscape.
As Icelandair adds winter flights, it also creates stronger links between Bergen and coastal cruise operators that run along Norway’s west coast. With carefully timed connections, travelers will be able to land in Bergen, step aboard a coastal voyage heading north or south, and then loop back through Reykjavík or on to North America, all within a single, joined‑up journey.
Stopovers and Smart Itineraries: Making Reykjavík Part of the Journey
One of Icelandair’s longstanding advantages is its stopover program, which allows passengers flying between North America and Europe to spend up to several days in Iceland at no additional base airfare. With Tromsø and Bergen firmly in the network, that stopover option becomes even more compelling for travelers chasing northern scenery.
Imagine flying from Chicago or Seattle to Reykjavík, spending two or three days exploring Iceland’s waterfalls, geothermal lagoons, and volcanic landscapes, then continuing on to Tromsø for aurora hunting. On the way back, you might route through Bergen to cruise the fjords before ending your trip with a final evening in Reykjavík. Because Icelandair sells such journeys on a single ticket, with baggage checked through and schedules optimized for connections, the logistics are far simpler than stitching together separate carriers on your own.
For time‑pressed travelers, even a short Iceland stopover can pay dividends. A night soaking in a geothermal spa, a day touring the Golden Circle, or an evening in Reykjavík’s compact, walkable center can break up long transatlantic journeys without sacrificing the ultimate goal of reaching Norway. Families may find the stopover especially attractive as a way to manage jet lag and keep younger travelers engaged with a fresh destination every few days.
The stopover model also gives travelers flexibility to adjust their plans in response to weather, which is an important consideration in northern regions. If the aurora forecast in Tromsø looks better a day later, a stopover in Iceland can be extended or shortened accordingly, and a few bonus nights in Reykjavík are hardly a hardship for anyone who appreciates striking landscapes and creative Nordic cuisine.
Why You Should Book These Routes Now
The combination of a new Tromsø route and a year‑round Bergen schedule is likely to be particularly attractive to American travelers in the coming seasons, and that popularity will translate into strong demand for seats, especially around peak travel windows. Key dates such as Christmas, New Year, school holidays, and the core of the aurora season in January and February tend to fill quickly even on established routes, and new services often see a surge of interest from early adopters.
Booking early not only improves your chances of securing the dates and cabins you prefer, but it can also lock in more favorable fares before demand pushes prices higher. This is especially true for complex itineraries that combine a Reykjavík stopover with onward travel to Tromsø or Bergen. As tour operators, cruise lines, and overland adventure companies begin to build packages around Icelandair’s new and expanded services, competition for the most convenient flights is likely to intensify.
Early planning also makes it easier to coordinate the ground elements of your trip. Tromsø’s top aurora guides, dog sledding outfitters, and small‑group tour providers often cap participant numbers to preserve the experience and protect sensitive Arctic environments. Likewise, boutique hotels and fjord‑side lodges near Bergen can sell out months in advance during particularly photogenic periods, such as the first snows or the height of the midnight sun farther north.
For travelers keen to balance spontaneity with peace of mind, the smartest approach is to secure the long‑haul flights and critical experiences as soon as schedules open, then refine the smaller details closer to departure. With Icelandair publishing its Tromsø schedule and confirming Bergen’s winter operations well ahead of the 2026 season, there is already enough information available to start building itineraries around key dates.
Looking Ahead: A Connected North Atlantic
Icelandair’s Tromsø and Bergen announcements are part of a broader trend that is bringing the North Atlantic region closer together. In recent years, the airline has added new European cities, extended seasonal routes, and strengthened partnerships with North American carriers, while other airlines have launched or expanded their own services to Reykjavík. The result is a steadily thickening web of connections that make it easier than ever to design trips that span Iceland, Norway, and beyond.
For travelers, this evolution means more than just convenience. It opens up new styles of travel that blur the line between city break and wilderness escape, between short getaway and once‑in‑a‑lifetime journey. A week that might once have been limited to a single city can now easily include an Icelandic waterfall, a Norwegian fjord, and a night under the aurora, all stitched together by carefully timed flights across a relatively compact part of the globe.
It also reflects a growing recognition that northern destinations are not just summer playgrounds but genuinely year‑round places to visit. By structuring its Tromsø schedule around the winter season and committing to Bergen in all twelve months, Icelandair is leaning into the idea that snow, long nights, and low light are assets rather than obstacles for tourism, provided they are approached with respect for local communities and fragile environments.
For now, one message stands out clearly from Icelandair’s latest moves: if northern lights, fjords, and Arctic coasts are on your travel wish list, the window to plan has never been better. With Tromsø entering the network and Bergen stepping into the spotlight as a true year‑round gateway, Reykjavík is becoming the natural crossroads of the North Atlantic. The smart travelers will be the ones who book their seats before the rest of the world catches on.