There’s nowhere like Norway
Can’t believe it’s already April, this year is just flying by! I was so excited to get out of England finally and go on my first trip abroad of the year! Of course going to someplace colder might have seemed a little crazy 😅 My friend Cass & I decided on Tromso because we wanted to see the Northern lights, so I went with very low expectations, but quickly realized there is so much Norway has to offer.
Things to note
We went for the Easter bank holiday, mostly because we already got the days off, but also because we read that March is usually the most active time for the lights. The only downfall to going around this time of holiday is a lot of the fancier restaurants were closed, and stores were having limited hours due to the Easter holiday.
Takk- Thank you
Tusen Takk- Thank you very much
Hei, øl takk - beer, please!
Other things to know…
How to get there
Our flight from London, Gatwick to Tromsø, Norway was a little over three hours long with Norwegian airways. They actually turn off all the lights on evening flights about an hour before you touchdown into Tromsø in case you can see the northern lights from the plane!
Where to stay
There are plenty of good options around the little city center, but our hotel honestly was a steal! Not only did we get a great rate for a two bed for 4 nights, our hotel had a free sauna as well as Jacuzzi! Plus, they had a full breakfast buffet with American and Scandinavian breakfast options, tea & cake in the afternoon, and light dinner option in the evening. It was called Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora.
How to get around
Taxi- Tromsø itself is actually an island and max time from city centre to airport is around 10 minutes, but taxi’s are expensive! Use the app Taxifix, which is like an uber for Norway taxi’s so you can arrange a fixed price and pick up.
Bus- The buses are so well done here! They don’t come as often as London, but a day ticket is around £5 and they have clear sign boards that let you know when to get off for what attractions. Perfect to go over the bridge to do the cable car & Arctic Cathedral.
What to do
There is so much more to visiting Norway than just seeing the northern lights! Plenty of Arctic activities, and good food to keep you occupied and busy throughout the day while you wait for evening to chase the lights. Here’s a list of winter activities:
Snowmobiling
Reindeer feed/sled
Learn about Sami culture
Fjord cruise
Fjord hike
Alpine skiing
Ice skating
Sommarøy day trip
Sami national day 6th Feb
Hermes II - shopping
Abanti- shopping
Fjellheisen cable car (beautiful views, £30, operate on the hour and half hour, 10-midnight, trip takes around five minutes to the top) or can hike up to the indoor cafe
Arctic cathedral (Not to be confused with Tromso Cathedral)
Floating sauna
Fjellshop- shopping
Way NOR- shopping
I really enjoyed our fjord and landscape tour, which took us all around neighboring islands. I even walked on a frozen lake!
And, of course, you can’t go to Norway in the winter without trying to see the northern lights! I have another blog post about best places to see the northern lights as well as more info about our tour.
What to eat
While a lot of the fancier restaurants were closed down for two weeks due to the Easter holiday, there was still quite a few options for food. You can really make it as expensive or inexpensive as you like. Most surprising for me was how many 7-Elevens there are within the town. Here’s a couple of restaurant suggestions:
Cafe Sann (coffee)
Vervete bakery (coffee)
Smørtorget (cafe)
Raketten- reindeer hot dog (12-7)
Selfie (cafe)
Bardus Bistro (reindeer)- close for two weeks around Easter
Rå (sushi)
Burgr
Emma’s dream kitchen
Kystens Mathus Skirri (closed for easter weekend)
Smak (fancy)
Mathallen (fancy)
Sweetheart- candy
Egon - wide range of American food but kinda pricy
Fjellstua (panoramic, café/restaurant at top of cable car) - really nice reindeer burger & prosecco with views
Riso (coffee)
Kaffebonna (coffee)
Storhus (pizza)
Helmersen
Hard rock cafe- northernmost hard rock cafe in the world!
McDonald’s - also the northernmost in the world!
Alcohol is expensive. Not as bad as Iceland, but comparable to London. My glass of Prosecco was £12. But mine came with these views haha
Truffle chips are NOT the uk version of chips 😅
Reindeer, moose, and whale are delicacies (especially when made like beef jerky/salami as a snack) but if you aren’t feeling as adventurous you can try their cloudberry tea.
I struggled to find coffee shops open before 10am, similar to when I was in Iceland, but this could just be due to the Easter holiday. Also, the lattes definitely are not as strong in Norway and it’s mostly milk, so definitely ask for a double shot of espresso.
I think that about covers it! Obviously, there’s so much more to Norway than I’ve even listed; I definitely would want to come back in the summer to do some hiking and see the fjords in all their green luscious glory! Plus, get down to Southern Norway, to see the cities of Oslo and Bergen.
Let me know if you’ve been to Tromsø before and what you thought!
Sincerely,
Sarah
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