4 Best Day Trips from Trondheim

September 2, 2026

Once you’ve covered Nidaros Cathedral and Bakklandet, Trondheim itself is honestly a compact 2-day city, so a longer stay is best spent on one of these 4 day trips.

1. Stiklestad: the St. Olav battle site

About 90km, roughly 1.5 hours, north of Trondheim by car, Stiklestad is where St. Olav (King Olav II Haraldsson) fell in battle on 29 July 1030, an event that directly shaped Nidaros Cathedral’s role as his shrine. The Stiklestad National Cultural Centre covers the battle with dioramas and a short film, alongside the 1180 Stiklestad Church and a folk museum of 30 historic buildings. It pairs naturally with the cathedral’s own backstory, so it’s worth doing after, not before, you’ve seen Nidaros.

2. Røros: Trondheim’s nearest UNESCO site

Trondheim itself has no UNESCO World Heritage Site, but Røros, a former copper-mining town about 2.5 hours away by car or by the scenic Rørosbanen train, does. It’s one of Europe’s best-preserved wooden towns, with guided tours of the old Olavsgruva mine and a strong local-food reputation. The distance makes it a genuinely long single day, more comfortably an overnight if you want an unhurried pace, so budget accordingly.

3. Hell: a 10-minute novelty stop

Hell is a small village about 30km, roughly 35 minutes, northeast of Trondheim by local train, on the line toward the airport at Værnes. Its only real draw is its name: visitors photograph the “Hell” station sign and the adjacent “Gods Expedition” freight sign. It’s not a destination with actual sightseeing, more a quick stop worth about 10 minutes, but it combines easily with an airport transfer or a Stiklestad trip on the same line.

4. Munkholmen: a half-day rather than a full one

Technically inside the city’s own fjord, Munkholmen still functions like a mini day trip: a short summer ferry from the Ravnkloa fish market (roughly NOK 95, verify, running May or June through August or September) reaches an island with monastic ruins, old fortifications, a beach, and a restaurant. Budget half a day rather than a full one, it’s close enough to combine with a morning at the cathedral.

Planning notes

Stiklestad and Hell work well as single-day additions to a Trondheim-based itinerary. Røros is the one to plan carefully, treat it as a full day at minimum, and consider an overnight if your schedule allows. None of these require a rental car if you’re comfortable with trains and organized tours, though a car gives you more flexibility for Stiklestad and Røros.

For a full trip that builds these in around the city’s own sights, see our 5-day itinerary , which dedicates a full day to Røros.