Trondheim, Norway: 3 days in January
 

I'm taking a Hurtigruten ship from Bergen to Kirkenes on Jan 20th and am spending time before the ship's departure in Trondheim. I've been to Oslo several times and once to Bergen, so thought Trondheim looked like an interesting city. I arrive in Trondheim Friday morning and was planning on spending 3 nights in Trondheim and flying to Bergen on Monday. (I'll go from the Bergen airport to the Hurtigruten terminal, check my luggage in and take a bus to the harbor area and wander around before going back to the terminal to check in & have dinner on board the ship.)

I'm looking for ideas of things to see in Trondheim to fill up two and half days. I'm planning on visiting the Nidaros church, the Bryggen area, the art museum and just wandering around. I know it'll be dark for most of the day and cold and possibly snow/sleet but that's OK - I've got the right outerwear to stay warm and dry! I like walking around and looking at the houses, popping into shops, etc. Besides the downtown area (sort of between Prinsens Gate, Fjordgate and the river) are there other interesting areas to visit? I'm a little concerned about filling up the days! I'll likely stay at the Thon Gildevangan. Any half-day or day tours outside of Trondheim? Once i get to Kirkenes, I'm staying overnight at the Snow Hotel and doing dog sledding there, so don't think I need another dog sledding expedition in Trondheim.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Why fly back to Bergen? Won't the Hurtigruten ship stop by Trondheim on the way to Kirkenes?

The Decorative Arts museum in Trondheim is worth a visit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623070576316

The ship does stop in Trondheim but I want the full experience including stopping in Alesund, etc. I'll add the Decorative Arts museum to my list of Trondheim spots to visit. Thanks.

The ship spends at most 3 hours in Ålesund.

If you are concerned about filling all your time in Trondheim, why not fly to Ålesund a day early instead of Bergen and catch the ship there?

Take ground transportation to Alesund. There must be some type of bus service, which will give another view of fjord country.

According to this schedule

http://www.nor-way.no/getfile.php/Fi...er/430-431.pdf

the bus leaves Trondheim at 10:30 PM and arrives Ålesund at 9:40 the next morning (and involves a change of bus at 6:00 AM). Probably not the ideal way to get between them.

This one is better—only takes 7 hours and runs 4 times a day on weekdays/twice daily on weekends. Best schedule leaves Trondheim at 9:40 AM and arrives Ålesund 4:45 PM. Note that there is only 6 hours of daylight in mid-January, though!

http://www.nettbuss.no/www/resources...8abb545f89.pdf

I've been to Alesund already so don't think I'll need more time there than the scheduled port time, but thanks for the suggestions! Since Trondheim has a university and is one of Norway's larger cities, I'm thinking there must be some interesting areas to explore other than the central downtown area - any thoughts? Thanks.