Polaria

Polaria opened in 1998 in a building designed to look like ice floes pushed up onto the shore, a row of tilted slabs on the Tromso waterfront, and it functions as an introduction to the Arctic for visitors who will not get further north. Its best-known residents are bearded seals, kept in a large pool with an underwater viewing tunnel and fed with training sessions several times a day that visitors watch. Aquariums hold cold-water species from the Barents Sea. A panoramic cinema shows films on Svalbard and the northern lights, and exhibitions cover sea ice, climate change and polar research, with material from the Norwegian Polar Institute, whose headquarters are next door.

What you actually see

• The bearded seals - a large pool with an underwater viewing tunnel.
• The training sessions - scheduled feeding and activity demonstrations.
• The panoramic films - Svalbard and northern lights footage.
• The Barents Sea tanks - cold-water species from the northern coast.

When to go

Year-round; it is indoors and useful in winter darkness or bad weather. Seal sessions run several times daily and are the busiest moments. Cruise and coach arrivals fill it at midday in summer.

Honest expectations

The centre is small and takes about two hours, with the seals the main draw. Keeping marine mammals in captivity draws criticism from some visitors. Ticket prices are high for the size.

Nearby

The Polar Museum and Tromso harbour are close; the Arctic Cathedral is across the bridge.