Trondheim: Day Trips to Røros, Stiklestad
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Trondheim itself is honestly a two-day city. Once you’ve done Nidaros and Bakklandet, the two trips that actually earn a full day out are Røros, the UNESCO-listed copper-mining town, and Stiklestad, the site of the battle that killed St. Olav and made Nidaros a pilgrimage destination in the first place. A third, much shorter option, the village of Hell, is a novelty stop rather than a real day trip.
Røros: the UNESCO site Trondheim itself doesn’t have
Trondheim has no UNESCO World Heritage Site inside city limits, whatever a tour listing implies. Røros, a former copper-mining town founded in 1644 about 2.5 hours southeast by car or by the scenic Rørosbanen train, does carry the designation, as one of Europe’s best-preserved wooden towns. Guided tours run through the old Olavsgruva mine, and the town has a solid local-food reputation of its own. It’s a genuine day trip, but comfortably an overnight if you want a relaxed pace rather than a there-and-back dash. Check Røros train times before committing to a single-day version of this trip.
Stiklestad: where the cathedral’s whole story starts
About 90km, roughly 1.5 hours, north of Trondheim by car, Stiklestad is where St. Olav (King Olav II Haraldsson) died in battle on 29 July 1030, a death that made Nidaros one of medieval Europe’s four great pilgrimage destinations alongside Rome, Jerusalem, and Santiago de Compostela. The Stiklestad National Cultural Centre covers the battle with dioramas and a short film, sits beside the 1180 Stiklestad Church, and runs a 30-building folk museum plus a summer medieval-themed program. It pairs directly with a Nidaros Cathedral visit, filling in the backstory the cathedral itself only gestures at.
Hell: a ten-minute novelty, not a destination
A small village about 30km, 35 minutes, northeast of Trondheim by local train toward the airport, Hell is famous purely for its name. Visitors photograph the station sign and the adjacent “Gods Expedition” freight sign; there’s genuinely little else to see. It works best combined with an airport transfer rather than as a dedicated trip.
Trondheimsfjord: worth a boat trip, not a fjord-cruise base
The Trondheimsfjord is broad and gentle, not the dramatic steep-walled fjord scenery of Norway’s west coast, so don’t book a Trondheim fjord cruise expecting Geiranger. It’s genuinely worth a shorter boat trip for birdlife, islands, and history (it’s the setting for Munkholmen), just framed honestly as a calmer landscape rather than a headline attraction.
| Day trip | Distance/time | Highlight | Best as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Røros | ~2.5hrs by car or train | UNESCO copper-mining town, Olavsgruva mine | Overnight for a relaxed pace |
| Stiklestad | ~90km, ~1.5hrs | 1030 battle site, National Cultural Centre | A dedicated day, pairs with Nidaros |
| Hell | ~30km, ~35min by train | The station sign | A 10-minute stop, not a full trip |
| Trondheimsfjord | Varies by tour | Birdlife, Munkholmen’s setting | A shorter boat trip, not a fjord-cruise substitute |
Read more: for how these trips slot into a longer stay, see the 4-day itinerary , which adds Røros, and the 3-day itinerary , which adds Stiklestad.
One concrete move: if you only have one day free, pick Stiklestad over Røros unless you’re specifically chasing the UNESCO listing. It’s closer, needs less driving, and connects directly to the cathedral you’ve already spent a morning in.