Trondheim, formerly Trondhjem or Nidaros, is an old city in central Norway. It is a key city in Norway, its skyline dominated by the lovely cathedral and its city life dominated by the university. Central Trondheim is beautifully inside a large river bend where the river meets the wide Trondheimsfjord.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Trondheim is the oldest of Norway's major cities, and its rich cultural heritage can still be traced in and around the city centre. It's a scenic city on the southern shore of the Trondheimsfjord, which is the third longest in Norway. Even if the size is modest, there is a lot going on in Trondheim. Music, arts, culture, alternative politics, nightlife and student life — all combine to make Trondheim one of the most exciting city centres of Northern Europe. The city centre is roughly the area inside the meandering Nidelva. The marvellous Nidaros Cathedral, the second-largest church of Northern Europe and the only Gothic cathedral in Norway, towers over the city centre.
If you want to find locations in Trondheim, try the Yellow Pages website. The maps have more detail than popular map websites, and are very useful if you've heard the name of a place, but don't know where it is. Trondheim has a well-developed bus network, covering nearly all of the city. Buses are operated by the company AtB. There are frequent departures during the day, and less frequent during evenings. Within the zone Stor-Trondheim it costs kr 46 for single tickets, kr 23 for under 20-year-olds, kr 138 for a day pass (kr 69 for under 20 year olds), and kr 322 for a 7-day pass (kr 130 for under 20-year-olds), as of Feb 2024.
Stay close to the 1 Nidelva The river is a good place to take a break and relax 2 Marinen just behind the cathedral. Behind the cathedral, there is a park with a children's playground. There are a lot of wooden mansions in and around the city centre. 3 Stiftsgaarden, the King's local residence, is the biggest together with the Singsaker summer hotel, but the small, wooden houses in parts of the city like 4 Bakklandet, 5 Hospitalsløkkan, 6 Ila and 7 Ilsvikøra are even more picturesque. Wooden harbour buildings can be seen along Kjøpmannsgata, Fjordgata and Sandgata.
Check out Trondheim's bustling nightlife. During term time, the students make the nightlife rocking all week, and skyrocketing in weekends. Check the "Drink" section for more. Watch football at 1 Rosenborg BK. They play soccer in Eliteserien, Norway's top tier; they usually do well and qualify for European tournaments. Their home ground Lerkendal stadium (capacity 21,400) is 2 km south of town centre. The playing season is Apr–Nov.
Trondheim has food spots to suit every taste, though remember that eating out is generally very expensive, just like elsewhere in Norway. 1 Studentersamfundet, Elgeseter gate 1. The red, roundhouse that previously housed the Trondheim Interrail centre during summer and the student society otherwise. The café Edgar serves decent food at a low cost. To get to Edgar, go in through the glass doors and up one floor. Lyche (entrance to the south) serves good food (the burgers are the most popular dish, but they also serve soups, fancier dinner options, and dessert) for just a few kroner more than a fast food chain. Just by the main entrance, Sesam makes kebabs and burgers.
Trondheim has a rocking nightlife. However, everything closes fairly early, meaning that there's a well-developed culture for after-parties in homes. To find one, the northern end of Nordre gate is the best bet, or befriend someone working at the Studentersamfundet, that can take you into the private quarters of the house. They are only allowed one guest each. Learn the customs if you want a good time: essential words are "Vorspiel", referring to the pre-parties people have before they go out, and "Nachspiel", the after-parties.
Generally considered to be the sort of city where little old ladies can walk safely in dark alleys. It is also not terribly uncommon that regular people will go to great strides to give you back your wallet if you drop it, with cash and credit cards intact. The only "danger" you might encounter is the occasional youths stumbling around in large groups on Fridays/Saturdays. The same goes for Trondheim as anywhere else; leave drunk people alone and it's a good chance they'll leave you alone as well. There are some beggars and rough people.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Trondheim typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 10 rainy days.
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