After we had finally decided that our Norway road trip to Lofoten islands would start in Tromso, I started searching for a hotel in the city center. At first, I hesitated whether to book a hotel in Tromso at all, because we wanted to stay flexible. The weather in Norway can be stubborn and our plan was to “follow the sun”. But since the 10-day forecast looked very promising, we agreed to stay in Tromso, also known as “Venice of the North”, the first and the last day of our trip.

Tromso is a small city and there are not many hotels to choose from. However, since we were traveling during the COVID-19 pandemics (thank you Norway for putting Slovenia on the green list), we had the luxury of being picky just a little. I wanted to book a hotel with breakfast and as close to the waterfront as possible. Radisson Blu Hotel Tromso got me at “Enjoy an arctic paradise at our Tromsø waterfront hotel”.

(photo: view from the window)

Location

Radisson Blu Hotel Tromso is located in the very heart of Tromso city center, as close to the waterfront as it gets. Ok, to be honest, there is one restaurant in front of it, but it is not blocking the sea view. The location is great for many things. It is close to restaurants, bars, groceries, shopping center and to the main bus stop. It also offers a really nice walk across the bridge that leads to the majestic Arctic Cathedral and the “town hill” Floya.

The only downsize of the location is that there is no free parking available, but this is the story in the whole Tromso. You can either park in the street (and pay with EasyPark app), or in the nearby garage where the price for one-day parking is around 28 €. Taxi from the airport to the hotel will charge you around 25 € (for less than 10-minute ride), while the bus ticket costs 10 € per person.

Check-in and the staff

Check-in was contactless and quick, which is something that I appreciate a lot. The receptionist kindly explained where to park and how (I strongly recommend you to download the EasyPark app), and she also order a Taxi to the airport on our way back. In general, all the staff was really kind and helpful, so hats down to the manager.

(photo: presitendial suite)

Rooms

I chose the sea view room and we got one facing Tromso harbour and bridge. The view was really nice, especially in the evening when the orange colors of the sun appear over the horizon. The room was nice and clean, and the bed was really comfortable, with the softest pillows ever. I am really delicate with these things because my neck tends to hurt if the pillow is too high or too hard. The bathroom was spacious with a very good shower and everything you need for comfortable stay. Even the curtains were adequately dark, which is very important because of long summer days in the northern Norway. Actually, I missed this with all other hotels during our road trip and it can be a real pain in the ass when the sun wakes you up at 3 AM.

p.s. On the last night we were kindly upgraded to a larger room and I couldn’t help myself to post the photos from this one. The previous room had similar bathroom and bedroom – it was of course much smaller but still perfect for what we needed.

(photo: breakfast hall)

Breakfast

The breakfast is self-service and rich enough for everyone to get a decent meal. Which is very important in Norway because food is quite expensive. I especially loved the variety of fruits and bread. While there were already cooked eggs available, I saw people ordering omelets so you can see the staff tries very hard to please the guests. By the way, besides the coffee machine in the rooms there is also a 24/7-hour complimentary coffee and tea available in the reception. A really nice gesture, which doesn’t cost much but adds a great value to your stay.

Anda’s rate: 9.5 from 10

Bottom line: If you want to spoil yourself on your Northern Norway adventure, I definitely recommend staying in Radisson Blu Hotel Tromso. Top up your stay with delicious breakfast and if the budget allows you, go for the sea view room. I saw that the hotel also offers nice conference rooms, so if you are in Tromso on business, don’t hesitate and stay here. I am giving the hotel a very high rate in my book, the only thing “missing” for me was a no-carpet floor in the room as I am allergic to dust.