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Travel guide
Tromsø
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: September to March for the northern lights, June to July for the midnight sun
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Welcome
Tromsø, in a few days
A town of 78,000 people some 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, on an island joined to the mainland by a kilometre-long bridge, with a university, late bars and a cable car up to 421 metres. It is the base for aurora hunting from September to March and for whale safaris from November to January.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fjellheisen and Storsteinen · about 1 h 30A four-minute cable car ride, running since 1961, from Tromsdalen on the mainland up to the Storsteinen ledge at 421 metres.
- Afternoon · The Arctic Cathedral · about 30 minTromsdalen church, built in 1965 to plans by Jan Inge Hovig: not a cathedral, but stacked aluminium-clad triangles that look like pack ice.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Scandic Ishavshotel€150 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Polar Museum · about 1 h 30An 1830 customs warehouse on the old quay, telling of seal hunters, Svalbard trappers and Amundsen, who flew from here in 1928 and never returned.
- Afternoon · Ølhallen and the Mack brewery · about 1 h 30Mack has brewed in Tromsø since 1877; its Ølhallen bar opened in 1928 in the old brewery, though brewing has since moved out of town.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Radisson Blu Hotel Tromsø€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Polaria · about 1 h 30An Arctic experience centre from 1998, in a building shaped like toppled dominoes, where bearded seals are fed and trained twice a day.
- Afternoon · Northern lights chase · an eveningTromsø lies under the auroral oval; guided minibuses leave each evening and follow clear skies, sometimes as far as Finland, for seven or eight hours.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Thon Hotel Tromsø€130 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sommarøy free · half a dayA fishing island of about 300 people, 60 km west of Tromsø, with white sand beaches, pink rocky islets and sea water around 10°C.
- Afternoon · Whale safari to Skjervøy · a full dayFrom early November to mid-January, herring draw orcas and humpbacks to the fjords around Skjervøy; boats leave Tromsø in the morning for a full day.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Thon Hotel Polar€135 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Salmon and smoked fish: the quality is the reason people talk about it.
- Brunost: brown cheese boiled down to caramel, cut in thin slices.
- Kjottkaker: meatballs in brown sauce, the weekday dinner of the country.
- Prawns and shellfish, bought off the boat at the fjord quays.
- Skillingsboller: cinnamon buns the size of a fist, taken with coffee.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Everything costs a lot here, alcohol most of all. Buy it at the Vinmonopolet, not the bar.
- Book the car and the beds early in high season, above all in the Lofoten.
- Mountain weather turns fast. Check the forecast and take a layer you do not think you need.
- Pay by card everywhere, including on ferries. Cash has almost disappeared.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Norwegian
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hei / God dag |
| Thank you | Takk |
| Please | Vær så snill |
| Yes | Ja |
| No | Nei |
| Excuse me | Unnskyld |
| Goodbye | Ha det |
| Do you speak English? | Snakker du engelsk? |
| I don't understand | Jeg forstår ikke |
| How much is it? | Hvor mye koster det? |
| Where are the toilets? | Hvor er toalettet? |
| The bill, please | Regningen, takk |
| Help! | Hjelp! |
| Cheers! | Skål! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyNorwegian krone (NOK)
BudgetAbout €185 a day, mid-range
Best seasonSeptember to March for the northern lights, June to July for the midnight sun
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingIncluded in the bill, round up
Emergency112 / 113
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccinations. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/tromso
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.