What to See in Tromsø - Top Sights and Attractions

Lake in Norway. Prestvannet or Báhpajávri is a small lake in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The lake sits at the highest point on the central part of the island of Tromsøya inside the city of Tromsø. Prestvannet was built up as a reservoir in 1867, and continued in that role until 1921. Since then it has been used as park land and a nature reserve.

The pond area has been preserved as a nesting place for various birds. The pond and its surrounding wooded area form an important natural area for the Tromsø area. Encircling the pond is a track commonly used for recreational activities and sports, as well as a nature trail with plaques giving information about the local wildlife. In the winter, the frozen pond is a popular place for ice skating.^[3]

World's northernmost Lutheran cathedral. Tromsø Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The cathedral is the church for the Tromsø Domkirkens parish and it is the headquarters for the Tromsø domprosti and the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. This cathedral is notable since it is the only Norwegian cathedral made of wood.

The yellow, wooden cathedral was built in a long church format and in the Gothic Revival style in 1861 by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church tower and main entrance are on the west front. It is probably the northernmost Protestant cathedral in the world. With over 600 seats, it is one of Norway's biggest wooden churches. It originally held about 984 seats, but many benches and seats have been removed over the years to make room for tables in the back of the church.^[4]

Arctic aquarium in a striking building. Polaria is the world's most northerly aquarium. It is located in Tromsø, in northern Norway.

Rather than a mainly scientific aquarium such as the one in Bergen in the Norwegian midlands, Polaria, which opened in May 1998, is designed to be an educational experience, with particular emphasis on displays for children.

Most of the displays focus on the northerly islands of Svalbard. There is a five-screen panoramic cinema, an "Arctic Walkway" area containing displays of polar exploration equipment, stuffed animals and simulated permafrost, many conventional aquaria displaying local marine life as well as open tanks and display tanks containing rock-shore animals, baby fish and other child-friendly exhibits. Its centerpiece is an open pool containing a group of bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus. These are trained and there are regular displays, as much to keep the animals active and healthy as for public entertainment. The seal enclosure has observation blisters set into its sides, so that visitors can look up at the animals from underneath, and a submerged walkway in a transparent tunnel across the bottom, allowing close access to the animals in their natural environment.

The building itself is also worthy of note. Its striking design represents ice floes that have been pressed up on land by the rough seas of the Arctic. This attractive piece of modern architecture echoes the Arctic Cathedral across the harbour in Tromsdalen on the mainland.

One of Norway's most famous and successful seal hunting ships, the Polstjerna (T-80-T) has been preserved in a separate museum building less than a hundred metres away from Polaria. Tickets to the ship museum can be bought from Polaria.^[8]

Botanical garden in Tromsø. The Arctic–Alpine Botanic Garden is the world's northernmost botanic garden. It is located in Tromsø, Norway, and is run by the Tromsø University Museum. It opened in 1994. The garden displays Arctic and alpine plants from all over the northern hemisphere.

The garden is located to the southeast of the University of Tromsø Campus, commanding a view of the mountains to the east and south. There is no gate or barrier: there is no entrance fee, and the garden is open all day all night the year round.

The location, corresponding to the north coast of Alaska, invites thought of an extreme Arctic climate. However, a branch of the Gulf Stream sweeping up the coast of North Norway provides a moderating influence, and the climate of Tromsø is one of relatively mild winters and cool summers. The season in the Botanic Garden is usually from end of May until mid October. From May 15 until July 27, the sun is continuously above the horizon in Tromsø. This period of midnight sun provide some compensation to the plants for the short growing season and the low temperatures, providing an average of 200 hours of actual sunshine each of the months May, June, and July. From November 21 until January 17 the sun never rises. Snow generally covers the ground from October or November on, and will accumulate until the beginning of April. Snow then gradually melts and the ground will usually be bare around mid May at sea level, while lingering on far into the summer at higher altitudes.

Special Collections: Rhododendron, Meconopsis, Aster, Polemonium, Erigeron, Codonopsis, Rose Cultivars, Allium, Saxifraga, Silene, Tellima, Heu^[10]

Mountain cable car in Tromsø, Norway. Fjellheisen is an aerial tramway located in the city of Tromsø, Norway.

The lower station is located near sea-level in Tromsdalen, a suburb on the mainland. The upper station is located at Storsteinen (English: The big rock), a mountain ledge about 420 m (1,378 ft) above sea-level. The four-minute trip to the upper station is a popular destination in itself, offering visitors a commanding view of the city and the surrounding islands and fjords from an outdoor viewing deck. Food and drink is served in Fjellstua restaurant. Many passengers use the tramway as a launching point for hikes to various mountains in the area, including Tromsdalstinden, the iconic 1,238 m high peak that is easily visible from the city.

The tramway is particularly busy in the summer months, when it is popular with cruise-ship passengers wishing to get a good view of the midnight sun. In winter, the cable car operates from 10 am to 10 pm if weather conditions are not too rough for comfort. It is an excellent vantage point for viewing the Northern Lights. Fjellheisen is owned by Skips AS Nordfisk and operated by Utelivsbyen AS.^[12]

The perspective museum is a foundation in Tromsø created in 1996, with the purpose of conveying and developing knowledge as a basis for understanding of contexts in existence, creating tolerance for cultural diversity and contributing alternative perspectives on culture and society. The house was home to the Norwegian author Cora Sandel.

The museum is part of the National Museum network, and participates in networks for minorities and cultural diversity and in networks for contemporary documentation and research.

By the creation, the Troms folk museum and the collections at Tromsø city museum were admitted to the new foundation. In addition to the main building in the center of Tromsø, the Museum owns two outdoor facilities with a total of 24 antiquarian buildings included in the summer season's dissemination program. The scope and content of the collections therefore reflect Tromsø and region's museum history from the 1950s and in the future.

In 2004, the museum opened in Storgata 95, a protected patrisier house from 1838 as from 1911 and 90 years to come as the people's house. In 2005, the PEM owner of the wooden building was located north of the pedestrian street.

The dissemination of photography in the documentary genre is an important business field at the museum that is part of an international cooperation.

In 2017, the museum was 25 paintings painted by Cora Sandel as a testamentary gift after Sandel's son Erik Jönsson.