Things to do in Tromsø
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Verdensteatret
Norway’s oldest film house will satisfy both cinephiles and thirsters after great cafés. The bar is a hip place with free wi-fi, occasional live music and weekend DJs. At other times, the barperson spins from its huge collection of vinyl records, so expect anything from classical to deepest underground. Peek into the magnificent cinema, its walls painted roof to ceiling with early 20th-century murals. It shows art house and independent films on an ad hoc basis.
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Flyt
Build your own burger at this friendly restaurant and bar, picking the size of your meat, fish or veggie filling and selecting its extras and trimmings. With an outdoor activities theme, its beer’s ice-cold and the music’s heavy metal and rock. The intimate upstairs cocktail bar fills to capacity after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Biffhuset
On two floors, wood-panelled and low-beamed, the Beef House is a seriously meaty place, strictly for ardent carnivores. Just tick/check your menu card, indicating size, cut and accompanying sauce, hand it to the server and sit back.
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Emma’s Drømekjøkken
Upstairs from Kaffe Lars, this stylish and highly regarded place pulls in discriminating diners with its imaginative cuisine. Advance booking is essential.
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Mack Brewery
OK, this brewery isn’t really the world’s northernmost – a microbrewery in Honningsvåg takes that title – but it’s still a venerable institution that merits a pilgrimage. Established in 1877, it nowadays produces 18 kinds of beer, including the very quaffable Macks Pilsner, Isbjørn, Haakon and several dark beers. At 1pm year-round – plus 3pm, June to August – tours (Nkr130, including a beer mug, pin and pint) leave from the brewery’s own Ølhallen Pub, Monday to Thursday.
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Polar Museum
The 1st floor of this harbourside museum, in a restored early 19th-century customs house near the colourful Skansen docks, illustrates early polar research, especially the ventures of Nansen and Amundsen. Downstairs there’s a well-mounted exhibition about the hunting and trapping of fuzzy Arctic creatures on Svalbard before coal became king there. Note the nasty exploding harpoons outside; the whale didn’t stand much of a chance.
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Circa
Circa (Approximately) and its upstairs neighbour Presis (Precisely), under the same ownership, complement each other. Circa, downstairs, cavernous, both bar and light-meal venue, has free wi-fi. It serves tasty pastas, salads and sandwiches (Nkr90 to Nkr100) until 4pm. Thereafter, its cool jazz and electronic music attracts a 25- to 35-year-old crowd. There’s occasional live music plus, at weekends, a live DJ. Wednesday, wine night, is normally packed.
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Arctic Cathedral
The 11 arching triangles of the Arctic Cathedral, as the Tromsdalen Church is styled, suggest glacial crevasses and auroral curtains. The magnificent glowing stained-glass window that occupies almost the whole of the east end depicts Christ redescending to earth. Look back toward the west end and the contemporary organ, a work of steely art in itself, then up high to take in the lamps of Czech crystal, hanging in space like icicles.
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Aunegården
You can almost lose yourself in this wonderful café-cum-restaurant that’s all intimate crannies and cubby holes. In a 19th-century building that functioned as a butcher’s shop until 1996, it’s rich in character and serves excellent salads (from Nkr117), sandwiches (from Nkr75) and mains. If you don’t fancy a full meal, drop by just to enjoy a coffee and one of its melt-in-the-mouth cakes.
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Tromsø Forsvarsmuseum
The southern end of Tromsø’s mainland was first developed by the Nazis in 1940 as a coastal artillery battery, complete with six big guns. The cannons have been restored as the basis of the Tromsø Forsvarsmuseum, which also includes a restored commando bunker and an exhibition on the giant German battleship Tirpitz, sunk at Tromsø on 12 November 1944. Take bus 12 or 28.
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Andreas Aagaard House
You'll find lots of early-19th-century timber buildings around the centre. Andreas Aagaard House, constructed in 1838, was the first building in town to be electrically lit. Explore too the stretch of 1830s shops and merchants' homes along Sjøgata.
The booklet Town Walks, on sale at the tourist office, is a well illustrated, exhaustive run-down of Tromsø's historic buildings.
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Polaria
Tromsø’s museum of the Arctic, Polaria is daringly designed. A panoramic film takes you to Svalbard and aquariums house Arctic fish and – the big draw – a quintet of energetic bearded seals. Other exhibits explore nature and human habitation at both poles. Just try to leave without a polar-bear mask from the gift shop.
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Driv
This student-run converted warehouse serves meaty burgers, great salads (Nkr95), focaccias with a variety of fillings (Nkr85) and a vegetarian pasta (Nkr95). It organises musical and cultural events (notably the self-styled Fucking North Pole Festival) and sometimes has a disco. In winter you can steep yourself in good company within its open-air hot tub.
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Abboteke
At this retro cocktail bar (the music’s bebop, big band or bland Ray Connif), upstairs from Le Mirage, the barman shakes a selection of award-winning cocktails. Behind him shimmer over 40 brands of single malt whisky and an equally impressive range of rums and brandies. There’s also a reputable restaurant open for dinner Monday to Saturday.
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Kaos
A cool basement hangout with low beams and bare brick walls, Kaos engages arthouse and underground DJs (Friday and Saturday) and bands (up to three times weekly). Carrying UK and Norwegian football, it also has a faithful following of armchair sporting regulars. Capacity is 90, squeezed close, so show up early for big games and band nights.
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Tromsø University Museum
The Tromsø University Museum, near the southern end of Tromsøya, has well-presented displays on Arctic animals, church architecture, Sami culture and regional history – plus a ‘northern lights machine’ that gives you a sense of the splendour of the aurora borealis. Catch bus 28 from Torget.
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Tromsø Cathedral
The Church of Norway’s Tromsø Cathedral is one of Norway’s largest wooden churches. Its opening hours are erratic. Built in 1861, it lays claim to be – here comes yet another superlative – ‘the world’s northernmost bishopric’ of its sect.
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Tromso Villmarkssenter
Tromso Villmarkssenter offers dog-sled excursions, ranging from a one-day spin (Nkr1220) to a four-day trek with overnight camping (Nkr8000). The centre, 24km south of town on Kvaløya island, also offers a range of summer activities such as trekking and sea-kayaking.
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Ølhallen Pub
At Mack Brewery’s Ølhallen Pub you can sample its fine ales right where they’re brewed. Perhaps the world’s only, never mind most northerly, watering hole to be closed in the evening, it carries eight varieties on draught.
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Presis
Step upstairs, above Circa, to snack on Presis’ great range of Nordic-style tapas. The air’s calmer here, in a more rarefied atmosphere, furnishings are hip and original, and frequently changing artwork decorates the walls.
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Catholic Church
Up the hill from the Tromsø Cathedral is the town’s Catholic Church. Built in 1861, it, like the Tromsø Cathedral, lays claim to be ‘the world’s northernmost bishopric’ of its sect.
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Slakter’n & Baker’n
Long established ‘Butcher & Baker’ is the place to stock up on your picnic fare. To the left, meat balls, cold cuts, hanks of sausages, salads and dips. To the right, richly scented breads and tempting pastries.
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Botanisk Hage
Within the Arctic and alpine landscapes of Tromsø’s Botanisk Hage grows flora from all over the world’s colder regions. And yes, it’s the world’s northernmost…Take bus 20.
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Skarven
Companion to Arctandria and Biffhuset, Skarven has an extensive waterfront terrace and offers fine bar meals and well-priced fish dishes – unsurprisingly since it includes selections from these two choice restaurants.
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Le Mirage
A less rowdy crowd, many of them seasoned regulars, gather at Le Mirage, with its deep leather armchairs and a gilded cherub gazing benignly down. It also serves reasonably priced sandwiches, salads, pastas and casseroles.
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