We traveled in the beginning of January for 3 nights.
Itinerary:
Whale Watching - we got to see Humpback Whales, but you are able to see Orca/Killer Whales as well.
Dog Sledding - This was definitely an experience and you get to see some truly great views of the city and the surrounding area, but dress warm!
Fjellheisen - Beautiful views of the city from up here
Northern Lights (at night)
Advice on looking for the Northern lights by yourself:
The best time to see the northern lights is the beginning and end of the season, September and March respectively. Although end of September and beginning of March is probably best.
The northern lights do not always look green, they can look like grey clouds when:
initially forming
If they are weak
If there is a lot of light pollution
As little light pollution as possible
Clear skies
Try not to look at artificial light while looking out for the northern lights, as your eyes take time to adjust to darkness, some people say 20 minutes.
List of places where we have seen the northern lights or where it would be dark enough to see.
Close to city and we were able to see the lights easily here, and if strong you could get reflections on the water: https://goo.gl/maps/4JDg1uG9gcu6gDvm7
Beautiful sea side town with great view from above: https://goo.gl/maps/vQ6JsxU3jMj1QLM39
There is a small are to stop your car and wait for the lights here, another place to see the reflection of the lights on the water:https://goo.gl/maps/kJpLogwGmfrb5A8W8
What To Pack:
Water proof jacket
Warm under clothing
Warm Jacket
Gloves/Scarf/Hat
Hiking boots
Hand Warmers
Hotel we stayed at:
Radisson Blu Tromso - a nice clean hotel in a great location. There is parking across the road which you will have to pay for, as the hotel doesn’t have its own parking. Not the cheapest hotel in the city definitely paying for the brand.
Flights:
We flew with Norwegian as the only airline that flew from London direct to Tromso. They do not fly everyday to and from Tromso, so on the way back we had to stop over in Oslo.
Getting around:
We hired a car to get around to see the northern lights instead of getting a tour. The reason for this is we had our 4 year old son with us and we wanted it to be on our terms as the tours can be quite long. We use Hertz for most of our rentals.
Camera Equipment:
Tripod - I used something similar to this, Amazon Basics Lightweight Tripod
DSLR/mirrorless - I used a Nikon D60 on this trip.
Wide angle lens (10-20mm) (f2.8 ideally) - I used the Nikkor 17-55 f2.8
Multiple battery charger
Remote shutter control - I used the Nikon wireless remote for the Nikon D60
Tips on taking a photograph of the Northern Lights:
If you are going to take a picture of the northern lights, you will need to do the following:
Camera and lens must be in manual mode
Focus - You will need to have focused on something in the distance so that the picture is clear.
ISO around 2000, but this all depends on your camera
Aperture set to f2.8
Try to have as wide an angle as possible
Try to ensue there is no artificial light
Use a remote trigger to take the picture
Set the shutter speed to approximately 10-20s
Have a good sturdy tripod
Restaurants/Cafe:
Risø food & coffee shop - Great coffee here!
Yonas Pizzeria & Catering - Pizza, nothing special
Fiskekompaniet - Good sea food here!
Arctandria SjømatRestaurant - More good sea food!
Organised Excursions:
Viator.com - is a site I use quite often to get organised tours booked.
Whale Watching - Arctic Explorers
Dog Sledding - Tromso Wilderness Centre
Fjellheisen - Cable car and the top has great views