Tromsø is the largest city in northern Norway, sitting at almost 70 degrees North on an island in the Tromsø Sound. It is the world's northernmost city of its size, and still manages to claim the world's northernmost botanical garden, brewery, and university. The North Atlantic Current keeps winters surprisingly mild by Arctic standards, while summers bring continuous daylight from mid-May to late July.
The city is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights, with January to March offering the optimal combination of darkness and clear skies. In summer the same midnight hours that produce the Aurora Borealis give way to the Midnight Sun, which draws its own crowd of pilgrims. The Arctic Cathedral across the bridge and the Fjellheisen cable car up to Storsteinen mountain are the two landmarks most visitors come away describing. For museums, the Polar Museum on the waterfront covers Arctic hunting and exploration, while Polaria has the world's northernmost aquarium and bearded seals you can watch underwater. The Tromsø Museum is stronger on Sami culture and natural history.