Tromso: The Arctic Gate

Following our 24 hour stopover in Oslo our group of 6 took another SAS flight to Tromso high up in the Arctic Circle and the furthest north either Chris or I had ever been.

We stayed for one night in Tromso before driving to the Lyngen Alps and we stayed for another night on the way back so both Tromso stays are covered here. For our first stay the weather was cloudy and rainy however we were fortunate to have clear blue skies for our second visit, the following week.

At 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromso is known as ‘The Arctic Gate’ as during the 1800’s it had begun to emerge as the centre for Arctic hunting exhibitions.

However despite its location Tromso is warmer than other places on the same latitude because of the Gulf Stream.

But not that warm! Temperatures in the winter are an average of -4 degrees. While walking around Storgata, the main thoroughfare through Tromso, the street was having some maintenance and heating pipes were being fitted!

Tromso Cathedral is at the beginning of Storgata.

Full Steam is a museum and also a restaurant. Here you can get guided tours of the history of fishing until the early 1900’s.

Located in Storgata on our first Tromso visit we called into Balthazar to sample its craft beers. Chris and I had Peruvian chocolate stout, an export strength (at 5.8%) stout brewed with organic cacao from the Marañón Canyon in northern Peru. We could taste the rich, velvety chocolate tones.

The only skybar in Tromso is on the 11th floor of the Clarion Hotel the Edge. Prices for cocktails were reasonable by Norway standards at about £11-12 each. The 6 of us enjoyed the comfy seats and fabulous views from the open air sky bar although it started to get cold later in the evening.

We stayed in Tromso on two consecutive Saturday nights and on our first visit we decided to make our way to the cable car.

Tromso Bridge was closed to traffic but thankfully it’s footpath was open. It takes about 40 minutes to walk from central Tromso to the cable car.

Tromso bridge is 1036 m long so it takes a while to walk across. On the other side we were approaching the Arctic Cathedral.

Officially called the Tromsdalen Church, the ‘Arctic Cathedral’ is one of the most famous landmarks of Tromso. Built in 1965, its outstanding acoustics make it a popular concert venue especially  for midnight summer events.

Open until midnight you can book tickets either online or pay at a machine when you get there. This was expensive at £31 each for the 2 x 5 minute return trip.

The viewing platform of the cable car is 421 m above sea level and provides panoramic views of Tromso and the surrounding area.

The cable car is open until midnight and as we had arrived late, at around 11 pm we only had about 30 minutes to spend at the top. From the cable car we walked back to the city centre.

It was weird walking around Tromso at midnight while it was still daylight, even though by then, our first visit it was cloudy and drizzly.

For our second Tromso stay we had a delicious Indian meal in ‘Indie’ restaurant. The service was friendly, the food arrived in good time and we all enjoyed a fabulous meal. At £90 for two, including wine, this was expensive for a curry but not too bad for a meal out in Norway!

We ended our second evening in Tromso in Olhallen, its oldest bar.

With some classics from the 60’s and 70’s being played and a huge selection of craft beers this was a great pub to end our trip.

Norway has strict regulations for selling alcohol and you can only buy wine and strong beers from state run ‘Vinmonopolet’ stores. These shut at 3 pm on Saturdays and are not open on Sundays. Thankfully there was a Vinmonpolet a 5 minute walk from our accommodation.

Russell had found and booked a 3 bed apartment, just off the city centre and the 6 of us stayed in the same one both times.

There were 3 bedrooms, a separate dining area and a large kitchen. The lounge was also a good size and for our first evening we sat in there eating cheese and snacks and drinking wine.

For our return visit, after a sunny afternoon the sky was completely clear for our final night in the Arctic Circle and the photo above was taken from our apartment at 00:45.

For 6 weeks in June and July each year there is 24 hours of daylight in Tromso. Sunset and sunrise merge into one and it doesn’t get dark.

Summary

Tromso is a small city and worth staying for a couple of nights. The next few posts cover the following 6 nights we spent in the Lyngen Alps, a two hour drive from Tromso.