Weekend Guide to Tromso

Why spend a weekend in Tromso?

Tromso was never really on my radar until my good friends Andrew and Davey suggested joining in for a weekend trip to go Arctic Pride. Also with Davey now in his new career as a Luxury Travel Advisor, it was honestly great to leave all of the research and major planning with him and our friend (slash his colleague) Brian. There are friends that you can travel with and I will say, I love that our group all have similar travel styles of doing a healthy amount of unique activities, seeing some beautiful sights, and induling in great food and drinks. The Northern Lights have always been on my bucket list, so to tick that off plus and dog sledding winter activities sounded right up my alley for a good time. If you want to go to the Arctic Circle and enjoy all the amazing activities while also having the comforts of a city, Tromso is your place!  Experiences and Things to Do Arctic Pride – The main event that drove our trip, Arctic Pride did not dissapoint. With a location at 69 degrees North, it’s the northernmost Pride in the world. Tromso Pride is one of the smaller Pride events, but that makes it only more special. In 2018, 6, 000 people walked in the Arctic Pride. This year, we watched a parade of 7,000 participants walking through the main high street and square of the town towards the harbour celbrating diversity.  We were all very impressed by the turnout and energy in the crowds of people. After the parade we also attended a super fun after party at Clarion Hotel The Edge  who partners with Tromsø Pride and is an explicitly LGBT-friendly hotel in Tromso.  Cable Car / Fjellheisen  – For the most incredible view of all of Tromso and the surrounding landscape head to the cable car (Fjellheisen) which takes you to the top of Mount Storsreinen. Head there around sunset (which for us was around 2pm!) for beautiful panoramic views of the city, surrounding islands, mountains, and fjords. The cable car runs from Solliveien in Tromsdalen up to the mountain ledge Storsteinen in just four minutes.  From the large outdoor terrace, you can enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Tromso and the virtually endless sight of islands, fjords, mountain and the open sea. If you look in the other direction, you will see the majestic mountain Tromsdalstinden, which towers 1,238 m above sea level. Arctic Cathedral – Tromsdalen Church, also known as Ishavskatedralen (The Arctic Cathedral) is a beauitful building is especially nice at night, when it is lit up and the stained glass windows are prominent. The cathedral is a landmark visible from the Tromso Sound, the Tromsø Bridge and when landing in Tromsø by aircraft.  It’s been said online somewhere that architect Jan Inge Hovig didn’t like the addition of the stained glass windows but Victor Sparre’s glass mosaic is really beautiful at night with the light showing through them. Dog Sledding – On our last day of holiday we spend the morning going dog sledding and it was the happiest way for us all to start the day. For the experience of a lifetime, mushing your own team of dogs across the Arctic wilderness, I highly recommend using Arctic Adventure Tours. Per-Thore and Hege Hansen started with a few sledges and alaskan huskies in 1999 and have built up a successful family business with a kennal of over 140 beautiful huskies. Their kennel is based on Kvaloya (The Whale Island), close to Tromso in Norway.  That morning, we drove our own team on huskies in pairs, sharing control of a dog and sled team of 4-5 huskies and 90 minutes of dog sledding in the wilderness watching the sun rise of the arctic. There were several opportunities to share driving duties along the way and I must say that being both the drive and passenger was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we enjoyed Hege’s famous homemade cake and a warm drink in the Lavvu as well as cuddling the dogs once back at the kennel.

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Chasing Northern Lights – Considered the capital of Norway’s Arctic, Tromso is perfect for seeing the Northern Lights in winter. My friends and I were lucky to see the northern lights not once, but twice! We really lucked out with clear weather to faintly see them from the city Saturday night that we were hopeful to see even more the next evening on our tour. On our chase of the northern lights Sunday evening, our guides from Northern Norway Travel brought us to the coast where the weather was a “warmer” -2°C or so. We were incredibly fortunate to have clear weather and strong solar wind for us to see the lights right away and seeing them wave and wane in the sky in the middle of pointing our constellations was something I’ll never forget. The tour itself came with transportation in a Mercedes Sprinter, an introduction video in a local restaurant with hot drinks, Northern Lights Chase with a campfire, thermal suits, hot drinks, cookies and local-made wraps. Typically tour pick-ups are around 18:00 and the latest drop-off is around 3:00 depending on how far you have to go to chase the lights.

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EAT

Fiskekompaniet –  A nicer restaurant in Tromso, I would definitley recommend this for a nice mealout. Key local delicacies to try are the reindeer tartar and lutkefish. Lutkefish is a traditional nordic dish made from aged stockfish (air-dried whitefish) and lye that has a gelatinous texture. This dish is served here with mashed peas, boiled potatoes, bacon, mustard, some sort of sweet sauce and brown cheese.  Rakeenten Bar & Pølse– With a claim to fame as the “Tinest Bar in the Universe since 1911” this lovely litter shop across the harbour is well known for their delicious hot dogs (reindeer, pork, and vegan). A must have and get all of the condiements and and sauces for it.   Art Cafe –  This cosy cafe is for walk-ins only and has delicious food across all of its menu. I would suggest the traditional Fish Soup or bisque for those trying to warm up from the cold weather.   Full Steam –  Part restaurant, part “museum” this place is dedicated to traditional Norwegian fishing culture on the Bangsund Pier (Old Student House Driv) just behind “Kystens hus”. This is also I believe the only restaurant that has a license for ethically buying whale and seal for consumption. If this “game” is up for your fancy, I would suggest the Arctic Trio starter with smoked rogn (caviar), smoked whale, and smoked seal.  Also a really yummy dessert is the Norwegian waffles with butter, cream, lincolnberry jam and brown chesse – such a treat!

Drinks

G – A comfortable and small pub that’s a local go to. The owners are talkative and smiling all the time and their service is impecable.   Ølhallen – Ølhallen is the oldest pub in Tromso and in its early years was filled with fishermen, farmers and townspeople. Today Ølhallen is one of the most iconic places in Tromso, which serves Norwegian quality beer from 72 different taps. 

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STAY

Being a group trip, we found it easier to get an Airbnb and the interior design of the one we stayed at was absolute perfection in my eyes. Our home for the weekend is managed by Giaever Vertskap, a business co-owned by Joachim & Ursula.  Joachim and Ursula are wonderful hosts and have many properties for rent throughout the city. Joachim was incredibly hospitable, even dropping of some spikes for us to borrow after a couple of tumbles on the black ice in our drive way. It was great to get to know them and experience the best of Tromso from their perspective.