Our round-up of the best of the best:
The world’s greatest light show is Mother Nature’s own – the famous ‘Aurora Borealis’ – or more commonly known as the ‘Northern Lights’. It’s an extraordinary natural spectacle of ethereal shapes in shimmering colours, constantly forming and dissolving.
No wonder seeing them features on so many travel bucket lists.
If you haven’t already, see our round-up of the best places to see the Northern Lights. There is, however, no specific one best place or time to see them, even in these optimal destinations, so we recommend pairing it with another bucket list experience – a thrilling snow or husky dog sled ride, a cruise on the magnificent Norwegian fjords, or just lying bed in a luxury glass igloo – as part of a broader holiday adventure.
See below for our recommendations of other brilliant bucket list experiences in the world’s global hotspots, where you’re also likely to see the Northern Lights along the way.
Alaska, United States of America (USA)
Dazzling in its raw, remote beauty, Alaska is compelling for lovers of wildlife and the outdoors.
Visiting by ship allows for days on deck marvelling at pristine forests set against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
And with Alaska being in the Aurora Belt, your chances of seeing the Northern Lights in their full glory are excellent.
Best for ages: 13+ | Varies | Min 7 days
Western Norway, Norway
Endless skies, snow-capped mountains, sheer-sided fjords, ribbon-like waterfalls and emerald green meadows ablaze with wildflowers – all combine to make Norway’s Fjordland one of the world’s most beautiful and serene cruising routes.
The water is one of the best vantage points from which to admire the Northern Lights.
Best for ages: 10+ | Varies | 3-5 days
Norway
The 2,400km coastline between Bergen and Kirkenes is one of the world’s most dramatic – studded with astonishing fjords of geological grandeur, alpine mountains, and picturesque rural settlements.
Drift past snow-covered mountains and fjords by day, see the Northern Lights by night. Some cruise liners offer guaranteed sightings – or a free cruise.
Best for ages: 8+ | Varies | Min 5 days
Muoni, Lapland, Finland
Speeding over the tundral plains and through dense boreal forests of Lapland’s wilderness is one thing. Doing it on a sled pulled by husky dogs, with Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky, is special.
The Harriniva Hotel is the biggest, best and most authentic husky centre, offering short- and multi-day tours.
Official star rating:
Lapland, Finland
Snowmobiling at up to 100km/h is the high-octane way to experience the Arctic wilderness, allowing you to cover huge distances and get a feel for just how remote and vast the area is.
Opt for a multi-day camping-out adventure, where you’re almost guaranteed to see the Northern Lights, or a shorter ‘Aurora hunting’ snowmobile tour.
Best for ages: 15+ | £30
Russia
Golden Eagle offer (pricey) 12-day itineraries that start in Moscow, finish in St. Petersburg, and in between travel up to the Arctic Circle to specifically see the Northern Lights.
There are enticing (optional) excursions, including husky dog sledding, snowmobiling and Snow Castle stays, and a guest astronomer on board.
Best for ages: 18+ | £20,000 | 12 days
Harads, Norrbotten County, Sweden
If staying in a treehouse AND seeing the Aurora are both on your travel bucket list, then this is the place. Even if they’re not, go anyway. This extraordinary hotel in Swedish Lapland has 8 unique treehouses – including a UFO and a bird’s nest.
See the Aurora from your room, the jacuzzi or on special Northern Lights tours.
Official star rating:
Saariselka, Lapland, Finland
The iconic igloo has been used by generations of Inuit for shelter. Air pockets in the ice insulate the inside, while outside, temperatures plummet to -40°C. Unlike the indigenous Inuit people, you’ll be supplied with cold-reflecting thermal mats, reindeer furs and expedition-grade thermal sleeping bags.
When the walls start shimmering green, just crawl outside.
Best for ages: 13+ | £60 | 1 night
Yelowknife, Yukon, Canada
Centred under the so-called ‘Aurora Oval’ – the area of the atmosphere with the highest geomagnetic activity – the Yukon is North America’s Northern Lights capital, offering the most vibrant and frequent light displays anywhere.
It’s remote, though – if you make it, camp out in an Indian tepee at the Aurora Village in Yellowknife.
Best for ages: 4+ | £300 | 1+ nights
Reykjavik, Iceland
Iceland’s world-famous, steaming outdoor thermal baths need little introduction. Soak away in the striking black lava landscape, scooping up the white silica mud from the bottom of the pool to rub all over, and if you’re lucky, the show will begin…
Best for ages: 4+ | £35
Hella, Iceland
This character-filled hotel is the perfect base for exploring the volcanoes and glacial lagoons of southwest Iceland.
It’s also a great spot for Aurora watching; staff will wake you when/if it strikes, and turn off all the lights. There’s an on-site observatory, with multiple telescopes, for superb stargazing, and talks by a local astronomer.
Official star rating:
Harads, Lapland, Sweden
Wilderness really doesn’t get wilder, remoter or more pristine than this daring wellness resort in Swedish Lapland. Guests come for mindfulness, to reconnect with nature, for traditional treatments and to see the Northern Lights.
The absence of light pollution ensures viewing, from August to March, is nothing short of fantastic.
Official star rating:
Saariselka, Lapland, Finland
This brilliant resort is an outdoor adventure paradise, but is best known for its luxury glass ‘igloos’, constructed of thermal glass that functions like a two-way mirror – you can see out but no-one can see in.
Simply lay back in your thermal-blanketed bed and wait.
Official star rating:
Kemi, Lapland, Finland
The small town of Kemi in Lapland is in the heart of the Aurora Oval, meaning Northern Lights sightings are excellent. Take the chance to stay over in the famous ‘Snow Castle’, built there each winter with giant blocks of ice cut from the nearby frozen river.
There’s an alternative snow castle at Jukkasjarvi in Swedish Lapland too.
Best for ages: 13+ | £350
Laukvika, Northern Norway, Norway
This rural science centre provides both an excellent vantage point for viewing and informative lectures about the science of the lights.
It’s run by a friendly Dutch couple who man a collection of astronomic instruments that determine exactly when the Aurora is about to strike.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
An ‘astrotourism’ first, this private Boeing 737 offers you the chance to fly into the Northern Lights – on a special 3-hour flight. Take-off is from Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, conditional on a positive Aurora forecast.
It’s a multi-night package that includes guest speakers, cultural events and optional local tours.
Best for ages: 4+ | £500 | 3 hours
Abisko, Lapland, Sweden
This mountain-top observation station lays on an enticing evening for Northern Lights watching. After a 20-minute chairlift up from Abisko village, you’re treated to a four-course dinner inspired by Lapland and Nordic cuisine, and a guided tour.
Being 900m up, in the heart of the Aurora Oval, sightings are excellent.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
The phenomenon occurs when electrically-charged particles from the sun are carried in the solar wind to Earth, where they collide with gaseous particles in Earth’s atmosphere. The energy released from those collisions is emitted as billions of small sparks, creating the effect we see. It occurs on other planets too.
You can see the phenomenon in both polar regions – it’s known as the ‘Southern Lights’ (Aurora Australis) in the south. They form in these regions specifically because the earth’s magnetic field attracts the arriving electro-charged particles to the poles.
The viewing is better in the northern hemisphere (hence why no-one hunts the ‘Southern Lights’), and within the north, there’s a so-called ‘Aurora Belt’, between the Earth’s latitude parallels of 66° and 69°, where the phenomenon appears with the most intense light and greatest colour variations.
See our round-up of some of the best destinations to see the Northern Lights. They are all located in the Aurora Belt, are all accessible (some more than others) and have a wide range of accommodation, tours and experiences specifically set up for seeing the Lights. They are the recognised global hotspots – so that’s where you should go.
The atmospheric shin-dig happens throughout the year – every time a solar wind arrives bringing ions with them. Spring and Autumn are therefore usually best – as you need clear skies which are, of course, harder to come by in winter.
Natural light in summer months or any man-made light pollution also dilutes their visual impact and makes them harder to see. You need a dark, inky black sky, as far away from any urban centre as possible.
Still, the Northern Lights are notoriously fickle performers; they can appear anytime, anywhere. But if you’re in the right part of the planet, at the right time of year, for more than a couple of days, your chances of seeing them are excellent.
You also don’t need to stay up all night hoping they show up. The build-up of energies that give rise to the lights is closely monitored, such that impending displays can be accurately predicted by monitoring stations. Many hotels and tour operators use their forecasts to offer a handy alert service, so you can be gazing skyward for that first ethereal streak. You can also sign up for your own alerts (Europe only) with the free Aurora Service.
