Tromsø: the Arctic gateway to the northern lights

The Arctic Cathedral, a modern building with a triangular form evoking icebergs, dominates the city skyline with its colored glass panels.

By cable car you ascend Mount Storsteinen, from which you observe the entire city surrounded by fjords and snow-capped mountains.

Just steps away, the Polaria, an aquarium dedicated to Arctic fauna, houses bearded seals and projects documentaries about Norwegian polar expeditions.

On clear nights between late September and March, far from city lights, the Northern Lights here are visible with frequency thanks to the position directly under the band of maximum auroral activity.

Tromsø was the starting point for numerous polar expeditions toward the Arctic in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a role that earned it the nickname 'Gateway to the Arctic.'

Despite its extreme latitude, Tromsø enjoys a relatively mild climate for its position thanks to the Gulf Stream, which keeps the port ice-free year-round.