Guided Polar Bear Walk incl. Polaria & Polar Museum
Description
Discover the unique link between Tromsø and the mighty polar bear on this personal and fascinating guided walking tour in downtown Tromsø, which includes admission to Polaria and the Polar Museum. Enjoy a captivating adventure to some of Tromsø’s iconic sites and hidden gems, each housing intriguing stories of the Polar Bear, from the fascinating past when the Polar Bear was nearly hunted to extinction to the present day when it stands as a symbol of climate change and the urgency to act upon these changes. Hear intriguing tales of explorers, hunters who brought back live polar bear cubs, sparking the rumour that polar bears roamed Tromsø’s streets. At Polaria, you will experience the new interactive exhibition “The Changing Arctic” and a panoramic film of polar bears and other Arctic species in their natural habitat. This is the only place in mainland Europe where you can enjoy a close-up encounter with the bearded seal, an important part of the polar bear’s diet.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our guide and host will take you to some exciting exhibitions featuring polar bears, local Tromsø legends and other points of interest relevant to our tour.
Our guide and host will give you an interesting explanation into Polaria's most recent exhibition about the changing Arctic envionrment , which will set you off for a perfect start to explore Polaria on your own.
Our guide and host will point and tell stories about several interesting sights relating to our Polar Bear Discovery tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(16)
Very good guided tour .Very informative
Hi Graham! It was a pleasure to meet you both in Tromsø recently and share some of Tromsø’s attractions with you. Thank you for taking the time to write a review and note that the tour was both “very good” and “very informative”. Through circumstances beyond our control, your cruise ship was delayed, which led to you arriving about an hour after the scheduled start time. OK Tromsø went to great lengths to make necessary adaptations to our tour so you could still have a memorable experience in Tromsø, including offering you various choices of what to do in the shorter timeframe and even giving you the option of joining the first part of our next tour at no extra cost. While reviews are subjective, it is therefore disappointing to lose our perfect record of only receiving five-star ratings. We are confident that if your cruise ship had arrived on time and you had joined the full tour, you would have enjoyed the tour even more and our perfect five-star rating would still be intact. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise and had a safe trip home. Arctic greetings Gavin / OK Tromsø
We loved the Pola Bear Walk Tour. We learned so much about these beautiful animals & so nice to see the various bears around town!. The information provided about the history of Tromsø, nature, & the animals environment, was invaluable to our understanding of this beautiful part of the world . Our guide Oda's storytelling was so interesting , we were fascinated by all we learnt on the tour. The Polar Museum & Polarium were a great bonus as part of this activity. I would highly recommend this tour to other travellers . The tour exceeded our expectations . Thanks so much to our Oda for sharing her knowledge with us.
A big thank you for this lovely and detailed feedback and review. It was a true pleasure to meet you both and share some of our home town and its past and present with you. Your enthusiasm, questions, humor and friendliness were greatly appreciated. We wish you all the best for your future adventures and hope to see you back in Tromsø. Kindest regards, Oda, OK TROMSØ
Gavin… thank you so much for today. What an absolutely excellent tour of Tromsø and the museum we visited. Gavin is an incredibly knowledgeable guide, clearly passionate about Tromsø and the Arctic as a whole. His friendly, relaxed manner quickly put everyone at ease, and before long this group of complete strangers were chatting away together while he shared a wealth of interesting facts, amusing stories, and also some sobering insights into the environmental damage affecting the region — which really gave us all food for thought. Being in such a stunning place while also understanding the challenges facing its wildlife and environment made the experience even more powerful, and Gavin’s passion really brought that message home. Honestly, this is the best walking tour I’ve ever been on. Gavin, when we return on our next trip, I’ll definitely be looking you up again. Many thanks for a brilliant day.
Hi Stuart! Thank you for your wonderful review. We are thrilled that you both enjoyed the tour so much and found the storytelling so interesting. We judge the success of tours on how many photos are taken and how many smiles there are - I got the impression people smiled and took photos non-stop on this tour! We were certainly very lucky with the weather conditions. We look very forward to seeing you again if you return to Tromsø with your family. BTW, we offer two other tours: Tromsø's Sweet Temptations and Arctic Cathedral & Tromsø Treasures. Several guests have been on two tours and one has even been on all three! Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a safe trip home. Kindest regards, Gavin / OK Tromsø
Very welcoming city, full of snow and surrounded by the Arctic. Lots of activities to do and places to visit. A real gateway to the Arctic. Repeat
Thank you for your kind words. We are thrilled that you enjoyed our tour so much. Wishing you a lovely holiday and a safe trip home. Gavin/ OK Tromsø
Gavin was phenomenal! One of the nicest most considerate and knowledge human beings I've ever met. I only had 2 days in Tromsø and chose to maximize my experience with this tour, it did not disappoint! I learnt and saw so much. Much more than I would've without this tour. Thank you Gavin!! If I could give a 10/5 I would
Hi Siobhan! Thank you for your amazing review. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the tour so much. We were certainly very lucky with the weather that day. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Tromsø and have a safe trip home. Kindest regards, Gavin / OK Tromsø
Oda was an incredible tour guide and truly one of the highlights of our trip. From the very beginning, she created such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere that we immediately felt comfortable. She shared so many fascinating stories and personal anecdotes, the kind of information you wouldn’t easily find online or in guidebooks. It felt less like a typical tour and more like exploring the city with a knowledgeable friend. The way she connected polar bears to the history and present-day life in Tromsø was especially impressive. She didn’t just present facts, she explained how everything ties together culturally and historically, which made the experience much more meaningful and memorable. Her passion for the region really shone through, and it was clear how much she loves what she does. She was also incredibly engaging and attentive, making sure everyone in the group felt included and had the chance to ask questions. On top of that, we discovered an amazing coincidence we had in common, which completely blew our minds and made the experience even more special and personal. Oda made us feel at home, even though it was our very first day in Tromsø. Starting our trip with her tour set the perfect tone for the rest of our stay. We left feeling inspired, informed, and even more excited to explore. She truly made our day, and we would recommend her tour to anyone visiting Tromsø without hesitation.
Heia Wow, what a fantastic and personal review and feedback. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this incredible detailed and lovely message. It was a true pleasure to meet you both and thank you also so much for joining our Polar Bear Discovery tour with your enthusiasm, warmth, curiosity and friendliness. We are so grateful to have been part of your Tromsø and Northern Norway experience and we all wish you all the best for your many exciting adventures ahead, both big and small. Fingers crossed our paths will meet again. Our very best regards and wishes, Oda
Awesome tour! Gavin was very friendly, professional and knowledgable. We throughly enjoyed our tour with him. Learned a lot about polar bears and the impact on Tromsø. Highly recommend this tour if you are in the area.
Hi Kerry! We are thrilled that you enjoyed our tour and found it interesting. Thank you also for tour valuable oral feedback. Kindest regards, Gavin / OK Tromsø
Gavin was a very knowledgeable guide and made sure we were well looked after during the tour and was able to elaborate on all elements of our tour, even more than we expected. Would definitely recommend.
Thank you for your wonderful review and, most of all, for joining our Polar Bear Discovery tour. It's always a pleasure to answer questions from engaged guests and provide more information on topics of interest. I hope you had a safe trip home. Kindest regards, Gavin / OK Tromsø
Gavin was a fantastic guide. Very knowledgeable and attentive. Made the whole tour very interesting and gave us a great insight into the role of polar bears and impact of environmental change and humans on the bears and other mammals and fish in the arctic area around Norway including Svalbard. The whole tour has left a lasting impression. Highly recommended.
Thank you for your wonderful review and, most of all, for joining our Polar Bear Discovery tour. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the tour so much and that it left such a lasting impression. I hope you had a safe trip home. Kindest regards, Gavin / OK Tromsø
My first time in this beautiful city. Gavin was excellent as he took us around all the significant sites with informative information. Just long enough and eye opening to take in the city and it's history and what it has to offer.
Hi Errol! Thank you for your kind review. We pride ourselves in giving good and tips about Tromsø in addition to the theme. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Tromsø. Kindest regards Gavin /OK Tromsø
