Travel guide Norwegian Lapland

I wrote about it earlier, also to have a sort of stick behind the door for myself: this year would be the year that I would go to Norwegian Lapland. I have wanted to do this for a long time, and when I was reading the travel trends for 2024 it started to tingle. And you guessed it: I just came back from there and am still enjoying it... It is so beautiful there. Of course, I will share all the tips with you, because believe me: this should be on your bucket list immediately. It is truly breathtakingly beautiful there – I still feel a bit homesick.

Practical tips
As I mentioned earlier, Transavia now flies directly to Tromsø, which is located in the middle of Norwegian Lapland. Ideal, because the airport is less than ten minutes drive from the center of Tromsø. Also handy: bring some good shoes, because it is quite slippery everywhere. That may sound unnecessary, but my travel partner only brought his Jordans and he fell down a total of sixteen times. Quite funny, not handy.

Plan well in advance: Tromsø itself is small and nice to walk around, but there is little to do further. So it is important that you plan what you are going to do each day, because the surroundings are too beautiful to miss out on. I really booked everything via Booking.com Booking; from accommodation (more on that later) to activities. I found it very convenient, because then you have everything in one place and you know you are booking through a reliable party. From a boat trip through the fjords (highly recommended!) to a reindeer sledding trip and a visit to a husky farm; I compared various sites, but Booking had by far the largest and most affordable range of activities and hotels.

Download the Taxifix app: with this you can always order a taxi (and pay with card in the car itself). It works a bit like Uber, very convenient. There are also many taxi stands in Tromsø itself.

Accommodation: I stayed at the Moxy hotel in Tromsø, which is 300 meters from the airport. The center was therefore a ten-minute taxi ride (which is very affordable by the way). The bar and reception of the hotel are on the top (the eleventh) floor and you have a beautiful view over the mountains. You also have a chance to see the northern lights there, for that reason there is always a telescope in the bar. The rooms are clean, tidy, and spacious. If you want to be a bit more in the center of Tromsø there are plenty of options, but those are a bit more expensive, but in terms of distance it doesn't make much difference.

What you want to do in Tromsø

Go up with the cable car
The Fjellheisen cable car is the thing to do in Tromsø. Tip: buy tickets online in advance. The cable car is open every day from ten in the morning (weather permitting) until twelve at night. You can have breakfast, lunch, drinks, and dinner here and yes, you can often see the northern lights from here too. You really have a beautiful view over all of Tromsø and the mountains. There is one catering facility, but you can walk beautifully around it. Really a must-do when you are here.

A boat trip through the fjords
This trip lasted about five hours and I initially thought that would be too long, but time really flies. You get off on the island of Kvaløya to walk around, but I actually found the views from the water the most special. It is such a different world. With a bit of luck, you spot animals like seals, but whales and orcas have also been seen here (in season).

Visit a husky farm
Yes, I love huskies so much. Check carefully if this is possible with the time you are going, because this husky farm is not open all year round, but if it is possible: do it. It is truly a special experience. The people treat the dogs with so much love.

Book a reindeer sledding trip
Well, this is kind of a must, right? Book it as far in advance as possible, because this is – logically – a very popular activity. I booked all of this via Booking, which made it very clear in terms of dates and you can also keep good contact with the organization. I had actually booked for the wrong date (very smart) and that was resolved within an hour. Love it.

Go on a whale watching tour
If it is the whale season, this is really very fun to do. Unfortunately, that season had already ended for us, but I did this last year in the Azores; the feeling when you see a whale in real life (and up close) is indescribable. You really want to experience that.

Go on a snowmobile tour
This is so much fun to do as well. Even if you don't necessarily dare to drive yourself, you can ride behind your travel partner. You can really speed along and you feel incredibly alone in the world. Very cool to experience.

In short: I can check Norwegian Lapland off my bucket list, but I would definitely go again. What a beautiful world it is there, so different from anything I have ever seen. Maybe do Finnish Lapland next time? I think I have fallen a bit in love with all of Lapland.