Whale watching, northern lights, reindeer, Sami culture and a lively town. Tromsø is a great home base for your Northern adventure.
The “Paris of the north,” Tromsø is an inviting, comfortable town of 70,000 (and the largest north of the Arctic Circle). It’s a great base to tour northern Norway in the summer and perhaps the best place to see the northern lights, with easy flight connections, lots of lodging choices, and plenty to do when you are not out chasing the aurora.
Itineraries
Eat & Drink
Emma’s Under and Emma’s Dream Kitchen Tromso
These are among the most popular places to eat in Tromso. Emma’s Under is more of a cafe and the kitchen is a tablecloth type restaraunt. We ate at the cafe for lunch and it was very good – especially the fish gratin. You will probably need a reservation fo dinner upstairs as they only […]
Olhallen
Oldest bar in Tromso with 72 beers on tap. It can get crowded so you might want to get their on the earlier side
Fiskekompaniet
One thing you will find is that if you are eating on Sunday many paces are closed. This one wasn’t – and is right on the water downtown in a great location. We thought the food was very good – interestingly not a salad on the menu but they made on for us anyway. They […]
Roast
This is the restaurant in the recommended Scandic Ishavshotel. They offer good food and service and it’s very convenient for a late arrival to Tromso if you’re staying in the adjacent hotel.
Rorbua Pub
This pub has been around for 40+ years. Apparently the interior is the setting of one of Norway’s most popular TV shows, Du skal høre mye. There’s a good selection of local beer and wine and they make good pizza.
See
Fjellheisen (Tromso cable car)
Just across the water from downtown Tromsø is a cable car that goes up 421 meters for a great view of the city from the mountain top. Fjellheisen is the name of the cable car running you up Mount Storsteinen on a 4 minute ride. You’ll see the snowy mountain ranges surrounding Tromsø as well as the city itself. The cable car runs late – you might get lucky and see the northern lights if they, and weather, cooperate. There is a restaurant up here and trails as well.
Tromso Museums
There are several and none are blockbuster – but adds to the interest of Tromso as a place to visit when not out seeking whales or northern lights. Several are right downtown making them very convenient to visit/
Arctic cathedral
A somewhat unique modern “cathedral” across the water from Tromso near the cable car. It’s characterized by triangular architecture and the white seems fitting for the surroundings. It’s considered the “Cathedral of the Arctic Sea”. It’s probably only worth seeing if you’re combining it with a visit to the cable car or going to the […]
Do
Tromso Dog Sledding
Dog sledding is another popular Tromso attraction. There needs to be enough snow – so won’t open till December. The dogs sure seem to enjoy the run.
Whale watch in Tromso
A whale watching trip is a great way to get out on the beautiful water around Tromso. There’s a bunch of whales that hang out to the north – including Orcas. We visited the travel agency to book a tour and they suggested this one as a nice smaller craft leaving right from the harbor […]
Reindeer and Sami culture
Visit a Sami camp and herd of reindeer – you can do reindeer sledging as well. There are a variety of activities