Yes, you can fly to Tromso, but it’s a place that absolutely should be approached from the water. As you sail in, the city rises around you. Soaring bridges connect the island of Tromsoya to the mainland. On one side, there’s the white peaked roof of the Arctic Cathedral up on a nearby ridge. The shores are lined with bright, multi-story, multicolored warehouses, the reds and yellows and oranges all contrasting with the frozen, snowcapped peaks that backdrop the whole scene.
Sitting at 69 degrees north, with a population of almost 80,000 people, Tromso is one of the largest cities inside the Arctic Circle. It is, in many ways, a modern, polished place. You’ll find a number of claims to fame there, including a pedestrian shopping promenade that includes a bookstore (Norli Bokhuset) that’s been named the very best in Norway and, perhaps a little less prestigious, the northernmost McDonald’s on earth.
