From Oslo, an SAS flight of just under two hours whisked us up to the “gateway to the Arctic, 217 miles (350 kilometers) north of the Arctic Circle., with a population these days of around 78,000. The area´s been inhabited since the end of the last ice age, and local archaeological sites include remnants dating back as far as 10,000 years. More “recently” (meaning a mere 3,000 years ago), it was also partially settled by the Norse and the Sami, the traditionally nomadic people

These days, with the exception of some fishing, Tromsø lives largely off tourism, with a mix of local attractions and activities (the latter of which especially recently earned it a mention as one of CNN´s “24 Places to Visit in 2024”).  The city´s Sentrum (downtown core) with its main drag Storgata.(pictured here), is located on the island of Tromsøya, and it´s home to northern Norway´s highest collection of wooden houses, the oldest dating back to 1789. And honestly, compared to my last visit, I found it more engaging during winter – and there are a surprising number of tourists in town, thanks to all the winter activities hereabouts.

Read more in my post Our Winter Adventure Above Norway's Arctic Circle.