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| Northern Light in Tromso Norway, simply priceless |
- To read about overall budgetting and planning of general European trip, please visit: How much does it cost to go to Europe: Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, or Greece etc?
- To compare prices on flights to Europe, visit: Skyscanner or Tripadvsisor for the most reasonable deals
- To search and compare prices on reasonable hotels, visit: Hotelscombined, Tripadvisor or Trivago for the most comprehensive price listings
- To search for local Aurora chase and experience tours in Tromo Norway, visit: Viator
WHY TROMSO NORWAY?
While I was choosing between different destination for Aurora Borealis chase, choosing between Fairbanks Alaska, Yellowknife Canada, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, I picked and recommend Tromso Norway for the following reasons:
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| Paris of the North, Tromso Norway |
its geographic location of having the warm stream of ocean water running by the coast.
2. Tromso Norway offers easy access from major hub cities such as Norway Oslo and London UK. The flight was not so expensive either.
3. Tromso Norway is nicknamed Capital of Northern Lights. Tromso is situated right underneath Aurora Borealis Northern Light belt; Tromso is actually one of the northern most city/town for viewing Aurora Borealis, located in the middle of the Northern Light action.
4. Tromso Norway has well established Northern Light viewing tourism industry. Visitors can always find a knowledgeable tour guide during the viewing season.
5. Everyone I met in Tromso Norway was able to communicate in English.
6. It is possible to plan part of the vacation in places like France or Germany or other parts of Europe that had reasonable weather in March.
HOW MANY DAYS IN TROMSO FOR THE AURORA BOREALIS CHASE?
I spent 5 nights in Tromos Norway, I was hoping that I would have 5 separate chances to view the Northern lights. I ended up seeing the Auorora on the first night. On the fifth night, I saw the dancing Aurora during the light chase tour. The weather was not very nice from day 2 to day 5 but I still managed to see the lights on both tours I joined. Some of the solo travelers I spoke to in Tromso were spending 3 to 4 nights to maximize their chances to of seeing the elusive Aurora Borealis.
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| Smarthotel Tromsol Norway, where I stayed for 5 nights |
COST FOR VISITING TROMSO NORWAY
How much did I spend on my trip to Tromso Norway? Scandinavian nations such as Norway is known for their high living expenses. Aside from the basic expenses such as food and accommodations, I managed to join only two light chase tours due to the unstable weather during the period I was visiting Tromso. I had to eat at Burger King in Tromso many times not because I was on a tight budget, it was simply because Burger King was one of the few restaurants that closes late at night. The following is the breakdown of my travel expenses in US dollars:
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| Burger King menu and price in Tromso Norway. 1 USD = about 8.5 Norwegien NOK |
- Hotel for 5 nights: $340; ranges from: $65 to $200 per night in Tromso
- Spending money for food, water and souvenir: $300
- One-week local commuter bus pass: $28
- Airport bus round trip ticket: $8
- Northern Light Tour cost: $120 + $160; typical Aurora tour ranges from $100 to $250
TOTAL COST OF 5-NIGHT AURORA CHASE TRIP IN TROMSO NORWAY: $350 + $340 + $300 + $28 + $16 + $120 + $160 = $1314 (If you are traveling from Western Europe)
COST OF FLIGHTS TO TROMSO NORWAY
The most convenient airport that takes travelers to Tromso are Oslo Norway and London UK. I flew from Amsterdam Holland to Oslo and then arrived in Tromso, Norway in March 2017. I have listed some of the sample flight prices for October 2017 to March 2018:
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| Full flight from Oslo to Tromso Norway. |
London UK to Tromo Norway: $141 USD Direct
Stockholm Sweden to Tromso Norway: $265 USD Direct
Amsterdam Holland to Tromso Norway: $208 USD, 1 stop
Paris France to Tromso Norway: $292 USD, 1 stop
Frankfurt Germany to Tromso Norway: $280 USD, 1 stop
Los Angeles USA to Tromso Norway: $525 USD, 1 stop (Norwegian Airline)
San Francisco USA to Tromso Norway: $719 USD, 2 stops (SAS Airline)
Chicago USA to Tromso Norway: $802 USD, 2 stops (SAS Airline)
New York JFK USA to Tromso Norway: $705 USD, 1 to 2 stops (Norwegian Airline)
New York EWR USA to Tromso Norway: $718 USD, 1 stop (SAS Airline)
Tokyo Japan to Tromso Norway: $1021 USD, 2 stop s
Seoul Korea to Tromso Norway: $1211 USD, 2 stops
Taipei Taiwan to Tromso Norway: $1153 USD, 2 stops
Sinagpore to Tromso Norway: $884 USD, 2 stops
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to Tromoso Norway: $742 USD, 2 stops
Hong Kong China to Tromso Norway: $883 USD, 2 stops
Syndey Australia to Tromso Norway: $1436 USD, 2 stops
Melbourne Australia to Tromso Norway: $1428 USD, 2 stops
SIGHTSEEING COST
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| Arctic Cathedral, Tromso Norway |
- Fjellheisen Cable Car: $20 USD
- Polaria aquarium: $14 USD
- for day and night time tour cost, check Viator for their updated prices.
BEST SEASON/TIME FOR VIEWING AURORA BOREALIS
Best season for viewing Aurora Borealis is when dark nights are long and when the Kp index is high. Night time is considered relatively longer in the arctic circle during the months between late September and early April. Kp index is an index scientist developed to measure Aurora/solar activities in the space. Historically, Kp index is highest during equinox in March and September. However, all the light chase tour guides I spoke to informed me that despite of Kp index forecast, the viewability of elusive Aurora Borealis is still difficult to predict.
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| Aurora Borealis Intensity Kp Index Chart |
WEATHER
I chose Tromso simply because Tromso is considered one of the warmest locations for viewing Aurora Borealis in the world. March is considered one of the least snowed/rained month; but of course, all historical average records were botched because it was snowing almost everyday when I was visiting. The snow and the cloud made it slightly more difficult to explore the city and nearby areas.
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| Weather could be harsh in Tromso Norway, please check the forecast |
COST OF HOTEL IN TROMSO NORWAY
Because I was traveling by myself, I chose to stay at Smart Hotel Tromso, which has a good reputation of having a sociable environment and centrally located at a convenient location. Single room at this hotel cost about $65-$100 USD per night in March 2017. I plan to blog about this particular hotel and other high value Tromso hotel/accommodation in the future.
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| Very nice social and breakfast area at Smart Hotel in Tromso Norway |
GETTING AROUND IN TROMSO NORWAY WITHOUT DRIVING
Airport Bus, local commuter bus, and taxi are the means of transportation other than rental car. Airport bus cost between $16 to $32 round trip between Tromso airport and downtown Tromso. One 7-day bus pass cost me about $28 during my stay in Tromso. I did not get a chance to ride the taxi in Tromso, but I assumed it was very costly because almost everything in Norway was expensive.
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| Driving in the snow is not pleasant, I opted riding bus over renting a car in Tromso Norway |
RENTAL CAR IN TROMSO NORWAY
Since I was not fond of driving in snow and I was traveling solo, I decided not to rent a car during my stay in Tromso Norway. Rental car cost in Tromso typically ranges from $40 to $75 USD per day.
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| Rental car office counter at airport in Tromso Norway |
FOOD COST IN TROMSO NORWAY
Food in Norway was a bit pricey in general, but I figured that the total cost of meal for only 5 days would not add up to that much for a solo traveler.
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| Emma's Kitchen is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Tromso Norway |
-Family type restaurant lofoten cod plate cost me about $26
-Sushi combination with some locally caught ingredient cost $30
-Burger King was one of the most affordable restaurant in town. Meal combos ranges from 9 to 12 dollars for the most part.
-Kebab plate cost me about $9.
-Supermarket and 7-11 are good places to get some essentials. I bought nothing but bottled water and beverages from supermarkets in Tromso, which cost about $2-4 per big bottle.
AURORA BOREALIS NORTHERN LIGHT CHASE/HUNT TOURS
Tromso Norway had a very well established tourism industry, there were plenty of Northern light chase/hunt tours available every night during the Aurora viewing season. The tours I joined included knowledgeable guide service, bus ride transportation (in snowing weather) thermal suit, snack, and dropping off service at your hotel in Tromso. Some of the nicer tours would also include photography services where they take magical photographs of tour guests with the beautiful aurora in the background. I joined total of two tours during my trip in Tromso due to the lousy weather. My first tour was operated by Aurora Photo Tour, which cost me $120; the other tour I joined was operated by Wandering Night Owl, which cost about $160. The tours were of great value because without them I would not have seen the Aurora with my own eyes. I plan to blog about my Aurora Borealis light chase tour experiences in the near future.
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| Wandering Night Owl Aurora Borealis Chase Tour was a great experience in Tromo Norway |
There is a great deal with luck involved in viewing Aurora Borealis, with some careful planning, the elusive Aurora Borealis Northern Light could be dancing in front of you on any day during your stay in Tromso.
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| With some planning and luck, the elusive Aurora Borealis Northern Light could be dancing in front of you |
ALSO KNOWN AS
Tromsø; Tromso; 特羅姆瑟; トロムソ; ทรุมเซอ; 트롬쇠
Nordlys, Polarlys, Aurora Borealis, Northern Light, Polar Light, 極光, Aurore Polaire, Polarlicht, 오로라, Poollicht, オーロラ, Zorza Polarna, Полярное сияние, ध्रुवीय ज्योति, شفق قطبی, Aurore polaire, aurore boréale
Norway, ノルウェー, Norge, 挪威, 노르웨이, ประเทศนอร์เวย์, Norvegia, Norvège, Noruega, Norwegen, Norwegia, Noorwegen
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