3 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
One of the safest places on earth from other people, and one of the least forgiving from weather. The mountains are small and steep and kill visitors most years — Reinebringen is a staircase, not a walk. Winter roads need studded tyres, and the wind on the E10 bridges closes them.
Extremely safe, and the only real hazard is weather. It rains on roughly 230 days a year and the locals genuinely do not postpone anything for it — bring waterproofs rather than an umbrella, which the wind will take. The mountain paths above the funicular are easy to start and easy to get lost on in cloud, and people are rescued from Fløyen every year in ordinary shoes.
Comfortable: Bryggen · Nordnes · Sandviken · the Fløibanen · the centre at any hour
the harbour edge at night — unfenced, deep and cold, which is the one thing the city warns about
the seven mountain trails in cloud — Ulriken and Fløyen look urban and get people lost every year
the streets around Torgallmenningen very late on a Saturday
Very safe as a town. The dangers are the cold and the dark: it is −6°C for months, the polar night runs from late November to mid-January with no sun at all, and pavements are sheet ice — spikes that clip onto boots are sold everywhere and are not optional. Aurora tours drive long distances on icy roads to find clear sky; pick an operator with a licence rather than the cheapest. Nobody can promise you the lights.
Comfortable: the centre · Tromsdalen · the Arctic Cathedral · the cable car
the pavements in winter — black ice under fresh snow; spikes over your boots are sold everywhere and locals wear them
driving in polar night — the roads are snow-covered from October and studded tyres are a legal requirement
standing on sea ice or a frozen lakeshore
the cold on a northern lights tour — you will be stationary outside for hours, which is a different proposition from walking in it
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
