Downtown Bodo Tour: A Meander Through the Pearl of Northern Norway

(45 reviews)

Bodø audio tour: Downtown Bodo Tour: A Meander Through the Pearl of Northern Norway

This is a 1.5mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Bodø

Norway

$8.99

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About the Tour

Once a remote port with only 55 registered residents in 1816, Bodo rose to international fame less than a hundred years later when a smuggling fiasco in the small town became the catalyst that dissolved Norway’s union with Sweden. Join me on this walking tour where you’ll see the city’s main attractions and hear its sometimes controversial history.

You’ll make your way through the city’s downtown area to a jetty that’ll give you a clear view of the small but important Nyholmen Skandse fortress, located in the middle of the port. Along the way, you’ll see where Soviet spy, Selmer Nilsen, hid in the Norrona hotel to monitor aviation traffic during the Cold War. It was during this tense period that Krushchev threatened to obliterate Bodo after American pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured while flying through Soviet territory en route to the city.

It’s not all doom and gloom on this tour. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit Bodo cathedral where, if you’re lucky, you’ll hear the carillon chiming, and to stroll down the glass-covered Glasshuset shopping street. I’ll tell you about the majestic Norwegian coastliner, the Gamle Salten and show you the city’s beloved Stormen Concert Hall.

You’ll hear the answers to questions like:

Who was Anna Benoni, what was her motto, and why is there a park dedicated to her?
How did a lucky lunch break save the port manager, Ragnar Tonder, from a fire aboard the M.S Erling Jarl?
Why is the city’s concert hall called Stormen and which famous performances have been held there?
How are the Norwegian delicacies Sursild and Stockfish made?
Where can you buy fresh shrimp in Bodo?
Why did the artist Tony Cragg place his untitled sculptures along a dock on the edge of the Norwegian sea?

So join me for this one-hour stroll as I lead you through the highs and lows of Bodo’s hidden history. Or, take your time to savour the local secrets that I’ll point out along our route.

Tour Producer

Stormposten Lars Engerengen

31 tours

In the northern reaches of Europe, amidst the crisp air and breathtaking landscapes, resides an Arctic storyteller whose words weave magic into the frozen silence. Meet Lars Engerengen, a passionate narrator of the Arctic wilderness, a voice that carries the echoes of history and the whispers of untamed nature.

Living beneath the shimmering Northern Lights and the endless glow of the Midnight Sun, Lars discovered his fascination for the Arctic’s lore in childhood. Nights spent listening to age-old tales by the fireside sparked a curiosity that would shape his life’s journey. That spark grew into a flame as he ventured across icy tundras, sailed through fjords, and trekked along snow-laden paths, collecting stories etched into the land and its people.

His storytelling is more than words—it is an immersive experience. With a voice that soothes and inspires, Lars transports listeners to remote landscapes where ancient myths meet modern realities. Through his narratives, one feels the biting wind, hears the crunch of snow underfoot, and senses the resilience of those who carved out life in this harsh yet beautiful region.

Lars doesn't tell you everything, but he tells you enough to pique your curiosity. Enough to make you want to learn more. Enough to make you want to stay a while longer.

Join Lars on a journey beyond the ordinary—a voyage into the soul of the Arctic. Each tale is an invitation to explore a world where nature reigns supreme, and history lingers in every frozen breath. Step into the story, and let the Arctic speak through him.

Preview Location

Location 22

The spy in Hotel Norrøna

When you've walked past the Stormen, and see the Radisson Hotel on your left, please make a stop. When you stop, look between those two buildings. Behind the hotel, you will see an old building – that is the former Norrøna Hotel.

There were a number of spies who passed thr... When you've walked past the Stormen, and see the Radisson Hotel on your left, please make a stop. When you stop, look between those two buildings. Behind the hotel, you will see an old building – that is the former Norrøna Hotel.

There were a number of spies who passed through Bodø and one had his base here, at the Norrøna. Selmer Nilsen was a young Norwegian from Bakfjord in the Finnmark region of Norway. He carried out espionage for the benefit of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. When he was 16 he was conscripted by the KGB and he remained an active spy for 19 years.

Nilsen was recruited in 1948. His family had been in contact with Soviet agents during and after the Second World War. Among others, two of his older brothers had been in the Soviet Union during the war, with the intention of training to be spies against the German troops who occupied Finnmark. After the war, he was forced against his own will, and that of his family, to collaborate with the Russians. For context, one should remember that the people of Finnmark had a deep-rooted perception of the Russians as liberators after 1944. Similarly, centuries of Pomor trade had created a good relationship between them and their Russian neighbours.

Pomorhandel, or Russian trade, was trade done by Russian merchants around the White Sea area in Northern Norway. It happened in the 18th century up until 1917. The Russian word Pomor means "by the sea" and is used as a term for a sailor from the north. This type of trade took place over large parts of the coastal and fjord areas in Northern Norway. Fish and grain were the main traded goods. Today, the city of Arkhangelsk is the capital of the Pomors and it had its own Pomor University.

Let's start walking again. Continue in the same direction, and after veering slightly to the right - keep following the marina.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Selmer Nilsen was active in the area around Bodø. One of his missions was to keep Bodø Airport under surveillance and track the movements of American U-2 spy planes. These aircraft landed in Bodø to refuel several times during the Cold War period. Nilsen claimed that he had the airport under surveillance from Rønnvikhaugen – a lofty lookout point in the area - on the 1st of May 1960. It was soon afterwards that news spread that a plane that had been shot down over the Soviet Union, and that the pilot had been captured after an emergency ejection. That pilot was Francis Gary Powers and I'll tell you more about him soon.

Keep walking along next to the water. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Tønder Bay
Tony Cragg's untitled sculptures in Bodø
Nsb Bodø Stasjon
Anna Benoni-parken
Glasshuset
Bodø domkirke
Bodø rådhus
Toldkammer
Bodø Public library
Stormen Concert Hall
Nyholms Fort
Rådhusparken
Professor Schyttes gate
Gamle Salten

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Jernbaneveien 99, 8006 Bodø, Norway
Total distance

2km
Final location
Moloveien 10, 8003 Bodø, Norway
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts outside the main entrance to the Bodo railway station. You can reach it by foot, bus or car...and of course by train.

Bodø stasjon, Jernbaneveien 99, 8006 Bodø, Norway

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

You are walking through the city centre, so there are several possibilities to stop along the way. You will pass three nice parks, and also go through a shopping center with cafes, so it is quite easy to take a rest whenever you feel like it.

Best time of day

All day - all year. You can choose for your self.

Precautions

Bodø is a windy city, so hold onto your hat. Otherwise, no special precautions are needed.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”