Polaria

We loved it here! We watched the showings in the theatre about arctic wildlife in Svalbard and the Northern Lights which we enjoyed. Then we watched the seal training and feeding which was amazing. We loved walking through the aquarium too and seeing the other animals. We spent a good couple of hours here, if not more. Well worth the money!

Great little place. Watched one of the seal feeding and spent ages watching them swim around. The individual exhibits are really cool too as is the viewing tunnel. Not a big place but we'll worth a visit. Really enjoyed it and they have some very good souvenirs too.

Highly recommended! We absolutely loved watching the seals during their training — it was so much fun. The panoramic cinema was excellent and very informative, and the aquarium was beautiful as well. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we really enjoyed every part of it.

Little aquarium in Tromso, Norway. Its a fantastic place to bring family and group of friends. A great place to see the seal up close. We where there during winter, and the scenario outside the aquarium was just as great. Theres lots of activities for kids to learn about the oceanic life

Lovely, cozy place — the seals were active and clearly well cared for. There’s a lot of interesting information about global warming, and the visit felt both educational and heartwarming. Truly worth it!

Such a fun place to visit! There are informational videos throughout the day, interactive exhibits and the seal feedings and trainings are open to watch. I would say the entry fee is slightly overpriced, but we still had a wonderful experience.

Small aquarium but very nice exhibits. Some unique species since it focuses on arctic. It does have areas under construction so it is expanding. It has a very nice seal exhibit with tanks and a walk thru tunnel. 3 seal training sessions as well.

We absolutely loved our visit to Polaria! It’s such a fascinating and family-friendly place — both educational and fun. The exhibitions, the aquarium, and especially the adorable seals kept us all entertained. Our little boy was so happy that he said, “This feels like heaven!” ❤️ Definitely a must-visit when you’re in Tromsø.

5 stars for the seals, 2 stars for everything else. *The seals are the star of the show* KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Make sure to visit during one of the seal training/feeding sessions at 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, or 3:30 PM. We caught the last session of the day and were so glad we did--missing it would have been a big disappointment! There are six seals in total (though I could only spot five), one being Leo, who was conceived and born at the aquarium. If you visit in 2025, you'll be able to see the seals in their new home, which will be three times larger than their current pool. Aside from the seals, there's not much else to see or do here. If you have extra time in Tromso, definitely come for the seals; otherwise, consider Polaria more of a quick stop rather than the main attraction.

A very small aquarium. We watched one of the movies they displayed however it was just clips of arctic birds with no information. The exhibits were interactive and interesting, but I was hoping to see more animals. There are a few small fish tanks and one tank of jelly fish which was cool. There is a seal pool and that was nice to see the seals swim around. Unfortunately we missed seal feeding, which would have likely been a treat.

Polaria was kind of disappointing. It's so small. With very little to see and do. The most exciting part was the seal feeding and training. But it did allow us to kill some time before leaving Tromso. It's in a nice location though.

I give this 4 stars mainly on value-for-money. It wasn't terribly expensive, it's in a good location, and it was really enjoyable for the 90 minutes or so I spent there. For me, it was afternoon filler, not a major destination. And I'd put it low on your priority list. If you have 3 days in Tromsø, you should definitely include it. But if you need to cut something this would be easy to skip. The various aquaria are really neat. They have several kinds I've never seen anywhere else: - several dome-shaped spheres where you put your head up and look up into the bottom of an aquarium. - a convex sphere that acts as a magnifying glass on an aquarium full of shrimp - a tube-like alcove for taking a "sealfie" with the seals in their pool They also have a petting pool full of little things you can touch. It's a great, very engaging aquarium. It's just a bit small. Unless you really read every word and watch every film, you can do it in 90 minutes.

P erfect little spot to spend a couple hours. O nly a brief walk from the main city centre L iked the different films and small pools. A rrange to go at the seals' feeding time! R eally fun to see their tricks up close :D I enjoyed chatting with the trainers after A nd learned much about the

They have a very large seal tank with 4 seals. The tank is well designed offering you many different views from below, to the side, and above water. I was lucky enough to time it around their feeding/training time. Four trainers come out and work one-on-one with each seal to do tricks to earn food. The tricks are meant to stimulate the seals and provide a happier environment, it's not just for tourist entertainment. What's rough is that all four seals are doing their training at the same time, so there's a little too much going on and you can't follow each trick. Other than the seal tank, there were only a few other small aquariums with fish or crabs or plants. The movie on the northern lights was at most 10 minutes and nothing exciting. There were a few exhibits about global warming but they weren't very engaging. There was a small tidepool aquarium where you were allowed to touch the sea plants, but the adjacent paper towel and antibacterial handwash container were both empty. I love zoos and aquariums, and this was a complete disappointment. Cost was 130 NOK per adult - about $16 Even with one video, the full seal feeding, and wandering around I was in and out within an hour.

If you're looking for something to keep you busy during the day while you wait to embark on your evening Northern Lights tours, I recommend this little place. And considering this is the Northernmost Aquarium in the World, well that's a pretty cool thing not to be ignored. Polaria is great for kids since they do a show every few hours of feeding the seals and if the day turns rainy then this is a great place to learn about the surrounding area, the Artic without getting wet or cold. There is an area where kids can actually have a hands on experience and learn about snow, ice and the polar environment. Very educational. Overall, a nice aquarium good for a few hours of your time in Tromso.

I thought this was a solid museum - especially for the location. Our daughter enjoyed her time. It was an educational stop and worthwhile if you are in Tromsø.