Tromso is a city of around 65,000 located in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Tromso sits on a few different islands, but most of the sites and population are located on the largest island of Tromsoya. When it comes to sights to see, Tromso has an abundance for all types of people with all types of interests. Tromso also boasts the northermost brewery, Botanical Gardens and university, so you'll also have good stories to tell your friends.

Churches

The Tromso Cathedral is the only wooden cathedral in Norway and one of the largest wooden churches in the country. It was designed by the Norwegian architect, Christian Henrich Grosch, and was finished in 1861. Tromso Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of northern Norway (including the counties of Troms, Finnmark and Svalbard) and is a style entitled Gothic Revival.

The Ishavskatedralen (Arctic Cathedral) was designed by architect Jan Inge Hovig and is one of the major tourist sites in Tromso. The cathedral is known to be simple yet attractive, and looks very much like a large triangle. The organ has a total of 2,940 pipes with some as tall as 32 feet. Both of these cathedrals are located very near the center of Tromso.

Museums

The University Museum of Tromso has much information and artifacts of the indigenous Sami peoples, as well as other exhibits about northern Norway's culture. The museum also has areas devoted to Geology, Botany and a few other scientific genres. The ticket price is around $5 for adults.

The Perspektivet Museum hosts information through exhibits on the history of the town of Tromso itself. Since the Tromso City Museum and the Tromso Folk Museum have closed, all of these exhibits have been moved to The Perspektivet. Admission is free.

Nature

The world's northernmost Botanical Gardens is definitely a sight to see. What makes this one so special is that many of the plants found in the far north can not grow at any other Botanical Gardens. Therefore, you can see rare plants here, including lewisias, blue poppies and medicinal plants that cannot grow elsewhere.

Polaria is truly called the "Arctic Experience." Here, you can find exhibits on the Arctic, a panoramic cinema showing the film "Svalbard - Wilderness," and perhaps the most important and interesting area is the Arctic aquarium where you can view an abundance of Arctic wildlife, including bearded seals and (of course) polar bears. The admission price is around $17.50 for adults. Try to go during the seal training and feeding time, every day at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.