In short
Tromsø is nearly 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, and that latitude governs everything: the light, the season, and what you come looking for.
The city sits mainly on an island, linked to the mainland by a bridge and a tunnel. The Arctic Cathedral, across the bridge, is the emblematic building. The centre, with its wooden houses, is walked.
Arriving and getting around
The airport is five kilometres from the centre, with flights from Oslo and some direct European links in season.
The Fjellheisen cable car climbs above the city in four minutes and gives the best viewpoint — for the midnight sun as for the aurora.
The coastal steamers Hurtigruten and Havila call at Tromsø on the Bergen–Kirkenes route.
What it really costs
Tromsø is expensive, even by Norwegian standards: the aurora season is short and demand concentrated.
The excursions — dog sledding, aurora hunting, whale watching — make up most of the budget, far more than accommodation.
When to come
Three seasons, radically different.
Late September to late March: the northern lights. They require clear skies and patience; no operator can guarantee them, and selling them as certain is misleading.
Late November to mid-January: the polar night. The sun does not rise. It is not permanently dark for all that — a blue twilight lasts a few hours.
Late May to late July: the midnight sun. It does not set at all.
What nobody tells you
The aurora photographs better than it looks. The eye often perceives a greyish veil where the sensor renders vivid green. Knowing this avoids a common disappointment.
Getting away from the city is essential: Tromsø's street lighting interferes with observation. Trips sometimes run as far as Finland or Sweden depending on the weather, and the nights are long.
Humpback whale and orca watching takes place in early winter, and the area shifts from year to year with the herring: check which port the trips actually leave from.
Tromsø claims a living Sami culture; the Sámi museum at Karasjok and the reindeer herds nearby allow you to approach it other than through the shops in the centre.
