Situated directly under the aurora zone in the arctic, Tromsø is ideally placed for viewing the spectacular aurora borealis (northern lights) on clear winter nights. The town of 70,000 is also a base for winter sports such as downhill skiing, snowshoeing, dog and reindeer sledding, and glacier hiking.
Tromsø, or Romsa in Sami languages, is also a centre of Sami culture in Norwegian Lapland and hosts Sami Week every February.
Due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream, from January to March the city is relatively warm for the arctic, with average highs of around 2–4 degrees centigrade and lows of about –6.
Flights are scheduled Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for departure from Helsinki (AY2679) at 20:15 and departure from Tromsø (AY2680) at 21:55 local time. The route, operated on behalf of Finnair by Flybe Finland with Embraer E90 aircraft, takes approximately two hours.
