Regarding Tromso

I've searched the forum but would like some additional information. Tromso is frequently referred to as an interesting port to visit. I'm not really seeing too much that is grabbing my attention.

We'd love to tour the Mack Brewery, but the tour ends at 4:30 and our ship sails at 5:00 (too close for comfort). Has anyone visited there without taking a tour? My DH would love a souvenir that reads "The Northernmost Brewery in the World".

Perhaps there are other things that might be of interest in addition to the Polaria and the Cathedral.

Please make some suggestions.

I've searched the forum but would like some additional information. Tromso is frequently referred to as an interesting port to visit. I'm not really seeing too much that is grabbing my attention. We'd love to tour the Mack Brewery, but the tour ends at 4:30 and our ship sails at 5:00 (too close for comfort). Has anyone visited there without taking a tour? My DH would love a souvenir that reads "The Northernmost Brewery in the World". Perhaps there are other things that might be of interest in addition to the Polaria and the Cathedral. Please make some suggestions.

Much of your question centers around how you define "an interesting port"??!! What are your specific expectations, needs, interests? Tell us more!

From our travels up and down the Norway coast, Tromso was nice and good for me. It was not the "best of the best", but it was decent and a good sampling for this area. Below are my notes and some visual highlights.

With 63,500 people, Tromso is the seventh largest city in Norway and the largest in its northern area. Some (not me) call it the “Paris of the North”. It is 186 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is located on an island. The city center of Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in northern Norway, the oldest house dating from 1789. The Arctic Cathedral, a modern church from 1965, is probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø. Its east wall is composed entirely of stained glass. The Polar Museum is situated in a wharf house from 1837, presents Tromsø's past as a center for Arctic hunting and starting point for many major Arctic expeditions. You are standing on a forest-covered island in a narrow sound, hemmed in by soaring mountains. A cable car travels up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet for views of the town, islands, mountains and water. The Polaria Arctic Center has sea life displays, an aquarium of marine life and trained seals. Its main street is Storgata with the town square opening onto the harbor. There is a daily open-air market selling flowers and crafts. Its two best dining places are Arctandria and Compagniet. Emm’a Drommekjokken get super high marks and is across from Tromso’s cathedral. For July 8, average high of 57F° and low of 47F°; record high of 69F° and record low of 42F° on this date. Twenty-four hours of daylight. Latitude: 69.7° N.

Port info: http://www.tromso.havn.no/en/shiptraffic/cruiseships

http://www.destinasjontromso.no/english/index.html

info@visittromso.no

Added questions or info/visual needs for these areas in Norway? Don't be shy!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 174,140 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

The Arctic Cathedral is the most famous in Tromso. Here is the front view of this church that seats 700 and was completed in 1965.:

This is the Arctic Cathedral’s interior view of its stained glass window on the east wall.:

From the mountain top, here is the “back” view of the Arctic Cathedral.:

Taking the cable car up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet provides great views of the town, islands, mountains and water. Not exactly easy, handy walking distance from the docking area in the main part of town. With our mid-day weather so sunny, it really helped enjoy this city in such a great setting. At the bottom right of this picture is the Arctic Cathedral that is the most famous in Tromso. This church that seats 700 and was completed in 1965:

This is a view of the main part of Tromso’s central city, including the unique winged shape of its public library. The town has a 1000-car garage dug under the mountain for car parking.:

In the Tromso Museum, here are some historic religious items from this part of Norway. It has a diverse collection of things geology, Sami culture, religious artifacts, natural history and special exhibitions. :

The botanical garden is also supposed to be nice.

http://uit.no/tmu/artikkel?p_document_id=343610&p_dimension_id=88178&p_menu=42433

Thank you both for your replies.

Terry, as always, your photos are inspiring.

Pluto_Fan, we may enjoy the Gardens.

We enjoy "out of the ordinary experiences" that may be unique to a particular region, being outdoors, viewing wildlife in natural habitats, opportunities to sample local cuisine (Emma's is on our list) wine and beer and gorgeous views of nature. We prefer walking or small transportation options, rather than bus tours. We are DIY people, rarely taking ships' excursions, and frequently utilizing private guides, podcasts and public transportation. Museums and cathedrals are not on the top of our "must see" lists. (Although the Catacombs in Vienna, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm rank up there.)

One of the excursions we are most excited about on this trip is a King Crab Safari out of Honningsvag.

Thank you both for your replies. Terry, as always, your photos are inspiring. Pluto_Fan, we may enjoy the Gardens.

We enjoy "out of the ordinary experiences" that may be unique to a particular region, being outdoors, viewing wildlife in natural habitats, opportunities to sample local cuisine (Emma's is on our list) wine and beer and gorgeous views of nature. We prefer walking or small transportation options, rather than bus tours. We are DIY people, rarely taking ships' excursions, and frequently utilizing private guides, podcasts and public transportation. Museums and cathedrals are not on the top of our "must see" lists. (Although the Catacombs in Vienna, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm rank up there.) One of the excursions we are most excited about on this trip is a King Crab Safari out of Honningsvag.

Appreciate these kind comments on my photos, plus your added background/interests. YES, enjoying "out of the ordinary experiences" and doing DIY can be fun and great.

BUT, here are a couple of cautions and/or factors to consider. First, weather will not always be perfect during your time in Norway. Have in your mind a "Plan A" for sunny, good weather. AND, think about a back-up option in the event of rain or other weather challenges. Second, the "infrastructure" potentials in many parts of Norway can be limited. Ship tours are not perfect, but they can solve and help with certain "logistical" needs to maximize your time, what you can see and do while there, etc. Be open to what works best in each of these various different ports where many of the local options, guides, tours, etc., can be limited.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 102,587 views for this posting.

For the latest information on Tromsø (we've seen a lot of changes over the last 2 years) I would suggest the official tourist office Visit Tromsø. They've always been very helpful in answering our queries.

I've searched the forum but would like some additional information. Tromso is frequently referred to as an interesting port to visit. I'm not really seeing too much that is grabbing my attention.

We'd love to tour the Mack Brewery, but the tour ends at 4:30 and our ship sails at 5:00 (too close for comfort). Has anyone visited there without taking a tour? My DH would love a souvenir that reads "The Northernmost Brewery in the World".

Perhaps there are other things that might be of interest in addition to the Polaria and the Cathedral.

Please make some suggestions.

You could always just drop by the Ølhallen pub, which is at the original Mack Brewery location. They have lots of things on tap, and I'm pretty sure you can buy Mack-branded merchandise there as well.

Storgata 4

http://www.olhallen.no/

We have an upcoming cruise in May and Tromso is one of our ports. I have figured out what we are doing in each port, but I too am stumped a bit on Tromso. Like you, we too are DIY'ers and although I've been going in circles between the Aerial Tramway, the Arctic Church, and even the Arctic Botanical Garden since it's near where the ship docks, but doubt there is much to see in May....in reality, I'm just going in circles. It's the port we have the least amount of time in being 8 am til 3 pm so we too aren't there long enough to take the Mack Brewery Tour.

From what I'm seeing, the big draw is to be in Tromso during the winter since it's a huge tourist spot for viewing the Northern Lights.

As Kaisatsu said, perhaps we should still drop by the brewery, but wondering if any of these places are walkable. (Not the Botanical Garden since it's up by the port), but what might be around the Brewery since taking cabs from one point to the next seems a bit crazy too. Hoping you will come back and tell us what ideas you have come up with.

...wondering if any of these places are walkable. (Not the Botanical Garden since it's up by the port), but what might be around the Brewery since taking cabs from one point to the next seems a bit crazy too.

The city center is quite small and easily walkable. Polaria is only a few blocks from the Ølhallen pub. They pretty much mark one end of the sights in the city center, and the Polarmuseet and bridge to the Arctic Cathedral mark the other. It's about 1km between them, so it takes 15-20 minutes to walk between them.

The bridge across to the Arctic Cathedral is deceptively long, so it actually takes about 15-20 minutes to walk from one side to the other. And from there it's another 10-15 minutes over to the Fjellheisen cable car.

My first visit to Tromsø was on a port call, so we walked through the city center past the Domkirke and over the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral. Then we walked over to the Fjellheisen and spent about an hour walking farther up the mountain to a higher viewpoint and back. To save time, we caught a city bus back to the city center, where we did the original Mack brewery tour (this was back before the brewery moved out of its downtown location next to Ølhallen, and the tour ran daily at 13:00) and finished the day at Polaria for the seal feeding. I went to the Polarmuseet on a more recent trip, and it's interesting if Arctic life and exploration appeal to you.

Kaisatsu, Thank you so much for taking the time to explain what can be done realistically. The time that you were in Tromso for a port call...how did you get from the port to downtown. I know that they say that SOME ships will have a shuttle bus you can pay a small fee for. Do you know how you can find out ahead of time if they have this available. And if they don't, what are the options for getting there?

Terry,

How was your cruise of the Amazon River?

Ron

Kaisatsu, Thank you so much for taking the time to explain what can be done realistically. The time that you were in Tromso for a port call...how did you get from the port to downtown. I know that they say that SOME ships will have a shuttle bus you can pay a small fee for. Do you know how you can find out ahead of time if they have this available. And if they don't, what are the options for getting there?

We sailed with Cunard on that trip, and they did have a shuttle into the city center. I don't know how the other lines handle it or how to find out short of asking the cruiseline, searching the forums/reviews, or posting a thread with the question in case someone has previous experience.

I will say that I've noticed Tromsø's taxis are much more affordable than Oslo's. However, that's relatively speaking, so they're probably still expensive if you're not used to Norwegian prices!

It looks like there are a few city buses that run from that area, so that might be an option as well:

http://www.visittromso.no/en/Articles/Tromso_useful-info/City-buses/

We sailed with Cunard on that trip, and they did have a shuttle into the city center. I don't know how the other lines handle it or how to find out short of asking the cruiseline, searching the forums/reviews, or posting a thread with the question in case someone has previous experience.

 

I will say that I've noticed Tromsø's taxis are much more affordable than Oslo's. However, that's relatively speaking, so they're probably still expensive if you're not used to Norwegian prices!

 

It looks like there are a few city buses that run from that area, so that might be an option as well:

http://www.visittromso.no/en/Articles/Tromso_useful-info/City-buses/

Thank you for your comments. I have found I don't have much luck asking cruise lines, not necessarily this line, but often you get someone sitting behind a desk that just guesses and have gotten bad information this way. It really doesn't matter since if there is no shuttle, there will be many others on the ship in the same situation, so it will all work out. When push comes to shove, a cab wouldn't be the end of the world. We've spent a pretty penny on this cruise already, so adding a little more to do what we want at a port just isn't a big deal in the scheme of life. And yes, I heard someone talking about the city buses but after a couple of bus changes, I lost interest in hearing the rest....so onward and forward. Thanks again.

You could always just drop by the Ølhallen pub, which is at the original Mack Brewery location. They have lots of things on tap, and I'm pretty sure you can buy Mack-branded merchandise there as well.

Storgata 4

http://www.olhallen.no/

Excellent tip, and a great option for us. Thanks!

Did Royal Caribben provide shuttle service?

Terry, How was your cruise of the Amazon River? Ron

Appreciate Ron's asking. Yes, things went super well in both the Amazon and Caribbean. Especially since we missed much of the bad, BAD cold midwest winter. Lots of visuals and details are available from my live/blog. Feel free to ask any added questions on that posting. Happy to share more.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 19,583 views for these postings.

The city center is quite small and easily walkable. The bridge across to the Arctic Cathedral is deceptively long, so it actually takes about 15-20 minutes to walk from one side to the other. And from there it's another 10-15 minutes over to the Fjellheisen cable car.

YES, as correctly and wisely noted, that bridge is a long, LONG walk. Is it possible to walk to the Arctic Cathedral and cable car? YES! BUT, how valuable is your time? How much effort and energy do you want to expend "getting around" on foot in a town such as Tromso?

DIY is a nice goal and effort. I just like to play "devil's advocate" in raising the trade-offs in trying to do it all on your own. As I have noted previously, ship tours can be more costly than ideal, especially in Norway. BUT, such excursions can save time, allow you to enjoy much easier/simpler "logistics" and permit more "efficiency" in being able to do and see more. Not only is it a long walk across the bridge and to the cable car, but such a hike might be a little boring, both over and back.

Just wanted to share questions to consider about here in Tromso and for other ports in Norway, Europe, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 174,596 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

YES, as correctly and wisely noted, that bridge is a long, LONG walk. Is it possible to walk to the Arctic Cathedral and cable car? YES! BUT, how valuable is your time? How much effort and energy do you want to expend "getting around" on foot in a town such as Tromso?

 

This posting is now at 174,596 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Thank you for the realistic side. Although I understand what you are saying about the ship tours, none of them are really hitting the highlights we want to see. Meaning, they may hit some in one, some in another, one in one, etc, etc, etc. So sadly, it's diy or else miss something that interests you and since this is likely to be a one time trip, we want to hit the highlights we find most fascinating.

So with that said, is there a public transportation option that takes you from the center of town to across the bridge with a drop off either at the church or else the tramway?

Thank you for the realistic side. Although I understand what you are saying about the ship tours, none of them are really hitting the highlights we want to see. Meaning, they may hit some in one, some in another, one in one, etc, etc, etc. So sadly, it's diy or else miss something that interests you and since this is likely to be a one time trip, we want to hit the highlights we find most fascinating. So with that said, is there a public transportation option that takes you from the center of town to across the bridge with a drop off either at the church or else the tramway?

Glad that you understand and appreciate "realism". There are some public transportation options. BUT, Tromso is a town of only 60,000+ people. Not a big metro area with high density where you would expect the options seen for much larger cities. With some bus options, however, their timing and frequency might be a little less than ideal. That might mean lots of wasted time and energy standing and waiting for a bus.

From the town's tourism website, they have a little more info on local bus options. You can click to see a map that shows some potential with the 26-27-28 buses. Maybe.

http://www.visittromso.no/en/Articles/Tromso_useful-info/City-buses/

Below is another view of their overall area from high, high above the main city. Plus, another visual from the Tromso Museum.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 196,115 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

From the mountain top of Mt. Storsteinen, 1,260 feet above the sea, this is a wider shot of the area showing the dramatic setting of this island city of Tromso and its nearby airport, bridges, mountains, etc.:

In the Tromso Museum, they have reconstructed how the interior of an earlier home in this area would have been built of wood and occupied for daily life in this challenging environment.:

Thank you for the realistic side. Although I understand what you are saying about the ship tours, none of them are really hitting the highlights we want to see. Meaning, they may hit some in one, some in another, one in one, etc, etc, etc. So sadly, it's diy or else miss something that interests you and since this is likely to be a one time trip, we want to hit the highlights we find most fascinating.

 

So with that said, is there a public transportation option that takes you from the center of town to across the bridge with a drop off either at the church or else the tramway?

The buses 20, 24, 26, and 28 all run from the city center and take 4-5 minutes to make the trip across to the church (get down at the first stop after the bridge - either Bruhodet øst or Tromsdalen Bruvegen, depending on the route). They're all on slightly different schedules, but there's typically one departing every 5-10 minutes in the morning on weekdays.

The only bus that runs direct from downtown to the cable car is the 28, which only runs once every 30 minutes. This is why we decided it was simpler to just walk the section between the cable car and the Arctic Cathedral.

To get a better idea of the frequency and details for your specific dates/times, you can request bus routes from the website, which is available in English:

http://www.tromskortet.no/travel-planner/category312.html?from=Sj%C3%B8gata+S1+%28Troms%C3%B8%29&to=Fjellheisen+%28Troms%C3%B8%29&Date=13.05.2015&Time=11%3A20

For the search, the Arctic Cathedral is 'Ishavskatedralen' and the cable car is 'Fjellheisen' It should also adjust the results if you happen to be there on a holiday (May 1, 14, 17, and 25 - Norway puts a lot of holidays in May!)

Thank you TLCOhio and Kaisatsu, It sounds like Tromso will be more about taking the day as it comes. I'll probably make a priority list and focus just on a couple of things instead of trying to take in more. What would be your personal number one most favorite thing to do in Tromso?

Thank you TLCOhio and Kaisatsu, It sounds like Tromso will be more about taking the day as it comes. I'll probably make a priority list and focus just on a couple of things instead of trying to take in more. What would be your personal number one most favorite thing to do in Tromso?

For me personally, my Tromso favorite was probably being UP, UP . . . so high above the town and nearby areas. As my photo document and prove that the views were super interesting from there when using that cable car.

Overall for Norway, I strongly encourage people to do more than just see the port and town/village where the ship docks or tenders. Walking around at sea-level is nice. Getting "up country", however, allows a better sampling for what makes Norway special and interesting.

As I noted earlier, weather conditions are big variable that can affect your options and potentials. Below are some added visuals to prove why I liked it up there, overlooking Tromso.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 50,150 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Here are three added views from the mountain top of Mt. Storsteinen, 1,260 feet above the sea, to reflect the varied sights possible. Even in summer, lots of snow-covered mountains are nearby.:

I agree with Terry. The views of the city from above are pretty spectacular.

We hiked a bit higher, which was kind of fun, but the city views are better from down near the cable car, due to the curve of the landscape:

I did really enjoy the Mack brewery tour, but I haven't had the chance to try the new tour, so I can't really comment definitively.

So my other recommendation would be Polaria if you like aquariums at all. I think the displays about the Arctic marine life are fairly interesting, and there's a nice panoramic film of Svalbard if your cruise isn't taking you that far north!

For me personally, my Tromso favorite was probably being UP, UP . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Wow....this second picture takes my breath away. They are all nice, but this one looks so artistic to me. Great job. And yes, you appear to have convinced me that I too want to go "up, up, up....." :-) I originally was going to pass on that since I had planned on going "up" on three other ports and didn't know if I was going overboard. Climbing Pulpit Rock, Doing the Flam Railway and the Funicular in Bergen. Is this different enough up top to justify it again in your opinion?

I did really enjoy the Mack brewery tour, but I haven't had the chance to try the new tour, so I can't really comment definitively.

 

So my other recommendation would be Polaria if you like aquariums at all. I think the displays about the Arctic marine life are fairly interesting, and there's a nice panoramic film of Svalbard if your cruise isn't taking you that far north!

Great pictures from the aerial tramway as well. We would have loved to do the Mack Brewery tour, but our ship is only there until 3 pm, so the timing doesn't work out. May still stop by to check in out.

You bring up a good point regarding picking things like Polaria. Everything I'm picking is based on good weather and that obviously isn't going to be the case in all ports, so getting some plan B ideas for bad weather is a great idea.

Wow....this second picture takes my breath away. They are all nice, but this one looks so artistic to me. Great job. And yes, you appear to have convinced me that I too want to go "up, up, up....." :-) I originally was going to pass on that since I had planned on going "up" on three other ports and didn't know if I was going overboard. Climbing Pulpit Rock, Doing the Flam Railway and the Funicular in Bergen. Is this different enough up top to justify it again in your opinion?

I think all three of those are very different.

In Flåm, you won't really have the sweeping vistas from above, because the fjord valley is narrow and twisting, and the train is doing switchbacks along the side, so you don't see very far from the higher points on the train track. If you're doing the roundtrip via ferry to/from Gudvangen, you'd have a more traditional fjord view from the bus above Gudvangen. Somewhat similar to Geiranger, but different from Bergen and Tromsø which are less fjord-like and more wide urban waterfront areas.

This is a photo from Myrdal, the topmost station of the Flåmsbana. We could see a rainbow, but you can't see very far down into the valley.

Even once you're very close to the bottom, you can't really see very far because the valley is so narrow. This is quite close to the bottom, where you can see the town, but as you can see, you never get a view of the waterfront. This is easier to understand if you look at a map, since the valley takes a sharp turn at the very end, right before the water.

Bergen adn Tromsø are more similar, but in Tromsø, you're much higher. I personally think it's a more dramatic view, and if you had to cut one, I'd cut Bergen (both for this reason and because there's so much to do in Bergen already).

These are the view from the top of the Fløibanen in Bergen. Somewhere I pictures from a clearer day, but I don't think I've uploaded them.

Personally, my favorite "views from above" are Tromsø for blend of urban areas and waterfront nestled right up against the towering mountains and Geiranger for the iconic sweeping fjord views and the amazing contrast between how the fjord looks at water level compared to how it looks from above.