November in Norway can be both rather unpleasant and rewarding. You get about 4-5 hours of daytime, it gets dark after 14:30 and it is cold and gloomy most of the time. But, if you're lucky, you get the most amazing Northern Light display and when it snows, it looks absolutely pristine and you are all set for lots of winter adventures!
We embarked for a week long Winter Whales liveaboard in November 2019 and made use of this time to explore Tromso for couple of days before we leave the comfort of land and ground for a week.
Tromso is in the Arctic Cirle which means you're kinda in the Polar Circle so it is cold. We packed in as much as we could in 48H and it's pretty doable as Tromso is small and compact. So here is a list of what we did in Tromso!
Northern Lights
You can't leave without witnessing the magic of Northern Lights. We were very lucky. On the night we arrived in Tromso, the weather was perfect for viewing. The best way is to follow a tour that takes you far out to get the best display but if you don't feel like paying for a tour or too tired to spend the entire night (till after midnight) to wait for the Lights, you can still see them in Tromso.
One option if you don't mind paying is to go up the cable car station. Of course you cannot guarantee the Lights will be there, and the city light pollution may not be great for photos, but I can imagine it'll be a nice view over the city with the lights.
We went to the cemetery at first and true enough, we saw the Lights almost immediately and pretty early in the night (around 20:00). There is still a fair bit of light pollution but the Lights were strong.
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| From the cemeterty |
Another better option away from light pollution is to head to the Lake Prestvannet. The lake was frozen solid when we went so we could walk out to darkness to view the Lights. It is about a 30min walk from the city center or you could take a bus there and walk back.
Highest point in Tromso
Another great activity is to head up to the highest point in Tromso for a view from the top. You have 2 options: Take a cable car up and down or hike up and cable car down. The walk is called "Sherpatrappa" and it is signposted to the start. Do take note that if you choose to go during the winter, make sure you are properly geared up for it. That means crampons as the walkway would be icy and snowy. We were not equipped with crampons and hiking up was a fair bit dangerous as some parts were icy and slippery. That being said, really enjoyed the hike. It took us about 45mins to 1 hour to get up but I suppose with the proper footwear, you can do it in a faster pace. We saw a couple Norwegians run up and down. View up from the top was amazing! We decided to take the cable car down (NOK 142) as it was impossible for us to walk down without crampons.
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| Making snow angels |
Tiniest bar in the world
I'm sure everyone has hear of the hotdog stand in Tromso. It is the tiniest bar in the world (so it says). It is a famous tourist spot and one of the few places where you can actually get a cheap eat! Tromso is expensive so a EUR5 hotdog is considered cheap. We didn't think the hotdogs were any special but the owners were lovely people and the mulled wine was actually the star of the stand! At EUR6, it is no cheap affair but the cinnamon warmth and crushed nuts drank around an open fire gave a very wintery nice feel. They do have vegan hotdog as well (again nothing to sing home about)
Dog Sledding
You have to try it! Ian was the most skeptical of this activity when we booked it but at the end of the trip, he was totally sold! Mind you, it is HARD WORK to stir the sled and make sure the huskies to run astray or topple the sled.
We went with Arctic Adventure (NOK 1,850 per pax) for a half day self-drive adventure. Recommend going with the 1st morning group given the short day light to get the most out of the day. They also have night sledding with opportunity to see Northern Lights. Of course there is no guarantee, so we decided to go with the safer option so we get the full on experience.
A 30min bus ride later, we arrived at location and changed into the proper attire. Make sure you are dressed warmly underneath and protect your head and hands. A quick tour of the kennel and we are off! We had 90mins riding the sled, changing between driver and passenger a few times along the way. It was so much fun when the ride goes smooth and fast without stopping. You have to be physically fit and have enough stamina to ride and steer as you would need to help the huskies move the sled up slopes or turn. And of course the view was amazing!
At the end of the ride we were provided with hot drinks and chocolate cake.
Museums
One of the recommended visits is to the Polar museums - which we did not do due to time. There are pretty good reviews around the museum so might be worth a visit!
MACK
Local brewery with many selection of beers. Be prepared to pay 9-10EUR for half a pint of beer. This is Norway afterall!
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| Always wanted a photo with the polar bear |
Brown cheese
We had to try it! Not sure I'm a fan of it. Still undecided about this. I guess it is a little less underwhelming as we thought it might be. We thought it might be a very polarizing taste but it was a bit middle of the road average. It does not taste like cheese at all but rather a very caramel taste to it.
Food
Most people would try reindeer or game meat in Norway as it's popular in this part of the world. Even Whale meat is on the menu. We don't eat meat and definitely not into whale so can't say much. Do note that most restaurants are closed on Sundays (or closed really early) so your only options would be hotel restaurants or eat early or get some food from the supermarket.
Accommodation
It is expensive in Tromso. But it is well worth it to find somewhere close to the city center. We found our place (Viking hotel) on airbnb and got a surprise upgrade upon check in! We ended up with a nice 1 bedroom apartment which we enjoyed very much. There are chain hotels in town if you're into those, or airbnbs do offer pretty good deals.
Overall we enjoyed our short time in Tromso. The town is small but quaint and has a very nice, cozy feel to it. Walking along the main street is a good way to spend some time as well.
