Tromso Public Bus Questions

[Cruisen Elf]

We are planning to visit the Arctic Cathedral and Fjellheisen Cable Car on our own.  I recall reading you could buy a daily bus pass at the Tourist Information Center near the port.  Can anyone confirm this is still the case?  Also, does anyone know the bus route # for that trip?  

 

I will confess I thought I had written down all the pertinent details, but alas, that does not seem to be the case!  I have done an exhaustive search on the boards with no luck.  I cannot download the bus app because my phone will not work outside the country.  Looking online is confusing, as the website keeps switching from Norwegian to English, and back.  Please put me out of my misery!

 

Thanks in advance for your patience and any information you can share.  

[Meander Ingwa]

Rome2Rio app is handy it has bus routes and times

 

The visittromso dot no has info for bus ticket machines

[hallasm]

You can find details here - best option for tickets is the App

https://fylkestrafikk.no

 

Travel like the locals on public transport in Troms

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by hallasm

[MkeCruzn]

Hi, we just left Tromsø. Here’s what I wish I’d known in advance. 
There are public buses and bus 26 goes to the cable car. If you’re on NCL, they offer a shuttle bus for $20/person. The shore excursion desk sold those a day in advance, but they didn’t advertise this at all. Other lines may have a similar deal. 
Our excursion was bad. Too expensive, plus all the buses showed up at the cable car at the same time. We waited for more than an hour to go up, stay 10 minutes and stand in line to go back down. 
You can also get a taxi at the cruise terminal. That would have been faster and better. 
If you’re doing any of these, try to get off the ship as soon as you can. Otherwise, the lines will be very long. 
 

[jrmende63]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:32 AM, MkeCruzn said:

Hi, we just left Tromsø. Here’s what I wish I’d known in advance. 
There are public buses and bus 26 goes to the cable car. If you’re on NCL, they offer a shuttle bus for $20/person. The shore excursion desk sold those a day in advance, but they didn’t advertise this at all. Other lines may have a similar deal. 
Our excursion was bad. Too expensive, plus all the buses showed up at the cable car at the same time. We waited for more than an hour to go up, stay 10 minutes and stand in line to go back down. 
You can also get a taxi at the cruise terminal. That would have been faster and better. 
If you’re doing any of these, try to get off the ship as soon as you can. Otherwise, the lines will be very long. 
 

off topic ...did you see any northern lights?

[MkeCruzn]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:51 PM, jrmende63 said:

off topic ...did you see any northern lights?

Yes, earlier in the cruise and from Tromsø. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

@Cruisen Elf, I understand your phone problem. Mine has global roaming but I'm never sure where it will or will not work. 

 

I'm also planning to do the cathedral and cablecar on my own. There is a public bus (42) to downtown. A ticket can be bought for cash onboard, around 40 Kr. That's like $4, so NCL's $20 fee for the shuttle is outrageous. I'm on Cunard, and I don't know if they will charge. If they do, I'll take the 42 bus.

 

Once you're downtown, find the tourist info center near the ferry port. You can buy a pass there for 120 Kr. And if you're over 67, bring your passport or some official ID because they honor the senior half price for non-residents. 

 

The route planner is confusing. And I think they've recently changed some routes/numbers, which makes googlemap routes out of date. Where I live, bus routes go back and forth. In Tromso, the one to the cathedral and cablecar is  a loop route, so planning a route can be confusing. I will ask for more specific info at the tourist info center.

Edited September 26, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:32 AM, MkeCruzn said:

Hi, we just left Tromsø. Here’s what I wish I’d known in advance. 
There are public buses and bus 26 goes to the cable car. If you’re on NCL, they offer a shuttle bus for $20/person. The shore excursion desk sold those a day in advance, but they didn’t advertise this at all. Other lines may have a similar deal. 
Our excursion was bad. Too expensive, plus all the buses showed up at the cable car at the same time. We waited for more than an hour to go up, stay 10 minutes and stand in line to go back down. 
You can also get a taxi at the cruise terminal. That would have been faster and better. 
If you’re doing any of these, try to get off the ship as soon as you can. Otherwise, the lines will be very long. 
 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Where downtown did the shuttle take you? The main shopping street or the ferry port where the tourist info is? All I see anywhere is "downtown." 

[edinburgher]

18 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

There is a public bus (42) to downtown.

 

On 9/15/2023 at 10:22 PM, Cruisen Elf said:

We are planning to visit the Arctic Cathedral and Fjellheisen Cable Car on our own.

We have visited tromso three times.

 

Be aware there are two docking locations.  Our first visit we were docked out of town close to the Botanical Garden.  We took a public bus from the main road outside the port into town and back again.

 

The second and third times we were docked right in the city centre (I think either at or close to the ferry dock) and   only had to step ashore and we were in the town centre.  Much easier.From there, the cable car and Arctic Cathedral are much more easily accessed and there may be alternative bus routes. We skipped the cable car but did visit the Cathedral.  From the central docking point we walked there across the bridge.

 

To help your research, probably a good idea is  to first look to see which of the two possible docking locations will apply to your ship.

Edited September 27, 2023 by edinburgher

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

 

We have visited tromso three times.

 

Be aware there are two docking locations.  Our first visit we were docked out of town close to the Botanical Garden.  We took a public bus from the main road outside the port into town and back again.

 

The second and third times we were docked right in the city centre (I think either at or close to the ferry dock) and   only had to step ashore and we were in the town centre.  Much easier.From there, the cable car and Arctic Cathedral are much more easily accessed and there may be alternative bus routes. We skipped the cable car but did visit the Cathedral.  From the central docking point we walked there across the bridge.

 

To help your research, probably a good idea is  to first look to see which of the two possible docking locations will apply to your ship.

 

I already checked, and we're docking out of town, as you described near the botanic garden. That's why I'm researching transportation into town. After poking around googlemaps, I think I would prefer the public bus because I have a walking route planned that would involve backtracking if I start at the center of town. 

 

I want to wander and take pictures, see the churches (probably only from the outside), parks, harbor, stop at a bakery that looks promising, do a little window shopping and get to Olhallen by noon when they open. After a beer sampler, I will get a bus to the cathedral for a few pictures (outside only) and then probably walk to the cablecar, as it's almost as fast as waiting for a bus. The church doesn't open until 2 on a Wednesday, and I want to be at the top of the cablecar for sunset (2:45). So my fondness for scenic photography wins out over my fondness for church achitecture. The short days are going to put a crimp in my sightseeing!

 

The other ports are easier because I have half-day tours and there isn't a lot I want to see in town. Narvic, Haugesund, Alesund (I've been there twice before).

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I want to wander and take pictures, see the churches (probably only from the outside)

We visited both outside and inside the Cathedral, but aside from the stained glass we were a little disappointed with the inerior as it was otherwise quite plain.

 

Tromso has a small number of interesting museums, as you would expect, with a focus on Arctic exploration. Should you have any available time, I recommend you visit at least one of them, possibly the Polar Museum.  And the Botanical garden is open 24/7 and has free entry.

 

I found a post I had submitted when someone asked about Narvik.  Copying it here in case you may be interested.

 

 

On 7/7/2023 at 2:51 PM, edinburgher said:

Narvik,

We only visited one time and the weather was absolutely miserable with heavy rain throughout the day.

 

Only went walkabout (actually sloshed about!) due to the weather. The town is famous for iron ore, but mostly famous  for its naval connections, especially during WW11 when the Arctic Convoys sailed from there to Russia. With an ice free port it was an important strategic port and should you have an interest,  much of the naval history of Narvik and the Arctic Convoys can be found online  There are memorials to sailors all around the town, and before we set sail from Narvik, our Captain said a few words in memorium of all the sailors who lost their lives before dropping a wreath into the sea..

 

There is a quite famous scenic railway journey from Narvik to a town across the Swedish border which in the past was used to transfer iron ore. it is apparently a favourite with visitors although our own abiding memory of Narvik is of rain.  Hope you have better luck than we did.

Edited September 27, 2023 by edinburgher

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks, @edinburgher. I am taking the train excursion in Narvik. I booked that quickly, expecting it to sell out. Cunard's version is train one way, bus the other way.  There's a museum close to where the ship docks in Narvik, but it's way up a slope. Whether I do that or not will depend on the weather, as it's a long walk along a road or a steep path.

 

I love botanic gardens, but I will be in Tromso in November, so it will be past its prime. 

[janetcbl]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

We visited both outside and inside the Cathedral, but aside from the stained glass we were a little disappointed with the inerior as it was otherwise quite plain.

 

Tromso has a small number of interesting museums, as you would expect, with a focus on Arctic exploration. Should you have any available time, I recommend you visit at least one of them, possibly the Polar Museum.  And the Botanical garden is open 24/7 and has free entry.

 

I found a post I had submitted when someone asked about Narvik.  Copying it here in case you may be interested.

 

 

We only visited one time and the weather was absolutely miserable with heavy rain throughout the day.

 

Only went walkabout (actually sloshed about!) due to the weather. The town is famous for iron ore, but mostly famous  for its naval connections, especially during WW11 when the Arctic Convoys sailed from there to Russia. With an ice free port it was an important strategic port and should you have an interest,  much of the naval history of Narvik and the Arctic Convoys can be found online  There are memorials to sailors all around the town, and before we set sail from Narvik, our Captain said a few words in memorium of all the sailors who lost their lives before dropping a wreath into the sea..

 

There is a quite famous scenic railway journey from Narvik to a town across the Swedish border which in the past was used to transfer iron ore. it is apparently a favourite with visitors although our own abiding memory of Narvik is of rain.  Hope you have better luck than we did.

The small art museum in Tromso, ( Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum) has some good examples of the North Norwegian artists. It is also close to the city docking location. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by janetcbl

[edinburgher]

12 hours ago, janetcbl said:

The small art museum in Tromso, ( Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum) has some good examples of the North Norwegian artists. It is also close to the city docking location. 

 

We wandered in there both times we were docked in the city centre as it was one of the first sights we came across as we were heading towards Storgata, and it was free to enter which is a bonus in Norway. First time we had come across it by chance when passing the entrance, second time we remembered having gone in the first time and wandered in again.

 

If I remembere correctly, we liked the more atmospheric/grey/cloudy sea and landscapes best.

[MkeCruzn]

On 9/26/2023 at 10:43 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Where downtown did the shuttle take you? The main shopping street or the ferry port where the tourist info is? All I see anywhere is "downtown." 

The ship's shuttle took people to the Arctic Cathedral and the cable car lower station. I don't know for sure if it went elsewhere, as we did not take it. I talked to some people who took it and they mentioned a few spots that it went. I would have been really happy if it stopped near the ferry dock as well.

Our ship was docked at the cruise terminal that is not close to the center of town, maybe 2 to 2.5 km away. There's a ferry port that is at the center of town, but it's upstream of a bridge that appears to be too low to clear many cruise ships.

Hope that's helpful!

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, MkeCruzn said:

The ship's shuttle took people to the Arctic Cathedral and the cable car lower station. I don't know for sure if it went elsewhere, as we did not take it. I talked to some people who took it and they mentioned a few spots that it went. I would have been really happy if it stopped near the ferry dock as well.

Our ship was docked at the cruise terminal that is not close to the center of town, maybe 2 to 2.5 km away. There's a ferry port that is at the center of town, but it's upstream of a bridge that appears to be too low to clear many cruise ships.

Hope that's helpful!

 

Yes, that is helpful. I got the impression that it just ran back and forth to city center. We will be at the same out-of-town dock, so I will need to work out some transport. I've got the bus routes figured out if the shuttle doesn't look helpful. 

[tashaaa]

On 9/27/2023 at 12:13 PM, edinburgher said:

 

We have visited tromso three times.

 

Be aware there are two docking locations.  Our first visit we were docked out of town close to the Botanical Garden.  We took a public bus from the main road outside the port into town and back again.

 

The second and third times we were docked right in the city centre (I think either at or close to the ferry dock) and   only had to step ashore and we were in the town centre.  Much easier.From there, the cable car and Arctic Cathedral are much more easily accessed and there may be alternative bus routes. We skipped the cable car but did visit the Cathedral.  From the central docking point we walked there across the bridge.

 

To help your research, probably a good idea is  to first look to see which of the two possible docking locations will apply to your ship.

Our NCL Cruise will end in Tromso. I can't see which docking the ship will use. Can anyone help, where to get this info?

I guess the one which is further away, but still hope, it will be the one in downtown, because it's more convinient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheOldBear]

3 hours ago, tashaaa said:

Our NCL Cruise will end in Tromso. I can't see which docking the ship will use. Can anyone help, where to get this info?

I guess the one which is further away, but still hope, it will be the one in downtown, because it's more convinient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One source is the Port of Tromso web site https://tromso.havn.no/en/traffic/cruise-calls/

I believe that "Kai 8" is the pier for smaller ships [e.g. MS Maud] downtown, while "Kai 21" is the one north of town [the "Breivika Cruise Havneterminal" ]