10 things to do in Tromsø
- Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis
- Polaria - the polar museum
- The Arctic Cathedral
- Fjellheisen
- The planetarium of northern light
- Mack Brewery
- Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum
- Tromso Botaniske Hage
- Blå Rock Cafe
- Tromsø Villmarksenter
10 Suggested Tromsø Restaurants
- Emmas Drømmekjøkken
- Compagniet
- The Big Norwegian Fish Company
- Aunegården
- Gallionen Restaurant
- Sjøgata 12 Food & Wine House
- Blå Rock Cafe
- Yonas Pizzeria
- Thai House Restaurant
""World's northernmost" items Tromsø claims ownership to: Premier League football team: Tromsø IL, Brewery: Mack, Glass blowing studio: Blåst, Mosque, Catholic bishop * Protestant cathedral, University, Film Festival, 18-hole golf course, Mountain cable car, Planetarium, Botanical garden, Burger King!"
Seeing the Midnight Sun in Tromsø
The city enjoys midnight sun from May 18 to July 26. During this period, the sun is always above the horizon. Popular viewpoints include the Tromsø Bridge, the front of the Arctic Cathedral and most prominently the Upper Station of the Cable Car, but it can be seen at most points in the city area. Due to the topography, you cannot see the Midnight Sun in large parts of the east side of the Tromsø Island, including the upper reaches of the city centre. Recent construction has also blocked off the Midnight Sun from most of the main street.
In winter, the sun is below the horizon between November 26 and January 15. Because the city is surrounded by mountains, the period is prolonged a few days. In the city centre, the sun is not visible between November 21 and January 21. However, there is some daylight for a few hours, and often there are beautiful colours at midday.
Tromsø Climate
Tromsø has a reputation in Norway for getting a lot of snow in the winter, although this varies a lot from one year to the next. The all-time record was set April 29, 1997, when the meteorological station on top of Tromsøya recorded 240 cm of snow. The lowest temperature ever recorded is –18.4 °C, and the January average is a mere –4 °C. This is due to the warming effects of the North Atlantic Current, an extension of the Gulf Stream. The proximity to the sea moderates temperatures; Sommarøy, on the west coast of Kvaløya, has January average of –1.9 °C. Summer is rather cool, with a July 24-hour average of 12 °C; daytime temperatures are usually slightly warmer, but vary from 9 to 25 °C. In the summer of 1972, which is the warmest in the record, (mean temperature of 12.9°C) the temperature reached 30 °C
Tromsø Festivals
Both the Tromsø International Film Festival and Nordlysfestivalen (Northern Light Festival), a classical music festival, are arranged in January. The end of that month is marked by Soldagen (the Day of the Sun), when the sun finally appearing above the horizon after the polar night is celebrated, mainly by children. Tromsø's Latin American Festival, No Siesta Fiesta, is held at the end of February. It started in 2007 and showcases the best of "Latin America" in Northern Norway with film, dance, music, art, seminars, debates, markets, and a street Samba parade.
The Bukta Tromsø Open Air Festival, held in June and July, is a popular music festival that started in 2004 as a merger between the smaller non-profit festival "North of Nowhere" and the "Fucking North Pole Punk Rock Festival". The Bukta festival is mainly a rock festival, but also features other kinds of modern music. The festival takes place in Telegrafbukta, a park on the south-western part of the Tromsøya island. Other popular cultural summer events among the population of Tromsø is the Karlsøy festival and the Riddu Riddu festival, both held in the region surrounding the city.
