Polarmuseet

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Polarmuseet is a History Museum at Tollbodgata 11, 9008 Tromsø, Norway

Polarmuseet, the Polar Museum, tells the story of Tromsø as a gateway to the Arctic. It occupies a red-painted customs warehouse of 1830 on the old harbour, a fitting home for the tale. The displays cover the hard trades that built the town, seal and walrus hunting, and the trappers who overwintered alone on the ice of Svalbard, alongside the great age of polar exploration. Pride of place goes to the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, whose expeditions set out from these northern waters. Model ships, sledges, furs, weapons and photographs fill the creaking wooden rooms, and the stories they tell are often as grim as they are heroic. It is an atmospheric, slightly old-fashioned museum, and one of the most rewarding in Tromsø for anyone drawn to the history of the far north.

WebsitePhone: +47 77 62 33 60

Where to find Polarmuseet?

69°39'8"N, 18°57'48"E

Aurora hunting in Tromsø?

The aurora season here runs from September to March, with the best chances of seeing the Northern Lights in September, October, February and March. Explore Polarmuseet by day, then head outside after dark to look for the aurora.

What do people think of Polarmuseet?

  • 4.5

  • Worth the visit. Learned a lot about Arctic exploration here.

    Mark A20 December 2015

  • Some of the items there are a bit dated, but it's still quite informational. The section upstairs about Nansen is the highlight.

    Adam N26 October 2015

  • Ask for the brochure at the entrance. The museum is very rich, but the captions are only in Norwegian.

    Chiedi l'opuscolo all'ingresso. Il museo è molto ricco, ma le didascalie sono solo in Norvegese.

    Michael B12 August 2013

  • tells the history very well

    AliGalip S7 March 2019

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