The island of Sommarøy, on the southwest coast, is a popular recreation area with magnificent coastal scenery.

Near this current, on the Kvaløya side, is Straumhella (30 kilometres or 19 miles from the city), a popular recreation area with good fishing opportunities.

Ryøya is an island in the midst of Rystraumen, formerly home to a small population of musk oxen that lived in the pine forest.

[3] Approximately 13,000 people live on Kvaløya, most of them on the eastern side near Kvaløysletta (which constitutes a suburban area of the city of Tromsø) near the Sandnessund Bridge.

According to official climate statistics, the west coast of Kvaløya, facing the open ocean, is the warmest part of Tromsø municipality.