Polaria: Arctic Aquarium and Seal Feeding Entry Ticket

Polaria is Tromsø's Arctic experience centre, the building on the waterfront that looks like ice floes tipped against each other. Your ticket is valid all day on the date you pick: arrive when you like during opening hours, and if you miss a film or a feeding, step out and come back later.

The stars are the seals. Polaria is one of only two places in Europe where you can see bearded seals up close, and Bella, Mai San and Vlad share the pool with harbour seals and a ringed seal. The keepers feed and train them in front of visitors at 10:30, 12:30 and 15:30. In the aquarium you get close to wolf fish, king crabs, cod and small sharks, and staff run hands-on sessions at the touch tank with starfish and sea urchins.

The panoramic theatre shows three short films on a 21-metre screen: Svalbard: Arctic Wilderness (14 min), Northern Lights: A Wondrous Experience (9 min) and Behind the Scenes (11 min). Then explore the interactive exhibitions, built with scientists at the FRAM Centre in Tromsø, on how life in the sea and on land depend on each other and how the Arctic is changing.

Polaria is a five-minute walk along the quay from the Tourist Information, and buses 33, 34, 40 and 42 stop outside. Plan around two hours.