Autumn is officially here, which means that everyone thinking about visiting Norway is obsessing over one thing: seeing the Northern Lights!
Okay, maybe not everyone planning a visit to Norway this autumn/winter is thinking about the Northern Lights, but I think it’s safe to say that most people have hopes to see them here.
And that’s for good reason too – I can’t think of many experiences I’ve had that have been more magical than watching the Northern Lights dance above me. They’re definitely worth the time, expense, and cold to see them at least once in a lifetime.
That said, I know there can be a bit of confusion surrounding the Northern Lights and how to set off in search of them. Now, I’m not a Northern Lights expert by any means, but I hope I can at least help you avoid some of the most common mistakes I see people make when trying to see the Northern Lights in Norway.
Also, you can find my one week itinerary for chasing the Northern Lights in Norway here.
Staying too far south
I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve gotten from people telling me they’ve planned a trip to Oslo and/or Bergen this winter to see the fjords and Northern Lights.
I think because Norway has a small population people can forget that the country is actually huge! Or rather, really, really long. So all the gorgeous Northern Lights photos you see from Norway do not mean that you can see those views from anywhere in the country – you’re going to need to at least head north of the Arctic Circle for a good chance of seeing them.
And no, Trondheim is not far enough north. I feel like that misconception is partially my fault, as I wrote about seeing an amazing display of Northern Lights shortly after moving to Trondheim, but it’s actually quite rare to get to see the Northern Lights in Trondheim.
And I’m not the only one who’s excitedly shared Northern Lights photos from places that rarely get glimpses of them – you’ll see plenty of photos out there of the Northern Lights dancing over famous locations in southern Norway, but know that that is not the norm.
Even the local tourism board in my old town in the south loved to run an Instagram advert of a photo of the Northern Lights over Rauland, but the truth is I never saw them once in the three years I lived there. But now that I live in Northern Norway I usually see the Northern Lights at least once a week in the winter.
So head north! Because yes, if you want to see the Northern Lights, Norway is a good place to visit, but only if you’re far enough North. If you want a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights, you’ll want to go at least as far north as Bodø.
Also, be aware that the Arctic Circle is quite a long journey from Oslo or Bergen – it’s a 16+ hour drive from Oslo or a 19-hour train ride. So if you’re on a tight schedule but have your heart set on seeing the aurora borealis in Norway it might be best to fly!
Visiting for too short a time
As I already mentioned, the Arctic Circle is really far from Oslo and Bergen, so make sure to factor time in your trip to actually get up there. There are plenty of cheap flights north, or you could take the train to Bodø (or through Sweden to Narvik), but the train line doesn’t go all the way up to Tromsø.
And you’ll also want to stay as long as possible in the north so that you actually get a chance to see the Northern Lights! The lights themselves are unpredictable, but the biggest challenge you’ll face when trying to see them is probably the weather.
Ideally, you’ll want to have time to either wait out bad weather or get away from it. I would try to at least have 4 days in the north (though I spent 7 days in Lofoten and never saw them).
Not packing the right clothing
Hanging out outside on a dark winter’s night is not always the most pleasant experience, but you just know that as soon as you go inside to warm up the aurora will make a quick appearance!
So it’s best to be prepared to wait out in the cold. I’ve written a guide to what to pack for winter in Norway, but basically, I would say the most important thing of all is to have warm footwear (I personally love my Sorel boots).
Not choosing the best time to see the Northern Lights in Norway
Okay, so most people know that they shouldn’t plan their Northern Lights trip for the middle of summer when the sun never sets, but believe it or not, the best time to see Northern Lights in Norway is not necessarily the darkest time of the year.
The weather in November, December and January can be brutal, so a lot of people say that the best months to see the Northern Lights in Norway are late September, October, February, and March. Of course, that’s just a suggestion, as the weather here will always be unpredictable, but if you want to optimize your chances I’d say that’s the best time to visit Norway for Northern Lights.
Also, with the way the aurora oval is positioned, generally you’ll have the highest chance of seeing the Northern Lights at night. I usually always see them after at least 7 pm. So visiting Norway in December when it’s dark all day won’t necessarily increase you’re chances, as it’s not that likely you’ll see the Northern Lights at 3 in the afternoon anyway.
Booking (or not booking) a Northern Lights tour
Oh my goodness, I’ve heard so much confusion over whether or not to book a Northern Lights tour!
Do you need to take a tour to see the Northern Lights?
Should you book a tour for every night you’re in the north?
What kind of Norway aurora tour should you book?
And the questions go on.
First of all, if the aurora is dancing brightly you’ll be able to see it even from a city center (plus you’ll always be able to get away from bright lights in Norwegian cities by heading to the parks). So if the weather and aurora forecast are good, you won’t need to take a tour to see the Northern lights.
But it can still be worth signing up for a tour.
Look for a tour with a really good success rate, where the guides will do everything in their ability to help you get a glimpse of the aurora. You’ll want a tour where if the weather isn’t cooperating, they’ll drive you somewhere where it is.
Some tours will also teach you how to photograph the lights (some will even lend you fancy camera equipment!), and usually, guides will do their best to entertain you, so the tour will be a fun experience even if you’re really unlucky and don’t see the Northern Lights.
And it’s an added bonus if you can find a tour that lets you cancel up to 24 hours in advance, in case you just know the weather is going to be awful.
I would definitely try to book through a trusted tour site like Get Your Guide or Viator because even in Norway some newer companies could try to scam you. I can recommend this popular Northern Lights tour in Tromsø, as well as this Northern Lights tour in Lofoten, this aurora tour in Tromsø, and this unique overnight tour in Tromsø.
Or if you’re really set on seeing the Northern Lights, consider this 7-day Aurora Pass, which gives you a full week of Northern Lights tours from Tromsø for the very best chance of getting to see them.
But really anything on Get Your Guide or Viator should be good!
Click here to check tour prices and availability on Get Your Guide
on my Northern Lights photography tour
Staying in Norway
Please don’t tell any Norwegians that I’m betraying my country like this, but when people ask me for the best place to see the Northern Lights in Norway I always end up sending them to Sweden instead!
Like I said earlier, the biggest obstacle in seeing the Northern Lights will be the weather, so if you really want the best chance of seeing them you’ll want to go somewhere where the weather pretty much always cooperates. And that place is Abisko, Sweden.
I’ve written an entire blog post about why Abisko is the best place in Europe to see the Northern Lights, but basically, due to its location between a lake and mountains, the clouds have a tendency of pulling apart, if perhaps just briefly, even during the worst of weather.
I saw this lights display in the middle of a snowstorm in Abisko (which is why I wasn’t waiting somewhere more photogenic than the bus depot where my friend’s camper was parked):
So if your main aim is to see the Northern Lights, go to Abisko.
Abisko is also a really good budget option for seeing the lights. You can get either a sleeping berth on a train or a flight from Stockholm for around $100 one-way, there are hostel options in Abisko, and there are so few lights in Abisko that you won’t need to take a tour to see the aurora. Plus Sweden is just generally cheaper than Norway.
I’ve written a complete post on how to plan a Northern Lights trip to Abisko on a budget here.
Or if you can’t find good accommodation in Abisko, I absolutely LOVED my stay at this Airbnb in Kiruna, where you can stay with huskies! I’ve written more about my experience at the husky Airbnb here.
Of course, the downside of planning a Northern Lights trip to Sweden instead of Norway is that Sweden is simply not as lovely as Norway. Places like Tromsø and Lofoten are going to blow your mind regardless of whether you see the Northern Lights.
I recently spent four days on Senja and Dyrøy, which are near Tromsø, and it was seriously one of the best trips of my life, regardless of the Northern Lights. But I was lucky and actually ended up seeing the Northern Lights every night!
I can highly recommend both places for a Northern Lights trip, especially as they’re away from city lights like Tromsø, and generally have better weather than Lofoten. Read about Senja here, and read about Dyrøy here.
Or you could visit both Sweden and Norway! You can get the train from Abisko to Narvik in Norway, and then get a bus from Narvik to Senja, Dyrøy, Lofoten or Tromsø if you want!
I recently did a trip like this that included Abisko, Kiruna, Narvik, Vesterålen, and Lofoten. You can see my exact one week itinerary for arctic Norway and Sweden here.
For where to stay in Abisko, check out Airbnb. There are plenty of places where you’ll be able to see the Northern lights, such as this 4-bed apartment in Björkliden, this cosy mountain apartment in Riksgränsen, and this cottage with 360 views. And if this is your first time using Airbnb you can get a discount by signing up here.
Not planning other activities and excursions
If you don’t want to set yourself up for disappointment, please, please don’t make your trip solely about seeing the Northern Lights!
Instead try to fill your days with other fun activities so that even if you have terrible luck with the Northern Lights you’ll still have had an amazing time.
The Arctic has so much more to offer than the Aurora, so take advantage of being up there!
Again, Viator and Get Your Guide both have tons of fun options for things to do in the Arctic.
I’ve written an article on fun things to do on a Northern Lights trip besides seeing the Northern Lights here and a guide on how to plan an amazing Lofoten trip here.
Anyone have any tips to add? Please share in the comments!
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I’d also say that if seeing the lights is your dream, you should try to do it sooner rather than later: apparently there’ll be a decline in solar flares in the coming years, so if you put it off for a few years, you might end up with much less opportunity to see them.
Applying that to my own life, I guess I should revisit Tromsø next autumn/winter! I won’t make it this year, but my boyfriend was in Tromsø for the first time last week, and he was lucky enough to just see the lights from the city! I envy him…
Btw, ‘sleeping birth’ made me smile but does need an e instead of an i :).
Haha that is a funny typo – thanks for the catch! And your lucky boyfriend – next time you will need to go with him!
It’s interesting that you say that Oslo and Trondheim aren’t far north enough to see the northern lights! I live in a small town in Northern Alberta, Canada and I see them quite vibrantly a few times a week. I looked up the longitude and were quite a bit further south than the two Norwegian cities but because I work night shoft often about 30km out of town there might be less light pollution here? …or we’re just very lucky! Haha
I really love your posts about Norway, its one of my top must-see destinations!
I think it’s actually because the aurora oval isn’t centered on the North Pole, but is instead centered closer to Canada, which is why you can see the Northern Lights farther south in North America than in Europe. At least that’s what I’ve been told – I can’t promise it’s true, haha.
So best time to visit is Oct for those who can’t take harsh cold to see the northern lights?And Tromso is a good place to stay to see the lights?
wow, so nice
Visit Oslo posted some northern light photos last week and I was wondering that how often you can really see them in the capital. I live myself in Helsinki. I have seen them only once here. It was very strong that time. Anyway there was so much city lights that it was hard to see them.
Haha yeah, it’s incredibly rare to see them from Oslo – but I guess that’s a reason why people expect that they’ll be able to see them there.
Before I visited Iceland in September 2016, we were told that there was a very slim chance of experiencing the Aurora. But out of the 5 nights we were there, we experienced the Northern Lights 4 times. It was absolutely incredible – I think the biggest mistake people make once they actually see the lights, is that they think they’re going to be able to capture it with an iPhone! You definitely need a reasonable DSLR to photograph it! You gave some great tips XX
Haha that’s true – even with a DSLR you have to know a lot to get good shots! Sounds like you guys were incredibly lucky!
I believe there is an app now u can download specifically for aurora shooting
I’m incredible late to the game and only see this post right now, urgh!! Anyway, yes, yes, yes to all of this!! The amount of times I hear people say that they’ve booked a trip to see the lights at Christmas time and I’m just like, noooo – you couldn’t have chosen a worse time 😀
Anyway, thanks so much for the shout-out 🙂
Hello Vanessa!
I´ve just started to plan a trip to northern norway – and of course, hopping to see the Northern Lights! – but unfortunately, I am only free to travel from mid December to mid January! I´ve just found your comment that Christmas time is not the best time to see the northern lights, why is that? Would you say that early January is a much better deal?
Thank you for your help! 🙂
Great article. Norway is my favorite country from Scandinavian group. I like the nature there. My dream is to see the Northern Light and that is why I am so thankful that I read this article first. Now I know that I should travel to Sweden to see it 🙂
I’ve heard from friends of mine that West Norway is the most beautiful part of the country. Is it really so?
Western Norway is my favorite part of Norway, though I’ve heard some people say the Arctic is the most beautiful! And yes, definitely head to Abisko if you want to see the Northern Lights.
Nice
This article is wonderful. and thank you for sharing Northern lights best time to go.
Hi,
Thank you for all the fab information. My husband and I are playing in staying in Oslo for 4 nights in December. We have seen the northern lights in Iceland but hoped to catch them again. So can you just go to say Tromso for the day or is that not achievable?
Such a great post. I am a deep “all thins scandinavian” enthusiast and lover. I have been last year to the 5 scandinavian Capitals plus Bergen and Flam, and my prior love got even bigger. We are heading now in late october and early november to the Lapland. Our plan would be Rovaniemi, Kiruna, Tromso and Lofoten. Arriving to helsinki and returning from trondheim. Yes, of course we would like to see the Northern Lights, but you have to be prepared for something else. I was maybe now thinking og going to Abisko instead of Kiruna. That sounds good. Or staying in Kiruna and going to Abisko at nights its a good idea too? Whats prettier or have more things to do? Thanks for the help, and would appreciate your answer.
Hm there are more things to do in Kiruna, but your chances of seeing the lights are much higher in Abisko, and I find the surrounding countryside there prettier.
Dont tell me that… I have just booked 3 nights in Kiruna instead of Abisko for November… Is there a way to go to Abisko for the aurora and get back to kiruna in the same nigh? Hope I have made a good choice….
I will spend 10 days in early november between Rovaniemi, Kiruna, Tromso and the Lofoten Islands. Y should have chances of seeing Northern Lights I assume, right? Please, tell me that I will… 🙂
Having read about Sweden being the best opportunity of seeing the Aurora, and November not being an ideal time weatherwise, my wife and I have booked a Hurtigruten cruise in mid November this year, which takes us well north of the Arctic Circle, beyond the Cape and up towards Kirkenes and brings in place such as Bodo , Tromso and The Lofoten Islands. Despite the comments about November weather, Hurtigruten are obviously confident in seeing the Aurora during the cruise as it offers a free cruise if they don’t appear…. obviously passengers get a wakeup call which they have to respond to, but the implication is the Aurora would be expected to appear. Any comments on that ??
If they’re willing to offer you a refund it seems like a good deal!
Hi. Hurtigrutem don’t offer a refund if The Aurora doesn’t appear , but will offer a free cruise ….. whatever, for that offer they must be pretty confident….. But the advice about not making it you trip priority is very sensible. To want to go all that way and spend a lot of money, common sense says you need to have other experiences in mind …. If people are that desperate, local airports offer a day trip to see them …. me, I’m looking forward to seeing places I’ve previously cruised to in summer, in the winter clothing….. and there will be numerous opportunities for tours ashore – I’ve 2 husky sled rides booked in Tromso and Kirkenes…. no trip is perfect, you have to make the trip the way you want it… .
Planning a cruise in July 2018 from Bergen to Geiranger, Kristiansund, Tromso and Nord Kapp then to UK. Will we have any chance of witnessing the n/lights? And the best location and time. Enjoy reading your posts.
It will be light all night in July so no, you won’t be able to see the Northern Lights.
I have my trip planned out from the beginning; Tromso, Abisko, Jukkasjarvi, and maybe even Rovaniemi. Early February for 10 to 12 days. I still have Stockholm, and Gothenburg in there.
Hi,
I am planning for a trip to Europe in November 1st week for 4-5 days, just to experience the Northern Lights. Which place do you suggest will give me the maximum chance to see the lights?
This would give you the best chance: https://www.heartmybackpack.com/blog/best-northern-lights-europe-abisko/
Hi Silvia,
I am planning a trip from india to see northern lights. If i have to choose between tromso and abisko what will you suggest. As i am coming from this far i would like to include some other european countries as well..any suggestions ?
Could you please recommend me any place in Norway where could catch Northern Light on late November?
Amazing tips, Silvia! Thank you for sharing!
So many friends and fellow travelers already told us how important it is to choose a destination that offers more activities than just the northern lights.
We are now a step closer to our decision where to head for our aurora borealis experience!
Lots of Love,
Julia & Berni from thebackpackway.com
Do you think we’ll have a chance to catch the lights in mid April either in Tromso or Sweden? Looking into taking my children.
BTW your article was very informative thank you.
Hi Silvia,
I was browsing for my next year trip, for Northern lights which is probably for the first time and here I am, across your blog. I must say, you have absolutely and undeniably captured my attention and devotion to see Northern lights by any means necessary.
You have beautifully explained everything and so so thank you for the tour guide references and I just wanted to thank you, please keep posting. People out there need a travel guidelines and you just made it peanuts.
Much Love,
Fariha
Instagram ID: farihaayan
You can’t plan for weather when booking a trip- but check the moon phases! A full moon is really bright and will seriously affect the visibility of the northern lights. And your photos… I saw the lights last night, but they were barely visible due to the full moon.
Nice tips! Thanks for sharing.