Sommarøy asks nothing physically demanding of legs that finished a marathon a day or two earlier: a car or organised tour covers the 77 km from Tromsø in around an hour and a quarter, and the island itself rewards sitting still more than it rewards walking far.
Hillesøy Beach
In mid-June, the beach at Hillesøy sits in full midnight sun. The water is the colour of a filing error in the atlas, turquoise and pale in a way that looks digitally altered until you are standing beside it. The beaches are real sand, not the volcanic shingle common elsewhere on the Norwegian coast, and swimming is for the genuinely cold-hardy only.
The Island Itself
Sommarøy is small enough to see most of on foot once you arrive, connected to the mainland by a causeway bridge. Fishing remains the core local industry, and the working harbour sits alongside the beach scenery rather than being tidied away from it.
Where to Stay and Eat
Sommarøy Arctic Hotel is the main option for those wanting to stay rather than return the same day, with a restaurant serving the local catch. Most marathon visitors treat this as a day trip rather than an overnight, given the proximity to Tromsø.
Getting Back
Return by the same road, or extend the day with a stop in Kvaløya's other coastal villages on the way back to Tromsø if energy allows.