Trondheim Norway

Created April 24, 1999 Last Modified: January 2, 2000

My two trips to Norway were to the city of Trondheim (Tourist Information). If you want to know more about the city, check out any of the Trondheim links in this paragraph. In addition, I have found a page full of pictures of the city of Trondheim. If you are interested in reading the daily diaries of my Vacations there in February 1999, or in July 1999, or in December 1999 then click there. If you want to know where it is, click on here to see a map.

On my first trip to Norway, I took United Airlines and SAS, so I flew through Copenhagen to get to Norway. On my second trip, I used Northwest Airlines / KLM to fly directly through Oslo. For my third trip, I used Northwest Airlines / KLM to fly through Amsterdam and Oslo. If anyone is interested in my opinions or comparisions, then ask me, but I have not yet written anything.

I know that both SAS and Braathens serve Trondheim airport, but I am not sure what other airlines do.

The airport (Værnes) is about 18 KM from downtown Trondheim. On the road from the airport into town, you pass through the small town of Hell. I think it is ironic that you have to go through Hell to get to Trondheim. The train station at Hell, named Hell Station, is a favorite tourist stop for Americans and British visitors.

The formalities of officially entering the country at Trondheim, and retrieving my bags and going through Customs completely lasted less than 10 minutes. I did not have anything to declare, so I was passed through very quickly.

Entering the country at Oslo was a slight bit more difficult, but only because it is a much larger airport. Again the Immigration portion was quick and painless, and Customs was a breeze, but it took a long time to get my bags.

Trondheim has a population of almost 150,000 people, the third largest in Norway. The people of Trondheim refer to themselves as Trøndere, and most of them speak a slightly different version of Norwegian they call Trøndersk.

Trondheim sits on the southern shore of a very large Fjord, what we would call a Bay in the United States. Olav Tryggvason chose to build the city at the mouth of the Nidelva River in 997.

The cathedral Nidaros is a magnificent massive stone church with intricate carvings, stained-glass windows and appointments throughout. The church was originally started in about 1070, and has been expanded, destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. The West Facade has dozens of carved stone statues, all larger than life size. Pictures can not do justice to this cathedral. (Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the Cathedral)

The cathedral dominates the landscape for many miles. You can see the Cathedral or at least part of it from almost everywhere in the city. This picture was taken from "Utsikt", an Overlook for the city. If you visit, be sure to have someone show you the way to utsikt.

There is another very old church just a short distance from the cathedral. It is called Vår Frue Kirke (The Church of Our Lady) and it was originally built in the 1200's.

Up on a hill overlooking the city is the Kristiansten Festning (Fort). The fort has huge stone walls, and a large cannon tower for protection of the city. The tower is closed in the winter, but the cannons (old and new) still sit atop the high fort walls, there for salutes and celebrations. The fort affords a great view of much of the city. Trøndere and tourists wander the grounds of the fort, soaking in the sun and the great views of the city.

Trondheim is filled with restored historic places. You can walk along the river and cross the bridge Gamle Bybro over the Nidelva River to the old section called Bakklandet with its working class roots. There are many little cafes and restaurants in the area, including one cafe called the Kafe Gåsa (go-asa = goose). It is a wonderful little rustic place filled with relics of the past.

In addition, there are many great shops all over downtown. It is a great place to just walk around and check out all the little shops and all the narrow streets of the oldest parts of the city. One of the three main Shopping Malls, Trondheim Torg is right next to the Main Square.

Ravnkloa the fish market, is a smelly little building filled with vendors selling a variety of fresh seafood. These were brought in on fishing boats that day or the night before. If you look closely in this picture you can see Shrimp (Reke), Salmon (Laks), Cod (Torsk) and Whale (Hval) for sale.

Munkholmen is a small island just a short distance out into the Fjord. The island has been an execution ground, a monastery and a prison over the last one thousand years. Tourists and Trøndere visit the island to see the buildings and to sun themselves on the beaches and the lawns.

The Ferry to the island of Munkholmen departs from a dock right next to the Fish Market. The Ferry chugs out the canal, under the train tracks, and out to the island. The trip takes only about 10 minutes. The ferry normally runs every hour, but during bad weather, they run more often.

The River Nidelva flows around and through the center of town. Wharves along the river have been restored and painted a variety of colors that just jump out at you in the sunlight. There are also some little sections of canal branching off of the river. There are a variety of fishing boats and sailing ships all along the canal.

Tyholt Tower is a 123-meter tall communications tower on a hill, with an observation deck and a restaurant 67 meters up. The restaurant rotates at the rate of one revolution per hour. It is a great place to get a view of the entire city. You can sit and relax and watch as all of Trondheim revolves slowly below you. You can see all of the famous landmarks; Nidaros, Munkholmen, Kristansten Festning and the jump ramps at Granåsen.

Lian is a small town southwest of Trondheim. The Lian Kafe is a great little restaurant on a hillside overlooking a small lake. In February it was a snow-covered frozen pond. In July it was a lake with ducks and swimmers and wide green lawns. Lian is a popular "beach" area on the weekends.

The Trikk (Streetcar or electric trolley) from town comes out to Lian about every 15 minutes to drop off and pick up passengers. The Trikk turns a wide loop above the lake, and returns to town.

It was very nice to sit by a window in the Kafe and watch the trolleys, and enjoy the scenery. I recommend that you visit the Lian Kafe and have some coffee and cake, and enjoy the view, any time of year.

Klæbu is about 30 minutes southeast of Trondheim. There is a fine old church at Klæbu, and a small zoo.

About 150 Kilometers to the southeast is the historic town of Røros. It is about a two and a half-hour drive through mountain roads from Trondheim. Røros is just a short distance from the Swedish border.

Røros is an old mining city. There is a fine old Mining museum, with displays and models of the rich mining history of the area. The mines of Røros supplied much of the coal and copper for the growth and expansion of Trondheim centuries ago.

In February, they have the Rørosmartnan, a festival and street fair each year in Røros. (you can read more about this at the link in the previous sentence, or in my diary from February 1999)

Norwegians are a very social group of people. They love to sit around, talking, telling stories and laughing for hours. They initially seem to be a cold and quiet people, but once they get to know you, they are a friendly and fun people.

In addition, they seem to appreciate it if you have taken the trouble to try to learn some Norwegian phrases. I do have to warn you that the people of Trondheim speak a slightly modified version of Norwegian, so some of the words are a little bit different. 

There are three main shopping malls in Trondheim, Trondheim Torg, City Syd and KBS.

• Trondheim Torg (Trondheim Market) is in the center of downtown Trondheim, right next to the Main Square.
• KBS is out towards the Lade area.
• City Syd is to the south near Flatåsen.

There are a great variety of restaurants in Trondheim. I have only had a chance to experience a few, but here are my recommendations and opinions. According to the Trondheim Tourist web page, there are 100 restaurants in town.

There is a large communications tower called Tyholt Tower. Tyholt is approximately 123 meters tall. At about 67 meters up, there is an observation deck, and above that there is a restaurant called Egon's. The restaurant rotates at the rate of one revolution per hour. The food was good, and the prices were a little bit high, but it is well worth it to see the views. You can enjoy a leisurely meal, while watching the entire city slowly roll past your windows. The tower is tall enough that you can actually see quite a distance. I highly recommend this if you stay in Trondheim.

There are several pubs and nightclubs in Trondheim. I have only had a chance to visit a few, but these were the ones that my Trønderske friends like the best.

Carl Johan is a very nice pub with two levels of seating inside, plus tables out on the sidewalk. It is labeled as a Møteplass (meeting place) and it is a great place for having a couple drinks and sitting around talking.

Monte Cristo is a nightclub with several levels, several separate areas for different kinds of music. There is dancing and partying all over the place on the weekends. On the Tuesday that we went, there was only one band plus a DJ in another area. If you get a taxi ride, be sure to ask for the discount coupons that many of the taxis carry.

Dried meats including salamies and sausages are very popular. Soft sausages like Pulser are popular as a supplement to many meals.

Another one of their favorite dishes, is Torsk (cod) with the roe (fish eggs). The Torsk was different, and as an American, I was looking for the Tarter Sauce. The fish eggs were very different, with a flavor and texture that was unique. It was definitely authentic Norwegian, but not one of my favorite meals.

Fresh cooked Reker (shrimp) is eaten on bread with majonase (mayonaise) and lemon.

I was given some Lutefisk and I tried it, in spite of all the terrible stories I had heard. Basically it is fish that is soaked in lye until it is almost a jellied sort of thing. The flavor was not as bad as I expected, but the texture was very strange. I ate a little bit, but I did not like it. I am told that it is an acquired taste.

I have also eaten dinners of Hval (whale) meat a couple of times. (Let me assure you that they do not eat any of the endangered species of whales, so relax.) The whale was one of the best meals I had the whole time during my first visit. Whale meat looks somewhat like Liver, a very dark red meat, with a very dense texture, but a very good flavor. It was very good, and you be sure to try to get some when you visit.

On one visit I had some Laks (Salmon) steaks that were absolutely the best I have ever eaten.

I have eaten dinners of Reinsdyr (reindeer) meat a couple times, and it was very very good. (probably because Ellen is a very good cook)

Barbecuing is very big with Trøndere. They barbecue in their back yards, at the beaches, anywhere and everywhere.

Ribbe is very popular, broiled in the oven, or barbequed during the warmer months.

Kjøttkake (Meat cakes or meatballs) are also popular. They are really very good when they are made the way Tove cooks them, but the ones we got in Røros were terrible.

Ice cream is popular, with Diplomis the largest ice cream company in Norway located in Trondheim. However, I never saw any flavor other than vanilla.

They have Coke and Pepsi and 7up most everywhere you go. Brus is the generic term for "soda" or "pop" and is used for most any kind of soda. There are a number of local soft drinks available also. Champagne Villa is something like what we in America call Cream Soda.

Kaffe (coffee) is extremely popular and everyone drinks it after every meal, or while sitting with friends and talking. The best part is that while you drink coffee, there are always cakes and cookies and goodies brought out also, especially at Christmas time. They also bring a sweet spread that is a mixture of whipped cream and molter (cloudberries).

The kids like to use a kjelke (sled) on the hills. The kjelke is a little sled with a steerable front ski. You sit on the kjelke and you go down the hill. Of course they are designed for children, so it is difficult for an adult to reach the brakes. Plus, the additional weight makes it go very fast with people like me on it.

Vassfjellet is a local ski resort. It is less than 40 minutes away from downtown. They do not have chair lifts at Vassfjellet they have T-bars. You hook the bar behind you, and it pulls you up the mountain. They work great for everyone that can manage to keep their skis pointed straight up the hill. I had a great deal of trouble. I fell twice. I will be finding other places to ski (with chairlifts) next time I visit in the winter.

Oppdal is a few hours away, but it is a much larger, much better ski resort, and I have been promised that they have real chair lifts there.

There are also ski resorts just across the border in Sweden.

Granåsen is the local ski-jumping hill, but they always jump either "a couple hours later" or they just finished "a few minutes ago". It has two jump ramps for World Class competitions. It is just 15 minutes from downtown.

The local professional hockey team is TIK (Trondheim IshockeyKlubb). I watched a game between TIK and Asker-Frisk from outside of Oslo. It was a very good game, and well worth the price of admission. They are comparable to the IHL or AHL in North America.

The local football club (soccer team) is Rosenborg, and the people of Trondheim are rabid fans of their beloved team. They sing songs at the games. Songs about the team, or their opponents. They even sell albums of these songs, recorded by local musicians and groups.

Feedback or comments? Mail to: John Schultheis /