Tromsø November 2023

Flight from Munich to Frankfurt and then on to Tromsø

Return flight from Tromsø to Oslo and then back to Munich

Day 1 Arrival: After we didn't receive our luggage at the airport and reported it, we took a bus into the city to our vacation apartment. Everything went smoothly here. There is an app for the buses where you can pay with a credit card. However, we weren't checked. We paid cash for the first ride.

After a quick settling in, we walked to a small supermarket about 10 minutes away on foot. I had researched in advance that it was open until 11 PM. Otherwise, most opening hours were until around 6 PM.

Day 2: First, sleep in. Since my husband had his hat, gloves, and scarf in the suitcase, we went for a walk to get him something. Since it was Sunday, only tourist shops were open. Then we looked around the harbor and stopped briefly at the Troll Museum. It was nicely done, and there was even a small playroom with a coloring corner. L. didn’t have to pay for admission since she is under 3 years old, but I found it too expensive for us. Next door, there was a fast-food restaurant that also had a children's menu and a play area on the first floor. They offered something similar to pizza. Afterwards, we walked back to the apartment and waited for our luggage, but the stroller had not yet arrived.

Day 3: Whale Watching. We had an awesome tour. We went out on a smaller boat. It was great. It was big enough for L to walk around. We reserved a good seating area where we could also lie down comfortably to sleep. We traveled for about 3 hours to Skiervoy, where the whales currently pass by, and then returned. There were snacks, 5-minute terrines, and sandwiches for sale; we had packed snacks for ourselves, but we also bought something. The 2 guides were from Germany, which was great for our child.

After we returned, we had burgers at HardRockCafe, which also had a children's menu, and we received some coloring pencils. There was a promotion for the children's menu, and we ended up getting a ball as a gift. We initially wanted to eat local burgers elsewhere, but there were only bar stools and it was very cramped. Then we went back, and the stroller had also arrived.

Day 4: Today we went sledding with reindeer. We experienced this as a pair in Rovaniemi and wanted to show it to our child as well. It’s a very child-friendly activity. We were picked up by a bus at the Radisson Blue in the city. This is the central pickup point for all excursions. We walked about 15-20 minutes from our place to get there. We could easily take the stroller on the bus in the luggage compartment. There was no child seat available, and we hadn't requested one. Since we were a large group, we were split into either sledding or feeding first. We were in the group that went sledding first. Consequently, the reindeer were already full when it was our turn to feed them, which was a bit disappointing. L. was a little scared anyway. Afterwards, there was food for everyone in the small hut, either reindeer soup (like goulash soup) or vegetable soup. Of course, we tried the reindeer. We also received a second helping, so we could try the vegetable soup as well. L. even got to play with the Sami dolls.

In the evening, we had another tour to a husky farm with dinner and polar lights viewing. We were picked up again at the Radisson Blue. First, we were allowed to pet the huskies and also the puppies. I had fish soup, which was super delicious (I hope there wasn't any whale in it). For L, we had snacks, but since there was hot cocoa, our child was already happy. I briefly saw the northern lights, but L. wanted to stay in the tent the whole time as it was too boring outside and the cocoa was waiting inside. You could also stay overnight on the farm.

Day 5 Wednesday: We went to the Tromsø Aquarium Polaria. There was a small construction site, but L. could walk around here, and there were seals with a small feeding. There was also a cinema room with 3 different short films. A short path past polar bear sculptures. Quite nice for kids😊. Afterwards, we strolled back along the shopping street. In the evening, we went to the cable car station to possibly observe the northern lights from the local mountain. However, due to the storm, the cable car was closed. We saw a small strip of northern lights from the parking lot. We wanted to take a little walk, but unfortunately, the snow was too high for the stroller, so we simply walked back to the apartment. It was indeed very windy on the bridge.

Day 6 Thursday: Today was a day of relaxation. We took the bus to the swimming pool. However, we initially got on in the wrong direction. The indoor pool was part of the sports center and included a climbing hall. There was a children's pool, a whirlpool, a small channel that got deeper, and at the end, you could swim outside and have a great view with a chance of seeing the polar lights at a later hour. There was also a larger play and fun pool and swimming lanes. We ate at the kiosk. The swimming pool opened relatively late, which I didn't find so great.

Day 7 Friday: In the evening, we tried again and took the bus to the gondola station. This time we had luck and could go up. However, the ride was quite expensive. The view was amazing, and we saw the northern lights while eating a piece of cake to warm up in the station, so that L. wanted to stay a little longer. Then we returned, but unfortunately, there was an accident in a tricky spot, so we had to sit in the bus for an eternity.