The northern lights are a major tourist attraction for Scandinavia in the months between September and April. Interest has multiplied since advances in photography and the popularity of image-based social media platforms have led to far more people discovering the wonders of the aurora than ever before.
People travel from all across the world to Scandinavia to see the lights. Prior to the travel disruption of 2020-22, the numbers of international visitors coming to the region to see the northern lights had increased for several consecutive years.
Head to the north
Destinations in the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland compete for the lucrative business of aurora hunters by claiming their location is Europe's best. In reality, the entire region is ideally-placed when there is a medium-to-strong forecast.
That’s because that during the winter, the sun doesn't rise for several weeks. It’s far from dark all day, but the long winter nights give northern lights hunters far more time to catch a glimpse of the dancing green lights than at other times of the year and in other locations.
The biggest difference-makers are to be far away from the artificial light of built-up areas and to find cloudless skies. Coastal areas are often cloudier, which gives the edge to inland areas. The downside to that is that temperatures plummet as you head inland. As such, many aurora seekers choose to stay in a coastal town and travel inland on a tour or with their own transport in the evenings.
Tromsø, Norway
As the biggest city in northern Norway, Tromsø tops the list for an aurora trip in Norway.
Not only are there many options for guided aurora hunting tours, other attractions such as the cable car, Arctic Cathedral, numerous galleries and husky-pulled sled rides will ensure an entertaining trip even if the lights don’t come out to play.
While getting away from artificial light is recommended, a strong display can often be seen from the city streets. If a strong display is forecast, head up to Storsteinen on the Fjellheisen cable car for a memorable view even before the lights appear. Wrap up warm as the winds up here can be bone-chilling even on mild evenings.
The city also offers the opportunity to visit the planetarium at the Science Center of Northern Norway to find out more about the science behind the northern lights.
Other popular destinations in northern Norway include Alta, Senja and the Lofoten islands.
Svalbard
From late October to mid-February the sun stays below the horizon in the Svalbard archipelago. From mid-November to the end of January, the islands’ biggest community Longyearbyen is in complete darkness aside from moonlight.
However, Svalbard is so far north that the optimum place to see the northern lights is actually a little farther south! But because of the low level of artificial light and 24-hour darkness in November, December and January, Svalbard remains a great choice to see a display.
Kiruna, Sweden
As the country’s biggest city in the north, Kiruna is a good option for hunting the northern lights in Sweden. There’s plenty of other things to do in the daytime from ice fishing to guided tours of the world’s biggest iron ore mine.
As in Tromsø, Kiruna offers a diverse range of guided northern lights tours including the option to join skiing, dogsled or snowmobile tours.
Aurora Sky Station, Sweden
60 miles west of Kiruna deep in Abisko National Park, the Aurora Sky Station is well away from artificial light and far from the cloudy coastline giving ideal conditions for spotting the aurora. The company claims a 70% success rate on nights when the station is open.
The station features a large outdoor terrace and a lookout tower together with a restaurant serving Nordic cuisine to keep you occupied while you wait for the lights.
It’s a challenging place to get to for independent travelers, so the station offers shuttle transport from Kiruna and also from Narvik in Norway.
Elsewhere in the Nordic region
For those who want to maximise their chances of a display, the incredible glass igloos at northern Finland's Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort allow visitors to wait in comfort.
Iceland is the one Nordic country from where it’s possible to see a display pretty much anywhere in the country on a fairly regular basis. The entire island lies within the visible zone for the aurora even when the forecast is relatively low.
The cultural attractions of the capital city Reykjavik make for a great choice of base, although you’ll still need to travel away from the city lights in the evenings unless the forecast is strong.
Finally, you could also consider Greenland. Given the expense of getting there it’s perhaps not the best choice just to see the northern lights. But if you’re heading to Greenland to enjoy the incredible landscape and diverse outdoor activities, the opportunity to see the northern lights could be the icing on the cake.
When to see the northern lights in Scandinavia
The northern lights season when it’s dark enough to see the lights runs from September to early April. Outside these times, the lights are still there but daylight renders them invisible.
From November to January, it’s dark from mid-afternoon onwards in the places mentioned above. This extends the possible viewing hours, but it's also the time of the year with a good chance of cloudy skies. Because of this, September-October and February-March are generally considered the “high seasons” among aurora chasers.
Since a sighting relies on many variables, planning an aurora-chasing vacation is all about maximizing probabilities. The space weather forecast gives a great indication of upcoming solar storms, which trigger the best aurora displays.
Unfortunately, these are only available with any great accuracy for 48-72 hours in advance. But that does mean if you plan a trip over several days, you should be able to pick the best evening for your aurora hunt at the last minute. This will work best when you have your own transport, as guided tours may be sold out.
