Things to do in Trondheim
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Trondheim
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Light returns fast, ski conditions hold into spring, and 17 May is the peak. Early March is grey unless skiing.
Best months overall, mid June to early August. Near endless light, boats running, swimming at Korsvika and Munkholmen.
Game, lamb and shellfish season with culture in full swing. Late September is the value pick, November is the weakest month.
Short days, Christmas markets in December and floodlit skiing. February beats December and January for a winter trip.
What's on
- Constitution Day 17 May
Children's parades and bunad everywhere, a whole city in the streets. Book accommodation ahead.
- Olavsfest late July
Festival using the Archbishop's Palace courtyard as a stage in late July.
- Transform early September
Festival filling the early September cultural weeks alongside the returning student season.
- Trondheim Chamber Music Festival late September
Internationally respected and deliberately unstuffy Kamfest, drawing a notably young audience.
- Christmas markets on Torvet December
Christmas markets on the main square in December, with candlelit restaurants and winter skiing nearby.
Best things to do in Trondheim
Nidaros Cathedral
Norway's national sanctuary and coronation church, with a sculpted west front and the best tower view in the centre.
Gamle Bybro
The red Old Town Bridge into Bakklandet, with the classic view back to the coloured wharf houses on the river.
Archbishop's Palace
Medieval palace beside the cathedral holding original cathedral sculpture and Norway's Crown Regalia.
Kristiansten Fortress
Free hilltop fortress grounds with the widest view in central Trondheim, over the river loop and the fjord.
Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum
Open air museum of more than 80 historic Trøndelag buildings, the best way to understand the region and its food.
Ringve Museum
Norway's national music museum, where musician guides actually play instruments from a collection of over 2,000.
Rockheim
Norway's national museum of popular music, with interactive exhibits and rooms you can play and mix in.
Munkholmen
Small island fortress reached by boat in summer, with lawns, swimming spots, a cafe and views back to the city.
Where to stay in Trondheim
Midtbyen
first trip, all-round base
Inside the river loop, walkable to almost everything, with the station at the north edge for regional trains.
Solsiden / Nedre Elvehavn
evenings-led trips and repeat visitors
The densest restaurant and bar strip around a marina basin, a 5 to 10 minute walk to Torvet and the cathedral.
Bakklandet / Møllenberg
couples and slow travellers
Staying on the postcard streets themselves, with the best mornings in Trondheim and cobbles to manage with luggage.
Ila and the west centre
budget, mid-range and longer stays
Quiet, ordinary Trondheim with local cafes and the Ilabekken trail, still only 10 to 15 minutes on foot to Torvet.
Think twice about
- Trondheim Airport Værnes, Stjørdal and Hell
Fine for an early flight, pointless as a Trondheim base. You will commute past the city to see the city.
- Far suburbs and retail park clusters like Tiller, Heimdal and City Syd without a car
Safe and cheaper, but dependent on buses for every coffee and dinner, which removes Trondheim's walkable appeal.
- Unlabelled short lets in outlying housing estates
Check the exact address against the cathedral. If you cannot walk to Torvet in 20 minutes, it is not a central base.
- Svartlamon as a first-timer base
Worth visiting, but its small alternative community lodging suits travellers who specifically want that scene, not a quiet serviced base.
Best restaurants in Trondheim
Speilsalen
Starred Mirror Hall in the Britannia, choreographed fine dining on Trøndelag seafood under chandeliers.
Fagn
Small, warm starred dining room serving surprise tasting menus that name the farm or island behind each dish.
Bula Neobistro
Playful, produce led bistro cooking without tasting menu theatre, the dinner local food writers argue about most.
To Rom og Kjøkken
Beloved local classic cooking Trøndelag ingredients in three, five or seven courses, relaxed enough for a first night.
Baklandet Skydsstation
Traditional Norwegian cooking in an old Bakklandet wooden house, our answer for real Norwegian food.
Røst Teaterbistro
Modern bistro on Trøndelag produce inside the theatre building, full of people actually going to the show.
Solsiden
Trondheim's densest restaurant strip around the marina basin, the group dinner solution for mixed menus and tastes.
Olgas
Bistro in the Nye Hjorten Teater from Bula's chef, with the same flavour first attitude and a pre theatre buzz.
Best bars in Trondheim
E.C. Dahls
Revived historic brewery and restaurant in Lademoen, a pilgrimage stop for beer lovers in an aquavit and beer city.
Den Gode Nabo
Pioneer craft beer bar by Gamle Bybro, a local favourite for one excellent drink by the river.
Britannia Bar
The cocktail standard in Trondheim, the Britannia's bar for a single splurge drink done properly.
Best coffee in Trondheim
Dromedar Kaffebar
Trondheim born speciality coffee institution since the 1990s, with Bakklandet and centre locations for a bun and coffee.
Outdoor things to do in Trondheim
Bymarka
An 80 square kilometre forest reserve of lakes, cabins and ski tracks starting at the edge of the suburbs.
Ladestien
An 8 kilometre coastal path along the fjord past Korsvika beach, viewpoints and wartime remains to Rotvoll.
Trondheim Kajakk
Guided kayak trip down the Nidelva past the coloured wharves and under Gamle Bybro, no experience needed.
Trondheim By Boat
Traditional boat sightseeing on the Nidelva and fjord, the best first day orientation and photo angle on the city.
Røros
UNESCO copper mining town of turf roofed wooden houses and slag heaps, far better with a night than as a day return.
Oppdal and Dovrefjell
Central Norway's largest ski area and the gateway to Dovrefjell, home to Europe's only wild musk ox herd.
Vassfjellet
Trondheim's local alpine hill 25 minutes south, with lifts, rental and floodlit evening skiing after work.
Granåsen
World Championships cross country and ski jumping venue in Bymarka, where visitors ski the championship trails.
Best hotels in Trondheim
Britannia Hotel
Trondheim's grand hotel since 1870, rebuilt as a five star with spa, pool and the Speilsalen restaurant.
Scandic Bakklandet
Best positioned mid range hotel in the city, on the river with Bakklandet behind and Solsiden across the bridge.
Scandic Solsiden
Hotel in the Solsiden dining quarter itself, with a rooftop terrace and the restaurant strip at the door.
Home Hotel Grand Olav
Dependable central hotel by Olavshallen in Midtbyen, a safe answer for a good room in the centre.
Quality Hotel Prinsen
Dependable central hotel on the hotel row in Midtbyen, an easy base for a first Trondheim stay.
Comfort Hotel Park
Design led budget end of mid range in the centre, with savings taken in room size rather than location.
Comfort Hotel Trondheim
Central, younger mid range hotel, usually cheaper than the Scandics with the same walkable base.
P-Hotels Brattøra
Basic, honest budget hotel by the station, buying a bed five minutes from Torvet at Trondheim prices.
Is Trondheim expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NOK 1,250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NOK 2,500 a person |
| Splurge | NOK 5,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Trondheim Kajakk: a few days ahead
- Trondheim By Boat: a few days ahead
- Oppdal and Dovrefjell: a few days ahead
- Byneset Golfklubb: a few days ahead
- The Golden Road: a few days ahead
- Speilsalen: weeks ahead
- Fagn: weeks ahead
- Bula Neobistro: weeks ahead
- Speilsalen, Fagn and Bula Neobistro book weeks ahead in season and run Wednesday to Saturday patterns.
- Book Britannia rooms and spa for festival weeks, and Røros historic hotels for Christmas market and winter weekends.
- Book To Rom og Kjøkken and Røst days ahead on theatre nights, plus kayaking, musk ox safaris and Byneset tee times in summer.
- Many top kitchens close Sunday and some Monday and Tuesday. Check dates against kitchens before booking travel.
Is Trondheim safe?
- Trondheim has no neighbourhood to avoid for street safety and no street homelessness crisis that should steer a base choice.
- Pickpocketing risk concentrates in crowded moments like Olavsfest week and busy Solsiden weekend nights.
- Icy cobbles and the Bakklandet and Møllenberg hills in winter cause most visitor falls. Bring or buy ice grips.
- Check Yr.no for fast changing weather in Bymarka and Dovrefjell, and swim only where locals swim.
Trondheim travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Credo has moved to Oslo. Any guide listing it as a current Trondheim dinner is out of date.
- Do not build a trip around the Northern Lights here. Treat any aurora as a bonus, and go to Tromsø or Alta if aurora is the point.
- Ravnkloa fish market is for looking, not lunching. Build a picnic from supermarket delis and Trøndelag produce instead.
- A one night stop gives the worst version of Trondheim. Stay two nights minimum, three to add Røros, Bymarka or a fjord day.
- Solsiden basin terraces charge for view and buzz. The strongest kitchens there are busy with locals out of season.
Getting around Trondheim: public transport and more
- Walk the Midtbyen, Bakklandet and Solsiden triangle, 20 minutes end to end.
- Take the train from Værnes airport to Trondheim Central Station, ahead of the bus and well ahead of taxis.
- Use AtB buses and the Gråkallen tram to Lian and Bymarka, buying in the AtB app before boarding.
- Do not rent a car for Trondheim itself. Rent only from the day a regional road trip starts, and use trains for Røros and Oppdal.
Who Trondheim suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Trondheim your trip
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