The micro-guide to EISCAT Tromsø

Welcome to Tromsø! We think that Tromsø is a great city and we hope you will enjoy your vist to EISCAT. Besides successful operations, you may have time to visit the pubs (remembering the laws on drinking and driving) and restaurants. and some information can be found here also (but not much, yet. Your contributions, in html would be welcome). You need a little Norwegian to be comfortable, but almost everyone in Norway speaks some English.

The city of Tromsø lies on a small island, Tromsøya, which is connected to a larger outer island, Kvaløya, by a bridge and to the mainland by another bridge and a tunnel. Tromsø has a pleasant climate but the winter may be colder than you are used to; you can check out the current weather (from the StormCast project, UiTø).

You will probably arrive by plane at the airport, which lies on the west side of the island close to the bridge to Kvaløya. It's marked with a circle (the circles are 2km radius to give you an idea of scale) on the map below:

Pick up your hire car from the airport and follow the green road (on the enlarged map below) over the top of the island and south along the side of the sound between Tromsøya and the mainland. If you like tunnels, you can take the alternative route under the island (the dark blue line on the map).

British and Japanese should remember to drive on the right hand side of the road,
ie: the wrong side!

Whichever route you chose, you will leave Tromsøya over the bridge to the mainland (with a view of the Arctic Cathedral and Tromsdalstind as you do so) on the green line below:

If you need to buy food, there are supermarkets just over the bridge (marked in purple), one of which is open until 24:00 every day. For this you will need money; bank automatic teller machines (ATM's) in Norway accept all sorts of weird plastic, but you will need the PIN number. There is a machine at the airport (close to the rental car desks) and another conveniently located in the shopping mall right outside REMA 1000 (the more southerly of the marked supermarkets), but note that this closes at 2000 on weekdays, 1800 on Saturdays and doesn't open at all on Sundays.

Subsequently, follow the green line off the bottom (south) of the map for the 20 km drive to EISCAT.

The road passes along the western shore of Tromsøysundet for some distance before swinging to the left, over a low col and dropping down towards Ramfjord. Continue on this road until a wide, sweeping right hand curve around the water brings you into the little village of Fagernes. Just beyond the 60km sign, turn left (signposted to Alta) and drive up the hill, passing the Fagernes Vertshus and Hotell on your left. About three kilometers along this road you will see the EISCAT radars off to your left (there's also a signpost on the right hand side of the road opposite the turning). Drive down the dirt road, past PRE and Heating to arrive at the 'Hilton' and radar main building.

Life at Ramfjordmoen

If you plan to stay at the Ramfjordmoen site you should contact Kjellfrid Ingebrigtsen before arriving and reserve a room in the 'Hilton' (150 NOK/night), Heating (150 NOK/night) or (by arrangement with the University) at PRE. Access to the buildings at the site is controlled by a magnetic card key system and you should also contact Kjellfrid for a card. Please note that these cards should be returned before you leave, together with payment (cash only) for your room and telephone calls. You may also need to talk to Kjellfrid concerning the legal requirements to register with the police.

While staying at Ramfjordmoen, you will experience periods of frantic activity (during normal working hours) and periods of great tranquility (when you may well be alone at the site for long periods). To help overcome the potential boredom of the latter, you might consider work, or you could check out the new and incredibly small Visitor's Library

Except for shift working, you can expect there to be staff present between 0815 and 1600, Monday to Thursday (but only till 1330 on Fridays) during the winter and betwen 0815 and 1530 Monday to Thursday (1345 on Fridays) during the summer.

The local village, Fagernes is your only local source of food, it's a little more expensive than the supermarkets in Tromsø, but well stocked and convenient.

Both HEATING and the Radar site have basic bicycles for general use (the default is that one is available at each building). These are really intended to help with getting between the local buildings but you may also borrow them for longer trips (like to the shops) if you ask first. A safety helmet is provided with each bike; use it, your brain is valuable. Check the tyres, brakes, etc. before starting and, if you find something wrong, don't just abandon it; if you can't fix it, make sure that one of the EISCAT staff (preferably Knut Hellvig) knows about it. If you find any other bikes at EISCAT, they are private property and should be treated accordingly.

Bring good walking boots with you; the mountains are close, accessible and superb. Bill and Alma Coles (U.C. San Diego, and EISCAT Tromsø) have provided an excellent guide to Day Hiking and Biking around Tromsø to help you on your way.

Visiting Kiruna and Sodankylä

You can travel between Tromsø and Kiruna by various means including rental car, bus, bus and train, plane and train and, maybe again soon, plane alone. It is also sometimes possible to get a ride with one of EISCAT's cars which travel between the sites at irregular intervals - ask Kjellfrid Ingebrigtsen.

A new hotel has recently opened in Kiruna (opposite Obs!) and may represent a reasonable alternative if no accommodation is available through EISCAT there. It's called The Hotel E10 (no, it's not a tent in the middle of the road), and its address is Lastvägen 9, S-981 38 Kiruna; phone +46 980 84000 (0980 84000 inside Sweden), fax +46 980 84343. In March 1995 it cost 480 SEK/night including basic breakfast.

Before travelling, you might care to check out the weather in Kiruna.

Visting Sodankylä seems to be easiest by rental car (as does the journey between Kiruna and Sodankylä ).

Visiting Svalbard

We are developing a new section on Svalbard; for Flight Information - ask Kjellfrid Ingebrigtsen.

The maps in this document are based on the Interactive Map of Tromsø .

If there are things you do not find in this guide, which would also be useful for other visitors, send me the details and, maybe, they will be included in later versions.

Updated by Tony , 28 January 2004.