In 2023, when my sister and I were planning our Scandinavian trip, she initially proposed a drive from Oslo to Tromso, Norway. She was hoping we’d do a DIY Northern Lights chase of our own as seeing it was at the top of her bucket list. We ended up scrapping that plan, as our supposed trip was only a couple of weeks’ short, and we could not squeeze in that drive since we were also going to visit Copenhagen and Stockholm. Alas, fate had different plans for us when my and D’s Schengen visas were approved late, so sadly we had to reschedule our Scandinavian trip while my sister and brother-in-law went ahead. This was the third time overseas plans to meet up with my sister was cancelled, so I don’t think we’ll be planning on joint trips until close to the date so hopefully there won’t be any hiccups by then.

Last month, D and I packed for an end of winter/early spring trip to Norway. We decided to spend two weeks in Norway alone and this time we included several days’ stay at the arctic circle at Tromso, Norway. When we arrived at Norway, we spent a night at a hotel near the Oslo Airport, before flying the next day to take the first flight to Tromso via SAS Airlines. We arrived at Tromso at about 10 o’clock, and using our Troms Billett app, we purchased our bus tickets online and took the bus from the airport to our Airbnb.

Our Airbnb was about a kilometer away from the city center, and entailed a short hike up a hill. We were impressed with the view from our room window, and from the patio we could see at a distance the Tromsdalen cityscape, the Tromso Bridge and the Arctic Cathedral.

Upon settling in we went out to explore the Tromso city center where we saw some street art and sculptures.

I liked how the shops and cafes looked cozy and colorful. We had coffee, fish soup (the best I had in Tromso), and cake at Svermeri Kafe og Redesign. At the city center, we did some window shopping and gazed at the ships and seagulls at the Tromso Harbor.

Before we headed back to our Airbnb, we shopped for food for breakfast for the next few days like bread, eggs, yogurt and some snacks. We also wanted to be ready in case the upcoming days would be snowy and most likely would make us opt to stay in. This proved useful because it indeed became snowy a couple of days later so we copped up at home in the late afternoon.

On our first night, I set my alarm at 10 PM and at 11PM, because my AuroraReach app forecasted high chances of the northern lights being seen in Tromso on those hours. During these times, our host also messaged me saying that the Northern Lights could be seen. I went to the patio and excitedly called D to come watch the Northern Lights with me. We felt so happy and thankful for having received this welcome from the skies.

On our second day, we had breakfast at home and then headed out to the city center to meet our guide for the Arctic Nature Daytour which we booked for that day. This day tour was another highlight of our Tromso trip, where we got to see wildlife like reindeer and seals, and we saw gorgeous arctic landscapes.

In the next few days, D and I had more time exploring the city and enjoyed the local cuisines. There was a small restaurant and bar at the city center which appears as a food attraction when in Tromso: The Raketten Bar & Polse. Their signage says the’re the tiniest bar in the universe – I don’t know if that’s true and if so, we’re glad we got to drop by. They sell hotdogs (reindeer and beef, pork and beef, and vegetarian), hot chocolate and hot wine. There was a small queue when D bought his reindeer hotdog, but it moved quickly.

D was able to see the Arctic Cathedral up close, and we were able visit the Tromso Cathedral and hear mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady.

We would not leave Tromso without seeing more of the Northern Lights, and booking a tour was tricky because weather in Tromso could be quite moody. The tours for the Northern Lights chase were also getting fully booked quite easily because it was peak season when we visited. Luckily, we found a tour company who still had a few slots left on the day my AuroraReach app forecasted high chances of seeing the Northern Lights. In my next blog, I will share with you our Northern Lights chase experience. Stay tuned!