Trondheim -
More than just
the Nidaros cathedral
Last update August 2017. Weekend trip
Climbing up the tower of the Nidaros cathedral, walking alongside the river, having a cup of coffee at a small café, enjoying the view from the university campus and possible a beer or two in the evening.
 Alongside the river |  View from the university |  Church |
|---|---|---|
 Historical bridge |  Bybrua |  Historical building |
 Alongside the river |  Alongside the river |  Alongside the river |
 Old storage houses |  Old storage houses |  Nidarosdomen |
 Nidarosdomen |  Nidarosdomen |  Nidarosdomen |
 Nice wooden houses |  Nice wooden houses |  Statue of Olav Tryggvason |
 Shopping street |
Third time lucky
The first time, we drove to Trondheim all the way from Oslo, which takes around 7 hours. Despite being summer, it was cold and sky was full of clouds. We did not mind as came here mainly to embark onto Hurtigruten going further up north, so we only did a quick city tour. The second time, again in summer, we came by Hurtigruten from other side, from the North and again, rain and even some fog... Finally, the 3rd time, when I was there on a business trip, clear sky and sunshine. I did not have much time, but enough to take some nice shots.
Nidarosdomen
The famous Nidaros cathedral, where the royal coronations still take place, is of course the main attraction in Trondheim. And the worlds northernmost medieval cathedral is as impressive as one expects. Build throughout the 11th to 13th century, it carries quite a history.
We went there directly after breakfast, so did quite some people, apparently all coming from the Hurtigruten boat, which arrives in Trondheim very early in the morning.
We took a guided tour, which we highly recommend, and we got a short ride through Norways past kings and royals that are very much connected to the dome, not only because of the coronation. Anyone will be impressed by the artfully decorated facade as well as the sight and atmosphere inside the cathedral. The tour also takes you up to the tower from where you have a 360 degree view over Norways 3rd largest city.
Munkholmen
Just outside the city in the fjord there is the Munkholmen island, a former monastery and nowadays a famous weekend destination. You might have heard of Munkholm beer what is named after the historical island.
We have not done ourselves, but the pictures we have seen look really really nice, when the weather is good as you have nice places for a refreshing dip in the cold sea.
The town itself
The cathedral is quite a contrast to the rest of the town which has a rather Hanseatic touch and relaxed atmosphere, with its typical wooden Norwegian residential and warehouses.
Otherwise we just enjoyed ourselves strolling around in the city center and visiting several nice cafes there as well as in the other cosy neighbourhoods. Baklandet Skydsstation is e.g. such a lovely place, decorated like your grandma’s living room, serving the same kind of cake she would have made.
You will find a lot of small, partly slightly hidden wonderful places everywhere but in particular in the Øvre and Nedre Baklandet street east of the cathedral and the river. It is also there where we found the popular view, which you so often see in travel books, of one wooden coloured storage houses after another alongside the river, with beautiful reflections in the calm water.
Following the street further north we reached the newer, more modern part of the town with restaurants and shopping centres. Even further ahead you would find the harbour and train station, but before that we had to walk over a long pedestrian bridge back to the inner city center again, as we had to pick up our car and drive to the Hurtigruten terminal to embark the boat for a trip to the Lofoten.
NTNU - THE university for engineers
Being an engineer, we had of course a quick stroll up the hill to the NTNU university, Norways most renown institution, from where also non-engineers have a nice view over the town.
The university itself was founded in 1996 when several instituts were merged, but roots go back until 1760. As per today there are 23.000 students (it is therefor the 2nd largest university in Norway), having the opportunity to select among 250 different fields of study, mainly in the area of technology and natural science...
Alright, I stop here. Just enjoy the look from up here.
INFO
Distance from Oslo
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500 km / 5 hrs by car
Highlights
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Nidaros cathedral
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The channel on the east side of the cathedral and all the nice little streets with cosy cafes like the Bakklandet Skydstastion
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Munkholmen island
Overnight stay we can recommend
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Nothing really as we tried to find something last minute and stayed somewhere not so nice... So we are open for recommendations
Extra tip
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Hurtigruten stops here, so you could end or start a trip here at Trondheim
More information
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trippsbatservice.no
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trondheim.no
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nidarosdomen.no
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munkholmen.no
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ntnu.no
MAP
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