Tromsø, Norway: Largest town north of the Arctic Circle with many museums and attractions

The Norwegian city of Tromsø is the largest town on the northern side of the Arctic Circle with almost 70,000 inhabitants. The city is located on the island of Tromsøya and is connected to the Kvaløya region and the mainland by imposing bridges in the west and east. The cityscape impresses with a mixture of old and new buildings. Modern architecture and traditional wooden houses alternate. The main tourist attractions include the port area and the Storgata. From the local mountain Storsteinen, to the top of which you can take a cable car, you have the best panoramic view of Tromsø. Tromsø has had the northernmost university in the world since 1972. Because of its location, Tromso is one of the best places to watch the Northern Lights.

The best way to get to know Tromsø is to take a walk

If you have booked a trip to Tromsø, the best way to get to know the place is on a tour of the center. A good starting point for this is the Stortorget market, which extends in front of the newly built Tromsø City Hall. Diagonally opposite is the Catholic Church, which dates from 1861. The sightseeing tour continues through the traffic-calmed Storgata. After just under 300 meters, the walker will come across Rich.-Withs-Platz, a green area with the cathedral in the center, which was built in the neo-Gothic style. It is the northernmost cathedral of the Protestant Church in the world.

Tromsø offers its guests a wide range of excellent museums

The house of the Tromsøer Kunstverein, which was built in 1877, is very close to the Mack brewery and the beer hall. Excellent exhibitions of modern art are held here. Admission is free. Right across the street is the Polaria Museum, which impresses with its extravagant architecture. Study travelers can find out everything there is to know about the ecology and natural spaces of the polar regions. A special highlight are the excellent aquariums in which the animals of the Arctic sea cavort. The most interesting experience for children is certainly the daily seal feeding. In addition, there is a pirate ship for the little visitors, on which they can live out their fantasy as pirates.

The Nordnorsk Art Museum shows Norwegian artists

An interesting street in central Tromsø is Strandgata. Sights here include the Streen & Strøm shopping center, the attractive candle shop Løiten Lys and a small glass blowing workshop. Behind the mall, Strandskillet leads to Vertshuset Skarven, the pub where most of the photos are taken. The restaurant is very popular with tourists and locals. Soon after, you come across Roald-Amundsen-Platz, on which a memorial commemorates one of Norway’s most important seafarers. At the edge of the square is the Nordnorsk Art Museum, whose exhibitions are primarily devoted to Norwegian art. The greatest art treasure in the house is likely to be a picture by the world-famous painter Edvard Munch. Entry is free here too.

The oldest house in Tromsø dates from 1789

On the Hurtigruten quay, the tour leads to the port area in the city center and back to the starting point. There are two more museums very close to the market square. The recommendable polar museum can be reached via the harbor promenade. Original items from the Nansen and Amundsen expeditions are on display here. There are also exhibits that deal with whaling and seal hunting. The second museum is the city museum Perspektivenet, in which changing exhibitions of all kinds take place. Behind the polar museum is the old customs post, a building from 1789. It is the oldest house in Tromsø.

The Arctic Cathedral is Tromsø’s most spectacular building

Outside of its center, Tromsø still has a few sights to offer its guests. There is, for example, the Arctic Cathedral from 1965, which is one of the most idiosyncratic buildings in the city. About three kilometers to the north of the city center is the small but beautiful Botanical Garden of Tromsø. At the southern end of the island is the Folkepark, the outdoor section of the city museum. Thirteen old houses from the region have been faithfully rebuilt here. The University’s Tromsø Museum has a collection of fossils and minerals, an exhibition on Sami culture and a presentation of religious art from the 13th century.