Region above the arctic circle on world map could give us chilling and freezing cold experiences and a completely different way of looking at the world, a different life-style, several new animal species, food, culture and more. The city of Tromso is located in the arctic region which offers a snowy paradise for tourists. It is one of the coldest regions in the world where the mercury moves between zero to – 25 degree Celcius. At Tromso, it is not just snow cladden mountains, it is snow-cladden everywhere, from streets and trees to roads and houses; it is a beautiful sight to see an entire city painted white and always in sub-zero temperatures. This blog will serve as an ultimate guide for travelers looking for a ultra-low budget trip to explore things to see in Tromso Norway. What if I tell you that one can explore Tromso Norway in as low as $300.
Things to see in Tromso Norway
Norway is called the land of the midnight sun and the entire country experiences sub-zero temperatures for some parts of the year. Tromso is a city in the northern-most part of Norway in the Troms county. Tromso is located close to the borders of Finland, Sweden and Russia. Tromso is the capital region of this county. It is geographically located well within the Arctic circle – one of the coldest regions in the world, with mercury hitting – 25 degrees. For the tourists from other parts of the world, this city could throw some day-light surprises. Yes, during peak winters, i.e. between late December and early January, the day time could shrink to as little as 60 to 90 minutes. One can only imagine how much can be done in a fine winter day in Tromso. While in the month of June, the phenomenon reverses with 24 hours of daylight.
Tromso Norway Winter Protection
Sub-zero temperatures could create quick impact to hands and legs if not protected properly. A mere exposure of one’s hand to the natural atmosphere for as little as 5 minutes could cause freeze burns; Tromso carries sub-zero temperature during winters. For proper protection, it is recommended to wear gloves, woolen socks, leather or rough ice shoes, thermal wears along with jackets.
Entering Tromso Norway
While the flight begins its descent to land in Tromso, one can see breathe-taking views of white mountain landscapes surrounding the Tromso county and also the Fjords i.e. narrow water body from sea penetrating deep inlands. Tromso is surrounded by Fjords. In simple terms, one can view everything white on either sides and down at the surface during one’s descent to Tromso terminal.
Tromso’s slippery pedestrian platforms
Tromso Norway is a beautiful, calm and cold city. One can tread the entire city by walk or by bus or by cab. If one chooses to walk, then, there are pedestrian platforms throughout. However, the terrain is not fully flat. It has mild hillock like elevations in some places and depressions in the other making the landscape wavy. The sub-zero temperatures make good amount of snow deposits over the surface of the platform, which over time hardens to ice. Ice once formed is difficult to remove and it remains there for so much long time. Now here is where the fun lies for the tourists. Those who do not wear grippy shoes will encounter unexpected slips in their path. Well it is also dangerous as it could seriously hurt the body. But, it certainly adds to fun. One can see people running around such ice-deposited regions as a game on who cold cross the place without falling down.
Life at Tromso Norway
Imagine a place where the sun hardly sets during peak summer and hardly appears at winters. That is Tromso. Located in the arctic region, for the rest of the world, it could come as a surprise to realize the weather conditions of Tromso. Winter is snow covered while the summer is sun for continuous 30 – 40 days. Naturally, summer is more suitable for tourists to explore Tromso. But, if one wants to explore the beautiful and breath-taking Northern lights, then. it is winter.
Generally Friday evenings extend to late night parties, dinners and meet-ups. Also, Tromso nights have a unique thing to offer. All the houses across the Fjord (the narrow water body from sea which reaches deep inland) are lit up in the night. This was made a practice to help the fisher man to identify the shores. However, in today’s technological era, this practice has become a custom and it is a treat to eyes to all houses lit up. And Yes, there is zero theft or crime in this part of the world which is also a reason for such a practice, that literally spotlights every house’s living rooms and halls.
Tourism is one of the major business apart from fishing. This place is tourist friendly, the city’s all corners re accessible across the day (i.e. from 6 AM to 10 PM). But, one would find it difficult to get buses, especially if one has to ply to airport early in the mornings, with the bus drivers hardly understanding English.
Budget stays Tromso Norway
Tromso is a tourist destination very popular for the northern lights sight seeing and for exploring the arctic life. It has stays ranging from budget hotels, shared accommodations such as hostels and luxury hotels and restaurants. For budget stays, it would cost anywhere between INR 6000 to INR 10000 per night depending on the season and time of booking. I had stayed in a shared accommodation which was good while having its own drawbacks. It is the Coco apartment, Tromso. It was one of its kind self-checkin apartment with literally no receptionist, but, it functions quite well. If you want to get more details on this Coco apartment budget stay, read the Tromso budget stay Coco apartment review.
Things to do in Tromso Norway
Tromso being a small city can be covered in its whole in under 3 days, if visited in summer. The exciting part of Tromso is the city in itself with its extreme climatic conditions, the unique cold lifestyle, the clothing, the animal species, the terrain, etc. That said, Tromso does offer certain activities to do and places to visit.
Tromso Rope Car
Located 15 minutes away from the city center, one can reach the Rope car basement by bus or by cab. Popularly called ‘Fjellheisen’ in the local language, this rope car takes tourists to top of the mountain. This mountain top has a view point from where one can view the entire Tromso city through a bird’s eye view. The sight is marvelous and the temperature adds-up the spice. Yes. For those who are photo and video enthusiasts, especially those using their touch phones, they have to remove their hand gloves in order to record the videos of the site. And depending on how much time one can keep their hands exposed before it turns cold and hard, one can record the video. The mountain top houses a cafe that offers ample space to sit, sip, eat and enjoy in the warmth inside. Off the cafe, one can enter the snowy mountains, walk through and hike from one hill to the other and take a long stroll based on one’s hunger for adventure. It is a vast space out there fully covered with snow. Make sure you wear grip shoes, else, it may highly slow down one’s walking duration. Especially, in winter, when the sun is hard to get, brisk-walking would help, both to cover more steps and also to keep the body warm.
Pro-tip: Do remind the bus driver about the Rope car stopping. It is easy to miss the stopping. Also, if one doesn’t speak the local language, it is ideal to remind / ask the driver.
Arctic Cathedral, Tromso Norway
The city houses a cathedral that has a unique architecture. It is popular for its appearance and design. It is one of the northern most protestant church which houses 600 seats and made of wood. Generally, all the tourists visit this cathedral though it doesn’t house anything significant except for its slightly different looking structure. I did not find this as an attraction.
Search for the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis
Where is the fun in visiting Arctic circle if one misses to chase the northern lights? The phenomenon of northern lights can be witnessed from as south as Oslo, however, Oslo being the capital and due to overt light pollution, it is difficult to spot the northern lights from within the city. 2000 Kms north of Oslo, inside the arctic circle, Tromso offers a very good chance for the tourists to view the northern lights during the winters, especially from September to February.
Technically, it is difficult to predict the exact time and appearance of these northern lights as it is a naturally occurring phenomena. However, the travel agencies and tour operators follow the scientific guidelines offered by government portals in order to best predict the nights based on weather conditions to spot northern lights. That is why it is said that needs to chase the northern lights. In fact there are tourist operators who offer half a month tour for a huge price just to chase and take the right pictures of these northern lights and with northern lights.
Northern Lights. How do they look?
One may imagine Northern Lights to be a greenish / purple hue of colors that cuts across the sky in the night. While this is theoretically right, one doesn’t necessarily witness the same with naked eyes. Most of the times, what is witnessed by eyes is vastly different from what is captured on cameras. To naked eyes, most of times, it would appear like a huge gush of cloud from the sky touching the surface of the earth in grey color. The greenish tinge that one often sees in the pictures is due to camera’s enhanced exposure levels. Basically, if you have a mobile phone based camera, one can capture it by changing the exposure details. However, it can be captured picture perfect for memories if one has an advanced DSLR camera. Long story short, Northern lights chasing journey is quite exciting, however, northern lights in itself may at times disappoint you. So be prepared. For more details on this activity, read Chasing Northern Lights in Tromso Norway.
Travel tips and important information
a. Tromso in Norway is a place which is snow covered for most part of the year, so, go with a hard / hunter shoe. Your formal shoes from other parts of the world will make you repent.
b. To bear the cold, you need thick woolen socks. In its absence, covering one’s feet even with two layers of normal socks and hunter’s shoe wouldn’t help escape the cold bites.
c. Northern Light chase: While there are several tourist operators who offer northern lights chase and visit, I used the below operator’s service and found it genuine and satisfactory. I used this link to book online tickets and reserve your spot for a given day. Please note that I don’t get any commissions for this. It is just my personal experience and reference.
d. While you are at Tromso, especially as a solo budget traveler, it is important to have the bus application installed to book tickets. Here is the Bus application app installation link.
e. Pro-tip: Please note that Norway is not part of the European Union. While it is part of Schengen and with a Shengen visa, one can enter Norway, since it not part of the European Union, the Euro is not a valid currency. They use Norwegian Krone which equates to INR 7.60 per Krone. Please have an international credit card handy or ensure exchanging the currency. However, currency is not required as all the outlets including bus tickets can be purchased using a valid international credit card.
f. SIM card: Please note that no matter from which country you have purchased your SIM card, it wouldn’t work in Norway, even if it purchased within Europe. As you land in Tromso, you should purchase a new SIM card for your phone which might cost approximately $10 – $15. Especially as a first time solo traveler who is on a budget, you should ensure that you have an active internet on your phone to support your navigation throughout the city. So ensure purchasing a SIM card as you land at the airport or have a Norway-centric SIM card active.