Tromso

Tromso

I’ve longed to visit Tromso since childhood. The strange name, the striking triangle shaped cathedral and the remote arctic location may have had something to do with it. Previous trips to Norway have been a blast. Tromso is also one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, so it seemed inevitable I would eventually make it to Tromso.

When I checked out flight prices and found I could get to Tromso for around ยฃ80 return from the UK, I booked. I expected to go on my own, but my husband Martin and eldest son, James wanted to join me. So this post details the four night trip, the 3 of us made, in November 2022. There would have been plenty to do, if we had stayed longer, but Norway is expensive and we couldn’t be away for too long. I think we made the most of the time we had.

Fjellheisen Cable Car

The view from the top platform of the Fjellheisen Cable Car is spectacular., I expected Tromso to be grey and dark in the winter, I had not prepared myself for the beauty of the pink tinged skies set above the stunning arctic scenery.

It was 415NOK (around ยฃ32) return. Not cheap, but definitely something you can’t miss if you visit Tromso. The base of the cable car is a short walk from the centre of Tromso and you can hike up or down, the mountain to enjoy the view, if you prefer!

Here’s a video of some of the trip down.

Northern Lights

It’s possible to look up in the winter night sky and see the northern lights when you are in Tromso city centre. Even so, it’s still worth taking a trip away from the city into the arctic wilderness. Going with an expert in chasing the lights is recommended, to get the full experience. The season for the aurora in Tromso runs from September into April with peak activity in the depths of winter (January – March), While you can increase your chances of seeing them by going in peak aurora season, there is still no guarantee. It’s definitely worth keeping an option to go on multiple nights if you can, in case you are initially unlucky.

With night time temperatures set to go well below freezing, I was out of my comfort zone. I didn’t have specialist arctic clothing and had arrived on a budget flight with a 20L bag.. That said, I do understand the virtues of merino wool layers and a down puffy jacket, to fit over those layers. I also had good boots. I wore the entire contents of my bag that night! I may have looked ridiculous, but I was warm and cosy! My super warm ‘Made in Yorkshire’ woolly hat also came in handy.

The Big Bus Tour

If you look on Viator or GetYourGuide there are a lot of tours. It’s hard to decide which one to choose. I picked a trip on a big bus rather than a little minibus because it was considerably cheaper! Once on the bus, I soon saw the benefits of a comfortable warm coach with a toilet. The minibuses gathered in the same places, to see the lights, as the bigger bus. I was very happy with my ‘big bus’ choice.

The pickup point was in the harbour area in central Tromso for our Chasing Lights Big Bus Chase. Our tour guides came prepared with professional cameras and equipment. We were offered guidance on how to take the best shots with our own phone cameras, but the best advice we received was to put our phones and cameras away and enjoy the show.

We headed west to the island of Sommarรธy where there were clear skies. This was a stunning backdrop for the lights. While our trip went west, some trips may go east and over the border into Finland. It all depends on where the guides think the lights will be on that particular night, avoiding areas of significant cloud cover..

On this video, you can see the lights dancing above us.

At the end of the trip

We arrived back in Tromso just before 3am in the morning. This was early enough for us, to get some sleep and make the most of the following day, albeit with a much later start in the morning. Our trip was 1200NOK (around ยฃ91) per person.

Pictures and videos were sent by the guides, the morning after the trip. This is just a small selection of what they sent. The guides also included a trip report which detailed our route. I would definitely recommend Chasing Lights if you plan to see the aurora in Tromso.

Ishavskatedralen (Arctic Cathedral)

The Arctic Cathedral, and Tromso bridge are the most striking structures in Tromso., especially with the backdrop of the Tromsdalstinden mountain, The cathedral is normally open to visitors in the afternoon and we took the opportunity to see the impressive triangular stained glass window from the inside. There was a 70NOK (around ยฃ5) entry fee per person.

We also walked across the bridge spanning the Tromsรธysundet strait which joins the city of Tromso on the island of Tromsรธya with the Norwegian mainland.

Whale Watching

So with limited time and budget, I asked my Norwegian friend which activity I should do in Tromso. He said ‘whale watching’ without hesitating, so that’s what we did. After a previous failed experience to see whales in New Zealand. I was initially sceptical. However, the silent hybrid catamaran operated by Brim Explorer. looked like it was warm and comfortable and I hoped it would not be too sick inducing!

We boarded the catamaran and sailed further north to the islands where the waters are rich with herring. These are the feeding grounds of the humpbacks and orcas. We saw whales in large numbers. The orcas were aggressive feeders and we watched them work in teams to surround the much larger humpbacks and chase them away. I struggled to take decent photos or videos as I was worried the phone would fall out of my freezing fingers. Next time I’ll bring a selfie stick, or similar!

The catamaran had a large viewing platform with room for everybody. It could get close to the whales as it was so quiet. The catamaran didn’t seem to bother the whales. It was in full electric mode while we were whale watching and reverted to using a regular motor for the journey between Tromso and the feeding grounds.

We were definitely glad we saw the whales. The Arctic coast was spectacular. The marine scientists leading the trip were friendly, attentive and extremely informative. and the whales definitely made an appearance!

The trip with Brim Explorer was 1690NOK (around ยฃ129) per person

City Centre and Harbour Area

Tromso is pretty. We arrived just as the Christmas lights were going up and space was being cleared ready for the Christmas market.

Food and Drink

Tromso is a city where you can eat well. We were particularly impressed by the craft ale scene. It was expensive, so we interspersed our ‘splurges’ with bread and cheese and some basic cooking in the apartment Here’s some of my highlights.

Olhalen Brew Pub

As lifetime CAMRA members, we were not going to pass up the opportunity to go to the most northerly brewery in the world run by MAC brewery. It also claimed to have one of the largest selection of taps in Europe. 72, to be precise, Olhalen was certainly characterful and the beers were excellent, but over ยฃ30 for 3 drinks!. We limited ourselves to one round, said goodbye to the arctic friends who had been watching us and left in search of something we hoped might be more reasonably priced

Blarock

In search of food, we found Blarock which describes itself as ‘Northern Norway’s only proper rock ‘n’ roll venue’. It was dark and pink. We had 3 exceptionally good burgers and 3 beers and left ยฃ80 lighter. This was definitely better value.

Cafe Sann

When you are confronted with a choice of beers and you don’t know which one to pick, then Cafe Sann comes to the rescue, offering flights. This was another characterful bar.

You could choose whether you want to sit in the light and bright section in the middle, or go ‘dark and moody’ around the edges. I naturally headed for the darkest corner! Here you get to see your’ three ‘Tromso testers’.

Skarven Kro

We visited Skarven Kro twice, The first time we found the incumbents drinking mulled wine and singing traditional Norwegian Christmas carols, It was very full. We moved on.

With its location near the harbour, we wandered in again after our whale watching trip. We had strict instructions from the marine biologists to leave the whale meat alone. We heeded their advice and enjoyed some exceptional (whale free) fish stew.(ยฃ20 per person).

Reindeer Hotdogs!

This cute little kiosk with a fire pit and reindeer skin covered benches, acted as a meeting point to discuss the activities of the day with fellow travellers and also fill us up with Rudolph in a bun! The best Rudolph in the world apparently!

Tromsรธ Mikrobryggeri

Our final craft brewery was Tromso Mikrobryggeri. It was the last night, and we picked the 16% Nordic noir! Possibly unwise, but these hardened travellers, managed it back to the apartment, won at following detailed rubbish sorting instructions and were ready at 5am to leave for the airport. Definitely a result!

Thanks go to my husband as I may have stolen from his beer blog while completing this section.

Troll Museum

Sadly we didn’t manage to make it to the Troll museum when it was open. It’s clear the Norwegian’s love their trolls and it certainly looked worth visiting.

Practicalities

What?

I recommend exploring the centre and harbour area, cable car, Arctic cathedral and Troll Museum, plus whale watching and catching the northern lights (both seasonal), The long list we didn’t have time to do was as follows:

  • Polaria The Arctic Experience Centre. This is the world’s northernmost aquarium
  • Visits to see the husky dogs and dog sledding
  • Visits to see the reindeer and reindeer sledding
  • Sami Culture Tour
  • The Polar Museum
  • Tromso city library and archives
  • MS Polstjerna – a historic sealing ship
  • Hiking, skiing and trips in nature

Where?

There’s no getting away from it, accommodation in Tromso is expensive. The main tours and activities all have pickups in the harbour area in the centre so choosing a central hotel is important. Expect to pay over ยฃ200 a night for some of the prominent hotels in the harbour and city centre. I can recommend Enter hotels who provide hotel rooms, hostel accommodation and apartments in the city. They are considerably cheaper, but still clean and smart. As there were 3 of us, we booked a 2 bedroom apartment which worked out at ยฃ620 total for all of us for four nights in November 2022.

When?

Snow arrives in early November in Tromso. If you want to do the full range of winter activities it would be best to arrive after that. Peak aurora activity is from January through to March., although you may see the lights from late September to early April. You are most likely to see whales from November through to February as the whales follow the herring who migrate to the islands just North of Tromso at this time of year..

Norway is an all year round holiday destination and there is plenty to see and do when it is warmer!

How?

We opted to use the budget airlines to take us to Tromso from the UK.. I set myself a challenge to find the lowest price flights from the UK. We caught a WizzAir flight from London, Luton to Gdansk, then Ryanair to Tromso. We returned on a direct Norwegian Air flight to London, Gatwick. It worked out at ยฃ86 per person return. That’s the basic price with no extras. There were regular public buses from the airport to the city centre.

There are also internal flights from Oslo to Tromso, for those arriving into Oslo. If you want to go overland to Tromso from Oslo, you can catch the train via Stockholm and go as far as Narvik station. There are buses North for the last 4-5 hours. In total you are looking at a 30 hour+ journey.

Christine: Author of One Small Bag avatar

9 responses to “Tromso”

  1. retiredmartin avatar

    Great blog.

  2. Pauline Sharp avatar
    Pauline Sharp

    Very interesting thank you ! Some things you commented on how much they were in local currency which meant little to me -just a thought -sorry to be picky !

    1. Christine Author of One Small Bag avatar

      Yes, I vacillated on which currency to use, so we have a mixture. I’ll align on GBP! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thx for the feedback

  3. Karen McGuinness avatar
    Karen McGuinness

    I once spent around 4 hours stuck in Tromso airport on my way home from Hammerfest. Your trip was much more enjoyable. Great photos of the lights. I’m green with envy.

    1. Christine: Author of One Small Bag avatar

      Ah thank you for saying so. Yes it was a great trip, hope you make it to Tromso too! I haven’t been to Hammerfest!

  4. Lyn (aka Jazz) avatar

    Lots of great information about a place that has escaped my notice until now. Your aurora borealis photos are breathtaking! I’m glad you were able to spot whales on your trip. It is always a thrill!

    Lyn | http://www.ramblynjazz.com

  5. Autovermietung Berlin avatar

    What an outstanding article! Your clarity and attention to detail in explaining the topic are exceptionally commendable. Readers will undoubtedly gain immense value from the depth of knowledge and practical insights you have provided. Your profound understanding of the subject matter is evident throughout the article. I look forward to experiencing more of your exemplary work in the future. Thank you for sharing your expertise and enlightening us with such comprehensive and insightful content.

    1. Christine: Author of One Small Bag avatar

      Thankyou so much for your kind comments. That’s so kind of you to say so.

      There will be more very soon for sure. There’s an option to subscribe if you would like to receive new content direct to your inbox. Thank you again.

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“The lighter the load, the more joyous the trip”

Travel has been part of my life for over 40 years. It’s now time for me to record some of my memories and photos. This blog will help me remember my adventures and I hope you find it useful too.

Why One Small Bag?

I like to jump off that plane, train or bus without delay and without carting a heavy bag about or finding somewhere to dump it. I just don’t want stuff getting in the way of my fun!

My travel bag of choice is usually a 20L day pack, ideally weighing in below 6kg, when packed. This applies whether I’m travelling for business or pleasure and generally includes a laptop as my software consultancy business and general tech geekiness, seldom leave me for long.

How do you pack so light? and what’s in your bag? are questions I’m often asked so One Small Bag seemed a perfect blog title and there will be more coming on this topic, for sure!

Happy Adventures!

Christine

Minimalist small bag, one bag traveller

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