Living in London, I spend most of the winter fantasizing about the sun on my skin, pleasant swims in the sea and the carefree mood that relaxes even the most tense urbanites.

When spring arrives, I’m usually planning a getaway with maximum sunshine, beautiful beaches and great food, ideally somewhere in the Mediterranean, like France or Greece.

But when London hit a record 95°F in June, I was shocked. Instead of seeking more warmth, I booked a trip to Norway’s third largest city, Trondheim, for my first “cold vacation.”

As a committed sun seeker, I was skeptical that swapping SPF 50 for a down jacket could deliver the vacation I’d become routine. Fortunately, what I found challenged my prejudices.

Trading sunsets for the midnight sun

I visited Scandinavian cities like Gothenburg and Helsinki in winter, snow-covered and eerily dark, the version most people imagine. This was my first time in the region in the middle of summer. I arrived on June 17, just before the summer solstice.

I was not prepared for the “white nights” phenomenon. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Trondheim never gets dark this time of year. On my first night, I left a candlelit basement restaurant around 11pm and emerged into a blue sky and bright sun.

Throughout my four-day visit, I never quite adjusted. Every night before going to bed I looked outside, half expecting it to get dark; It never arrived.

Norwegians make the most of every hour of summer light. With days that last well into the night and quickly fade again after August, the city vibrates with a strange, almost nocturnal energy. Bars and restaurants stay busy late and blackout curtains are a necessity: without them, you’re at the mercy of the midnight sun.

I saw the city through the eyes of a local.

On most summer vacations, I come home rested, tanned, and not knowing much about the place itself. This time, however, I knew I could sightsee without the FOMO.

Trondheim, about 300 miles north of Oslo, is compact and easy to navigate on foot, making it ideal for slower exploration.

I took a walking tour with a local and stopped at places I probably would have missed on my own, including the Trondheim Folkebibliotek, a library built on the ruins of a 12th-century church, and the Sellanraa cafe. Norwegians are the second most coffee-drinking country per capita in the world, after Finland, so it seemed rude not to try their excellent coffee culture.

Even in the drizzle, the painted wooden houses and warehouses lining the promenade retained their charm. Near the old town, my guide pointed out the world’s only bicycle escalator, a detail that seemed in keeping with the city.

Trondheim also has a thriving cultural scene, with contemporary galleries such as Kunsthall Trondheim and PoMo, which had just closed a Louise Bourgeois exhibition.

The highlight of my trip was a visit to Nidaros Cathedral, a massive Gothic structure with one of the largest church organs in northern Europe – a mere 9,600 pipes. From its deep purple stained glass windows to the countless saints, apostles, bishops, and Old Testament figures carved into its façade, the cathedral demanded my attention at all times. I saw a statue holding a basket with decapitated heads, a reminder of Trondheim’s Viking history.

Feeling the heat of a traditional Norwegian sauna

Aside from a day of rain, Trondheim was hovering around 66°F during my visit, a welcome relief after London’s oven. It turned out that the cooler air relaxed me. Still, I wasn’t going to leave without seeking out that Scandinavian medicinal heat.

I booked a session at a self-service sauna and arrived just as a cruise ship arrived. Trondheim is located on Trondheimsfjorden, Norway’s third longest fjord, making it a popular stop for cruise ships.

As the tourists passed by, I settled in for a few quiet hours, alternating between the wood-fired sauna and soaking in the invigorating seawater. For a certified sun hunter, it was a perfectly dosed heatstroke.

Last year, luxury travel network Virtuoso reported that bookings for cooler European destinations were up 263% year-over-year. In its latest Luxe Report, the company says that “staying cool is still warm,” with Norway, Iceland and Antarctica topping its list of rising destinations.

I found it a special time to be in Trondheim and introduced me to new principles of travel: move slower, be more curious, and let go of the “good” weather. It’s a version of a summer vacation that I hadn’t considered before, but would choose again, especially as summers in many cities become hotter and more unpredictable.