From Oslo to Tromso is a short domestic flight if you want the quick option or why not opt for the more scenic 7 hour train journey that takes you right the way across Norway and it's stunning views. In my case i flew. At this time of year Tromso is very quite as few tourists visit, but this is perfect if you are hoping to beat the crowds. If you do fly in and are lucky enough to get a window seat be sure to take a look at the incredible views of the mountains you get as you land into Tromso. As for getting form the airport to the city centre there is a bus service provided by the airport that covers several of the main hotels and where you can buy a ticket from a self service machine located at baggage reclaim and in arrivals. It is the easiest and most convenient option, however it is not the most budget friendly and there are other bus services available which are more budget friendly. As for hotel i once again opted for a Comfort express since all i needed from my hotel was a good bed and shower, however there are many different options depending on what you want from your hotel. After settling in i went for a walk around the city centre, which was small and had more of a town feel then a city. Maybe it was because it was the off season and therefore quieter, but this suits me well as personally i don't like big busy cities as they can often feel overwhelming. Throughout the city there is gorgeous traditional style architecture for those who like me feel that this can add to a cities charm, it also added to the overall calm that the city made me feel. That and the amazing scenery that quite frankly pictures can't do justice. After walking the city centre i made my way to the harbour (only a few minutes away from the centre) to truly admire the surrounding mountains and fiords. Tromso is a nature lovers paradise with a lake, mountains, forests and fiords all with in or close to the city. Definitely worth the visit if you appreciate stunning landscapes. The city centre itself is also very walkable and great for taking a nice relaxing stroll. After walking around it was time to grab a bite to eat, this time i opted for the tourist staple of Mcdonalds as i needed something quick (and i can now officially say i've been to the worlds most northernly Mcdonalds) as i had agreed to meet my cousin (a Tromso local). Where possible i always try to get a local guide to any new place that i visit often using sites such as get your guide to organise it. This is because i believe that getting advice about a place by someone who lives there really enhances the trip. They can recommend amazing food you may not have thought to try, give you advice on places to see, what is worth the money and help you get used to any cultural differences. They are in my experience friendly and knowledgeable and more then happy to answer any questions you may have. Personally i always feel safer and more familiar with a place with one of these guides. In this case i was really lucky that i happened to have a family member to show me around. In this case my cousin took me to hike Sherpatrappa, which is a moderately difficult hike (due to some steep inclines towards the start of the hike) up one of the mountains. To get there it was a short bus ride from the city centre to the other side of the island where my cousin recommended that i download the Svipper app where you can buy bus tickets making journeys even simpler. Honestly i used this app a lot while in Tromso and it definitely made things easier as it helped me figure out what buses i needed to get to reach different areas and enabled me to pre buy tickets. The hike itself only takes a maximum of a couple of hours to complete and does provide a few viewpoints along the way to really make the most of the stunning views. However, if your not up for the hike you don't have to miss out, there is a cable car service that takes you from the bottom of the mountain to the top and vice versa in around 5mins (as long as you don't mind the height). Once at the top of the mountain you are greeted with the most amazing views of the city, mountains and fiords. Honestly it hard to stop taking photos and looking at the views. Even if the weather is a little cold and wet like when i went it doesn't take away from the magic of the landscape. At the top of the mountain there is also a lovely café serving hot and cold drinks, sandwich's and sweet treats. Which gives you the perfect place to rest after the hike and just enjoy where you are. In my case i used it as an opportunity to get advice from my cousin on where i should visit. We then took the cable car back down the mountain as at this point it was starting to get dark and i wouldn't have felt safe to hike down in the dark. After parting ways with my cousin i headed back to the city centre for some dinner. For dinner i found a lovely restaurant call Egon, which is a lovely mid range restaurant with a 19/20th Centaury design including many items hang on the walls such as old typewriters and sewing machines. This all gave it a very charming atmosphere. As for the food it offered some great locally sourced food, particularly seafood. In my case i enjoyed some Northern Norwegian caught cod, with pesto garlic butter, potatoes and grilled veg. Which was really tasty and fresh. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Tromso and with it's city centre location it is really easy to get to from most hotels. And to top it of the service was fast, friendly and overall really good. The next day i decided to make the most of some good weather that we were having and after breakfast at a bakery  i headed to a beach just outside of the city that i had been told about by my cousin called Telegrafbukta.  It was a short and straightforward bus trip to get there and absolutely stunning. If you are looking for golden sand this is not the beach for you as it is mainly pebbles (so when visiting make sure you have suitable footwear), but it is quite and has amazing views of the surrounding mountains. It's not every day that you can enjoy a beach while admiring mountains. As well as being able to walk along the beach there is also a walking trail around the top of the beach, which i decided to walk. This provided even more incredible views. After this i headed back into the city for lunch and a quick rest at the hotel. i find it really important to pace myself with my activities as i want to enjoy them fully and not rush around from site to site stressing about how long i spend at a place. I also think it's really important to take small moments in the day just to take in what you have done. I personally do this by writing a travel journal during my travels. It doesn't have to be fancy just a note of what i did and what i thought about it. However you might like using these moments to contact friends and family back home, do some art or relax in you own way. The important thing is not to try and fit too much into your day that you are feeling stressed and rushed just to fit everything in. After my rest i headed to the very small, but cute botanical gardens on the outskirts of the city. They are free to visit and very easy to overlook, but make for a really lovely walk and are really quint. I then headed to my cousins house for a home cooked meal of moose stew and whale stake. Moose to me was no different then eating venison, a gamy rich taste and as for the whale i wasn't really sure what to expect but it was like eating a beef stake but with a slight fishy after taste. It tasted better then i thought it would and would eat it again. On the way back to the hotel i was incredibly lucky to see the Northern lights. An unexpected magical experience. Although they were not as clear as in the winter months they were still clearly visible and definitely a bucket list experience. If you are hoping to see the Northern lights while in Norway there are apps much like weather apps that tell you the likelihood of seeing them. However bear in mind it is not a guarantee of seeing them as that is weather dependent and depends on cloud cover. The next day i decided to explore more of the harbour area. Grabbing a bite to eat at one of the cafes in the area, where i tried waffles with brown cheese. Brown cheese is very misleading with its name and doesn't taste like any cheese i am familiar with. In fact it is almost sweet and i found it quite odd. After a little more self exploration of the harbour i entered a bakery called Vervet, which was a little pricier then some of the other bakeries i had visited (maybe because of the area). However it had a really modern feel and a wide variety of cakes, sandwiches hot and cold drinks and was overall very lovely. After a bite to eat i headed to the Polira, which is somewhere between museum and sealife centre. It has many different interactive elements to the museum and is is home to leopard and bearded seals (one of only 3 places in Europe to have bearded seals). It is perfect for family days out but also nice to walk around on your own. After this i made a quick visit to the symbol of the city, the Artic cathedral. With its eye catching triangle design it is very impressive. If you want there is an option for a fee to enter the cathedral, but i opted just to view it from the outside where you can walk around it free of charge. To get there from the city centre you do need to get a bus or a taxi. After this i made a second trip to Sherpatrappa, this time opting for the cable car up. As i wanted to enjoy the views one last time before returning home. The last thing i did in Tromso before heading home was visit the lake (Prestvannet).The lake is charming and has a nice easy walking trail all the way around. It is a great place for a dog walk and would be perfect for watching the Northern lights if you are lucky enough to be there during a showing. The next day was the journey home, where i have one more word of warning which is if you are flying from Tromso to London during the of season there are no direct flights. In my case i went via Helsinki. However this did provide me with an unexpected joy of the trip which was being in a propeller powered plane from Tromso to Helsinki, which was small with only around 100 passengers and provided a slightly slower pace of travel. Overall Tromso is an incredible city, with incredible views. A city that i felt safe and at home in and found easy to navigate. If you are just starting of as a solo traveller, i would recommend going to Tromso in the off season as it doesn't feel overwhelming, the locals are friendly and overall it is a good place to begin your solo adventures.