Local transportation
If you are not very fond of walking, local transportation in Tromsø means buses or taxis between the city centre, the university campus and the airport. Bus connections between the town centre and the university campus are good and will take you very close to where you want to be.
Arriving at the airport
Taxi: Transportation from and to the airport generally is easiest by taxi. Both the hotels in the city centre and the university campus is a short taxi ride from the airport, 5–10 minutes except for rush hours. If you are going to the university, ask to be taken to the “Mix kiosk” at the campus. When you arrive there, walk down the outside stairs and then take an immediate left turn into the building – signs will guide you.
Sharing taxis from the airport is a good idea, as you often have to wait for taxis. A taxi shared by three will cost about the same as the airport bus, and will be quicker.
Buses: There is an airport bus between the airport and the town centre; this has its final stop at the Scandic (formerly Rica) Ishavshotel. The last departure from the airport is 0010 on Sunday and weekday (not on Saturday) evenings, which could be a bit early if you arrive with the last plane from Oslo. You could also take a regular bus, route 40 or 42, to the city centre. For a regular bus, take the stairs (or the elevator) down to the underground parking lot and walk through it, then cross the road to find the bus stop.
If you arrive in the morning and want to go to the university campus, there are airport buses at 0740, 0820, 0910, 0945, 1010, 1045 and 1120. These buses should be marked with “UiT” and/or “Universitetssykehuset” or possibly “UNN”. If in doubt, ask the driver! Taking a regular bus could entail changing buses at the Giæverbukta bus depot.
From the campus to the airport
Taxi: A taxi could be the most convenient alternative. Call the taxi company (phone (+47) 03011 or (+47)02045) and ask for the taxi to pick you up at the “Mix kiosk” at the university campus. Be aware that it could take only seconds for the taxi to arrive, as there is a taxi stand at the university hospital, on campus. Your booking will be confirmed with an SMS, stating the taxi’s number so it will be easy to identify your taxi. Between 1530 and 1630 driving could be slow as there is a congestion point between the campus and the airport during rush hours.
Regular bus: Regular buses in the direction of the airport entail a change of buses at Giæverbukta bus depot. Bus 34 will take you to Giæverbukta bus depot, buses 40 or 42 direction “Kvaløya” will take you from there to the airport. BEWARE: Bus (X)43 or (X)44 will take you from Campus past the airport, but won’t stop until you reach Kvaløya! – and there is no chance to change for another bus, either.
Airport bus: At 1400, 1430, 1500 and 1530 there are also airport buses that could be convenient alternatives, stopping at the campus main bus stop.
Figur 1 Bus stops and entrances at the campus – all points within very few minutes walking distance
Map: The blue car is placed at the Mix kiosk, the upper blue bus at the main bus stop and the lower at the stop at the Northern Lights planetarium. Buses from the city centre stop at the “lower” side of the road (down to the right at the map), buses to the city centre and airport at the opposite, “higher” side of the street, closest to the library and conference venue. More info to be had at http://tinyurl.com/cfa3mp9
Between the city centre and the campus
Buses 20, 21 and 34 will take you from the centre of town to the university campus. Going back, you want to use buses 20, 21 or 33. 33 and 34 both go in a circle, but in opposing directions. Boarding the wrong one will get you there, but after a detour via the southern tip of the island – add some 20 minutes to the trip, and think of it as sightseeing.
In the morning, a 20, 21 or 34 bus leaves the town centre every 5 to 10 minutes from the same bus stop, later in the day every 10 to 20 minutes. In the afternoons there is a 20, 21 or 33 bus every 5 to 10 minutes from campus to town centre in the heaviest rush hour, later (after 1800) every 20 minutes. See separate itineraries for these buses.
From the town centre to the airport
If you want to go to the airport from your hotel, bus 40 or 42 will be your best alternative. These buses leave roughly every 20 minutes, at closer intervals in rush hours, from stops close to the conference hotels. The ride takes about 20 minutes.
Figur 2 Bus stops in the town centre
Map: This map shows three important bus stops in the town centre – the blue bus marks the stop for buses 20, 21 and 34 to the university (F6 Fredrik Langes gate). The blue dotted mark shows the stop for bus 42 going to the airport (S4 Sjøgata), while bus 40 leaves from the red dotted mark (F1 Fredrik Langes gate). Everything is within 5 minutes walking distance. Yellow marker is Wi-To, where you can buy bus tickets. More details here: http://www.tromskortet.no/getfile.php/139814/Bilder/Kart/Sentrum%20A4_ny%20%28004%29.pdf
Prices
A regular single bus ticket, valid for one hour, costs NOK 50 and is bought from the driver. You cannot pay with a credit or debit card, cash is necessary. A single ticket is also valid on the next bus, if you switch from one bus to another within the one-hour limit – just show it to the driver. Pre-paid tickets that cost only NOK 36 may be bought at the airport newsstand, the Mix kiosk on campus and on newsstands in the city centre: Wi-To (near the main bus stop marked with a bus on the above map) and Narvesen at the “Stortorget” (main square).
An airport bus ticket costs NOK 80 and is bought from the driver; credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Diners) may be used, but not debit cards. A return (roundtrip) ticket is rebated and costs NOK 120.
Excerpts from the itineraries for buses 20, 21, 32 and 33/34 between campus and the town centre
From city centre to campus
You (probably) will want to take the bus from “Fr. Langes gate F6”, and leave the bus at “UiT”. The ride should take 10 minutes, but during winter it is always a good idea to take an earlier bus …
Bus 20
Bus 21
Between the city centre and the university, there is no difference between buses 20 and 21. The difference lies in 20 starting further out, and extending further than 21.
Bus 34
From campus to the city centre
Embark at “UiT” and leave at “Wito”
Bus 20
Bus 21
Bus 33
Embark at “UiT”; disembark at “Torgcenteret” or “Sjøgata S4”
For itineraries for other buses, see https://www.tromskortet.no/tromso-bybusslinjer/category793.html (only available in Norwegian – sorry for this!)
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