KTDoes | Travel Guide | Tromsø, Norway

Norway is expensive. You will need to set a lot of money aside if you compare it to other travel destinations.
Be prepared to have fun without the northern lights. Yes, we went specifically for the Northern Lights but the weather is unpredictable and the entire weekend we went it was 100% snow all weekend in Tromsø. I’d suggest doing the Northern lights tour on one of the first days leaving your last days free a back up.
Speaking of the lights, they come in MANY colors, shapes and sizes. What you see in photos looks very different than what you see in real life. Most of the auroras we saw began with white (in photos it looked more green) and then we saw vibrant pinks, purples and blues but they did not show up in photos. Also, you can’t really take a photo of them too clearly with a cell phone. You need a tripod to hold your camera very still and you need a camera that you can change the shutter speed. This is only if you want to take your own photos.
Use this site to plan your northern lights sightseeing. It gives you the forecast each evening so you know the best time to go looking.
In many Scandinavian cities it’s common for restaurants to fill up for dinner friday and saturday. I suggest looking up a restaurant that you feel looks good and making reservations in advance. Otherwise you may need to eat very early before the crowds rush in.

Everyone speaks perfect English so there is no need to learn Norwegian. In case you want to know some basics to make the locals happy:

Seeing the Northern lights is the most common reason to travel this far north. If you have never seen them before it should immediately get moved to high priority on your list.
During the day you can go skiing, dog sledding or whale watching. Any of these added to your trip can make the trip worth going even without the Northern lights but again, keep in mind they are all expensive!
Take time to learn about the native Sami people while in Tromsø.

Tromsø has a local brewery, Mack, that is considered the most northern brewery in the world (i think it was just surpassed though). They have a bar attached to the brewery and its typical pub style. They serve small bar snacks too. Their basic beers are same as most but their microbrews are something worth tasting. I think every restaurant in town served
Casa Inferno is a local pizza place where you can get high quality pizza. You can hear the cooks speaking Italian which immediately puts you at ease. The decor is also steampunk inspired so you will have some fun things to look at.
The city is oddly a party city and stays awake drinking until the wee hours of the morning. If you are into this then you can easily find places to join in the fun. What is funny is that we came back from our Northern lights tour at 3:30am and the street was full of drunk party goers on their way home. It’s a pretty funny sight.

Using the term budget in Norway is like an oxymoron. However, there is a chain restaurant in Norway called EGON which is a comfortable place with an extensive menu. For lunch that have a Pizza buffet which includes a salad, coffee & tea. This seems like the best bet for a budget lunch.

There is some great street art even for being such a tiny town. If you walk up and down the main street you can find some nice art to photograph. There is even a pretty cute alleyway that looks nice in the dark with art work and Christmas lights.
The library and church buildings are a very unique design and worth visiting just for a photo op. The church is across a bride so you will need to take a local bus to get there.

There is a local jeweler called Wabi Sabi where you can co-create jewelry with them. This can make for one of a kind wedding bands if you are looking for that type of thing.
Tromsø also has their first fashion line just launched in 2016, Reinlove. They have some nordic prints on tees that are pretty cute for the Millennial in your family. They had a pop up shop when we were there so check out their site to see where they are selling when you are in town!