Tromso ❄️

[BeatricePotts]

I’m thinking of booking a last minute trip to Tromso. Looking at December/ January so don’t have much time to plan!

What are the absolute must see/ do’s and the don’t bother activities/ sights?

Where shall we stay? I have looked at central hotels as they seem to offer us a good base to go off and do all the activities but some people seem to have split the trip with 2 days in the centre and 2 days further afield. I’m open to this but wouldn’t want to drive in the icy conditions so how have people got around this? To stay in a glass pod would be amazing!

I can’t help with where to stay or what to see, but Tromso is somewhere Ive always fancied visiting. But December/ January is hardly a last minute trip - it’s still the very beginning of September! 😆😆.

If I can find accommodation, we will be there in 12 weeks! It probably feels more last minute to me as there is so much to plan and I’m so busy beforehand 😂

Other than the snow and arctic views of fjords etc., Tromso is famous for whales - and lots of whale watching excursions. If you've never seen whales 'in the wild', this is a fantastic opportunity to do so albeit apparently it's a long day and can be cold and choppy. Cost wise, the tours I came across were c£300 each.

You can also do the usual arctic activities with huskies, reindeer, snowmobiling, northern lights watching etc., but tbh I think expensive compared to Finnish or Swedish lapland (we went to Levi a couple of years ago and did them all there).

Anyhow, we have booked 4 nights in Tromso in December and are staying in the same hotel for the whole time. We've also hired a car for the middle 3 days and plan to explore that way (luckily for me, Mr Monkeys has a lot of experience driving in arctic conditions).

I looked at Tromso for December, but apparently there's only a few hours of daylight so it restricts a lot of day time activities. Happy to be told I'm incorrect though, in which case I will also be booking with you OP!

We went to Iceland and although the daylight hours are reduced in the winter time, we didn’t find it impacted us at all. So I imagine it would be the same!

Whale watching is the reason I’m desperate to go! I would forego all other activities if I could watch the whales 🐋

After my trip to Iceland, it’s an absolute no no to driving in icy conditions. You are very lucky to have an experienced driver as you’ll definitely have a better experience with the freedom driving brings.

Sorry, I replied to you and the direct quote doesn’t seem to have applied! My response is above 😊

Some options that don't cost ££££...

The public swimming pool is worth a trip, they have a heated outside pool that looks over the mountains and ski track.

If you have kids with you (or not) you can sledge and skate at Charlottenburg park, hire the stuff in the city and jump on a bus.

We did a Northern Lights trip on a boat, I booked that on the day as the forecast was looking very positive, we would have seen them from the city but it was nice on the water (NLs were a nice to have for us as we'd got lucky in Sweden the previous year)

We also did a day out to an arctic camp, the journey gave us a good view of the landscapes around Tromso.

We were out of season for the whales.

That should be Charlottenlund, can't edit

I stayed in Tromso in July on our way to Senja. We stayed at the The Edge hotel which is very central and within a few mins walk of shops and restaurants and right opposite the water (literally across the street from the ferry terminal which is why we stay there so we can get the 7am ferry). My boyfriend is Norwegian and grew up locally and The Edge is his preferred hotel there. He tried the new (more expensive) The Dock hotel later in the month and still prefers The Edge. Actually we went for drinks at the sky bar at The Dock hotel when I was with him in July and the entire hotel was absolutely dead! Good service (when we found someone!) but very very quiet.

Be aware that when you’re leaving Tromso, the airport security staff are VERY VERY thorough. All I can assume is that they’re insanely bored as at my secondary screening they examined everything closely from my Loop earplug to my Gucci pressed powder compact. 😳 Apparently it’s normal for them to be a bit OCD. 😂

I’ve added a photo of The Edge hotel and the view from the hotel room (in case any of this helps).

There will be considerably less daylight in Tromso than Iceland. We were there during Polar night (mid Dec to Mid Jan) last year when the sun doesn’t rise and there was only really enough light to see the scenery for 2-3 hours a day. Pitch black at 2pm!

Agree that the swimming pool is great - there’s an outdoor heated area. We also enjoyed the cable car up to the views over the mountain and a reindeer visit (was with kids). We had crap weather - for most of our stay it rained - not what you expect in December but it’s still one of the best trips I’ve ever done. The cafes are brilliant. My favourite was Smørtorget.

I’ve just booked here for November OP! So far I’ve booked a whale watching cruise on GetYourGuide, I think it was just over £100 (I found a discount code on Instagram too). I’m also going to book a northern lights tour, and do the cable car (or the hike next to it). The other things I’m considering are the polar park, yoga at polaria, snowshoeing, and maybe a Sami experience ☺️ the sauna and arctic plunge in the harbour looks fun too. Instagram has been so helpful for me in deciding what to do!

I recommend booking your excursions early. We waited till we got there (new year) and the choice was restricted because it was busy. We spent an evening on a snowy mountainside waiting for the Northern lights, which took their time. It was fun, but we had a better show by the harbour in town the next evening. There is a quaint little museum which is worth a look. We did a little Sami village visit and reindeer sleigh ride which was good. The highlight was the whale watching though: a fjord teeming with amazing orcas and a beautiful journey. There was no light to speak of, even in the middle of the day. It was eerie and beautiful.

I forget the name, but there is a fantastic Ethiopian restaurant in Tromso. The troll museum is silly and fun, a trip out to do dog sledding is also good and they provide a driver. Bastard’s bar is a fun rock bar that does open mics if you’re into that sorta thing

Then sounds like Tromsø is a must do for you!

I hadn’t read about the public outdoor heated pool, I’ll be popping that on my list, thanks to the pp who have mentioned it.

I’m expecting it to be polar night when we go so limited sight seeing hours - daylight was much reduced when we went to Finland and it didn’t stop us doing anything.

Thank you for these recommendations. Both are around £1000 for 3 nights so I’ll have a proper look at both 😊

These are some of what I have written down. I’m thinking of going for 3 nights as I don’t have much A/L left so I can do a long weekend.

Priorities are:
Whale watching cruise
Sami experience
Fjord cruise

I also want to do the sauna and arctic plunge and have a few restaurants/cafes on my list too.

I don’t know if 3 nights is enough! It would be 4 days as the flights are decent.

For whale watching I'd recommend those companies with catamarans over other styles of boat. They are more stable for anyone with sea sickness and some are electric so can approach the whales silently.

You're talking about going in December - you will get some silvery pre-dawn light for an hour or two around noon but it's absolutely pitch black by 2pm, so bear that in mind when thinking of sightseeing.

It will also be more cold than you could ever imagine being out on the water, not that you'll be able to see anything apart from a couple of hours around midday. Is it even the right season for whale watching?

But like a PP, I'm also a bit baffled by a trip in 3 or 4 months time being considered 'last minute'. That's ages away, I'm going away on Saturday and haven't really thought about what I'm doing yet or planned anything concrete. I'll do that tomorrow.

It all sounds great @BeatricePotts , please keep us posted. I love Norway but have only ever been in summer.

I’m sure you’re already aware but drinking alcohol when you’re out is really expensive there. When we had dinner in Tromso, I nearly fainted at the prices on the wine list. Obviously explains why Norwegians tend to drink at home before going out. If you like a drink, might be worth thinking about taking a bottle of something with you to have in your hotel room before going out.

Hope you’re also going to add seeing reindeer to your list. There are more reindeer than people in northern Norway so your chances of seeing some (obviously outside of Tromso) are pretty good. They seemed to be avoiding me when I was there in July. My boyfriend of course saw some by the road the day after I left. 😳 But I’m a jinx with all these things. I went iceberg hunting (actually with a Norwegian) in Newfoundland and saw nothing. I went whale watching on that same trip and also saw nothing (but got very cold and so wet that even my knickers were soaked and my mobile stopped working). So the good news for you is that I won’t be anywhere near northern Norway when you go so there should be whales and reindeer aplenty!! 😂

Don’t forget to try the local food while you’re there. I’m not a big fish fan but I had the best fish cakes ever when I was last there. Nothing like English ones. And I still have a stick of reindeer salami in my cupboard here in London.

PS If you like chocolate, the Norwegian brand Freia is delicious!!! Buy some in tax free on the way home.

That is the type of boat I’m looking at. £500 for the two of us but it will be worth every penny!

Late November/ early December is when I think I’ll be able to take some A/L so either way, it will be reduced daylight hours. I didn’t find Iceland too bad but I do think it’s because we were busy 24/7 😂

This made me laugh out loud! 🤣 Unfortunately, I have a similar amount of luck as you. We landed in Iceland and the volcano erupted and our trips were cancelled. Luckily, we booked others and the main thing is, nobody was hurt but honestly, my luck is dismal!

I am hoping to pair the Sami experience with seeing some reindeer. I need to look into this a bit further to see if it’s possible but I’m only there 3 nights/ 4 days and ideally want the last day to actually explore the area as the first 3 will be on trips.

Luckily, I’m more of a foodie than a drinker so the chocolate recommendation is appreciated. Thank you very much!

We stayed at The Dock in early March (noted what the earlier poster had said, but we didn’t find it dead at all, it was very busy (not in a bad way), really liked it, the bed was dreamily comfortable, breakfast spread was fantastic, both restaurants great, and we even saw the northern lights from the rooftop.

did a boat trip one night to see the northern lights - that was fantastic as we saw them despite the forecast not being great, and didn’t have to spend all night awake driving about, it was a sensible length. Also did a small group Sami and reindeer experience which was absolutely fantastic - we did a bit of research to find one which was a small group and run by a couple of Sami friends, rather than a mass group. Absolutely loved Tromso.

All the help I can offer is it’s more expensive than you ever even dream of. An apple can be £2 in 7/11!

Thank you - so helpful. Would you mind giving me some more information on the same/ reindeer trip? That’s exactly what I’m looking for!