The Tromsø University Museum I found surprising and very informative. There is a lot of variety in the subject matter covered by its exhibits. The Museum building is part of the Tromso University and is in the south of the island.

It would take you about 45 minutes to walk there from the city centre. There is a carpark by the side of the museum in Lars Thorings veg (road). The 37 bus goes to the Tromso Museum. It leaves from Fredrik Langes Gate, just down below the Ahlens outlet.

This is the place to go if you want to learn about the Northern Lights but there is so much more. There is a big exhibit on the Sami people of Northern Scandinavia, the Laplanders. In my ignorance I expected most Norweigens to be tall and blonde like in Sweden. Looking around the locals in Tromso town centre over 50% of them were small and dark. Not the demographic I was expecting. The exhibit explains how the Lappi were treated as second class citizens by the state and have struggled for equality. Most now live in towns and only a few make their living from the land and Reindeer herds.

The Tromso University Museum is open every day but opening hours change throughout the year so always check with their website or the tourist office before you set off on a visit. There is an entrance fee but it is not too expensive. There is a pleasant cafe called the Rotunden in the Museum that is used by the University staff and students. It is acceptable to bring your own food and eat it at the table if you buy a drink.

The Northern Lights 'Aurora Explained' exhibit has some lovely photographs and films about the Northern Lights. It also has something called a shining Aurora, in a plasma chamber. It is a magnetic steel ball called 'terrella', the Little Earth. When an electric current passes through the chamber, rings of Aurora lights up around the magnetic poles.

You may try yourself - create your very own Northern light. It is used to demonstrate the science behind the northern lights. It therefore makes Tromso University Museum the only place in the world where you can come to see Northern Lights every day of the year.

The University of Tromso has a long tradition in Northern Lights research. Tromso is one of the most important spots for Aurora science today, cooperating with other science institutions around the North Pole, in Canada, Finland and Japan, to name a few. There are also exhibits on the Stone Age, Animal Life of the North, Vikings, the history of Norway and the University has an Arctic Botanical Garden.

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