18 Best places to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

Wilderness really doesn’t get wilder, remoter or more pristine than this daring resort in Swedish Lapland. Or gloriously glamorous. The ingenious design of its striking spa complex, clad in tree branches, means in summer, it floats on the Lule River, while in winter it is held captive, frozen in the mesmerising stillness of the ice.

Authenticity is central to the resort’s ethos, so the indigenous Sámi culture is celebrated through unforgettable food (more reindeer anyone?) and cherry-cheeked activities such as dog-sledding, ice-fishing and moose whispering in ghostly birch forests.

The wellness taps into the Swedish concept of lagom, a life lived in balance and moderation. Mindfulness means listening intently to a reindeer herder sing Sami songs in a tent, or treatments that feature traditional herbs with aromatic scents.

The absence of light pollution ensures the aurora borealis viewing, from August to March, is nothing short of fantastic.

Golden Eagle offer (pricey) 12-day itineraries on their luxury ‘Arctic Explorer’ train that start in Moscow, finish in St Petersburg, and in between travel up to the Arctic Circle to specifically see the Northern Lights. There’s a guest astronomer on board, and optional excursions include husky dog sledding, snowmobiling and Snow Castle stays.

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.

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. 900m up, in the heart of the Aurora Oval, sightings are excellent.

Iceland’s most popular – and photogenic – geothermal pool is surrounded by black lava fields and framed by the steaming towers of the Svartsengi geothermal plant. It’s an otherworldly place that looks like something out of a science-fiction movie – and an essential experience to tick off your Icelandic bucket list.

Averaging 37–39°C, the steaming pools are actually a by-product from the power plant, but don’t let that deter you. The waters are rich in minerals and silica, absorbed from the volcanic bedrock, a tonic for skin inflammation.

The psychedelic, blue-green water comes from naturally occurring algae which thrive in the balmy water.

Dazzling in its raw, remote beauty, Alaska is compelling for lovers of wildlife and the outdoors. Visiting by ship gives you access to vast, creaking tidewater glaciers and days on deck marvelling at mile upon mile of pristine forest of spruce and hemlock against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

The marine life is spectacular; sightings of whales and dolphins are almost guaranteed. You’ll also be on the lookout for bears, cute sea otters, seals and majestic bald eagles.

This is an active traveller’s dream, with hiking, kayaking, zip-lining, salmon fishing and mountain biking on offer, but Alaska has a fascinating cultural scene, too, from the ornate totem poles and Russian architecture around Sitka to the colourful Gold Rush history in Skagway.

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. And the water is one of the best vantage points from which to admire the view from.

Dozens of ships sail here in summer, visiting a selection of fjords, each one different. On a typical cruise, you might visit the Sognefjord, which twists and turns deep into the mountains, dotted with tiny villages, while the narrow Geirangerfjord is one of the most dramatic. At each stop, there’s an enticing menu of bucket list adventures on offer (see recommendations below) – like the long hike from Stavanger to the high granite block of Pulpit Rock, soaring nearly 2,000 feet over Lysefjord. In the autumn and spring, you may get to see the Northern Lights.

Any lover of the outdoors would appreciate the beauty and serenity of a Norwegian fjords voyage. The joy is that you can be as active as you like – or simply enjoy the scenery from the ship.

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. Days at sea take on a dreamy quality as you drift past snow-covered mountains and fjords.

But while the fjord-indented west coast appeals for its tranquility and scenery, there’s a vibrant cultural scene in the towns you’ll visit along the way. There’s also a host of thrilling bucket list outdoor pursuits on offer, from snowmobiling to husky dog sledding, kayaking on a fjord to hiking up a mountain for show-stopping views

Go from October to March for the opportunity to see the magnificent Northern Lights.

This ranch-style hotel is perfectly located, and your best option, for exploring southwest Iceland.

There are seven bizarre but dazzling suites, taking the world’s continents as their themes and containing items from them all – apart from the Antarctica Suite, which is black and white like a penguin. Weird but wonderful.

There’s also an excellent restaurant in-house, serving locally-sourced food inspired by Nordic cuisine. The menu features plenty of Icelandic specialities, including smoked puffin (which tastes a bit like duck), Icelandic lamb, langoustines and skyr (a type of natural yoghurt) cheesecake. The salmon river provides wonderful fish too.

Located miles from anywhere, it’s a great spot for stargazing. The hotel has set up a special ‘observatory’ with a couple of high powered telescopes, and from September to April, on clear nights, a local astronomer visits to give talks about the stars, explaining the various constellations.

With Iceland being in the Aurora Belt, it’s also one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights in all their glory (when they decide to appear – most often between September and April). Stay for at least four nights to give yourself the best chance of seeing them.­ NB The hot tubs are perfectly placed for midnight dips and views of the Northern Lights.

This simple but comfortable Lapland hotel has 64 rooms and 28 log cabins, suitable for all ages and budgets. But what sets it apart from other accommodation in Lapland is what’s outside your bedroom door.

With over four hundred huskies – Harriniva is the biggest husky centre in Finland and the place to come for a husky safari. Tour options range from several hours to several days. Multi-day tours, staying in one of their traditional lakeside wilderness cabins, gives you the opportunity to harness, rig, feed and prep the pack for the following day’s mush, followed by dinner and a sauna. Open to ages 4 and up.

They also offer snowmobile safaris, which along with the dog sledding tours, take you speeding out onto the tundral plains and through the dense boreal forests that make up Lapland’s most spectacular wilderness. Other enticing icy activities on offer include reindeer safaris, ice fishing, snowshoe hiking, and northern lights workshops – pretty much all your winter bucket list activities are covered.

Husky and snowmobile tours are available only from November until April, subject to weather and snow conditions, though you can visit the husky farm at any time. The Northern Lights appear from the end of August to the end of April – this is also, at time of writing, when the hotel is open for guests.

This extraordinary hotel, beautifully set on the edge of one of Finland’s greatest national parks, offers a wealth of outdoor adventures for adults and kids including snowmobiling, husky tours, ice fishing, hiking, mountain biking, reindeer safaris and even gold panning. You never really need go anywhere else for your Lapland experience.

But what it’s really known for is its igloo-esque rooms; constructed of thermal glass that functions like a two-way mirror – you can see out but no-one can see in – they allow you to lay in bed and stare at the starred universe. If you’re lucky, you may even see the famed Northern Lights – from the comfort of your thermal-blanketed bed.

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.

The iconic igloo has been used by generations of Inuit for shelter (the word igloo comes from the Greenlandic word Illu, meaning ‘house’). Air pockets in the ice insulate the inside, which can reach temperatures of 16°C, while outside, temperatures plummet to an icy -40°C. Unlike the Intuit, you’ll be supplied with cold-reflecting thermal mats, insulating sleeping mats, thick reindeer furs and expedition-grade thermal sleeping bags.

The brilliant Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort offers you the chance to sleep in a real one. They promise the cosiest of igloo stays, providing thermal sleeping blankets and thick furs.

NB If you don’t fancy the real thing, opt for one of their luxury glass-domed ‘igloos’ instead.

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 colourful and frequent light displays anywhere. Its remoteness, though, means getting there is a challenge – if you make it, camp out in an Indian teepee at the Aurora Village at Yellowknife.

This brilliantly unique treehouse hotel offers you the chance to sleep in a UFO, a bird’s nest, a biodome and a mirrored cube. Brainchild of husband and wife team Britta and Kent Lindvall, it was inspired by the Swedish film Tradalskaren (The Tree Lover).

The 8 unique treehouse rooms  – each designed by leading Scandinavian architects – are suspended 4-6m above ground in pine tree forest, accessed by step ladders. It’s the ultimate ‘nature getaway’, uber-romantic for seclusion-seeking couples.

Facilities are minimal but more than sufficient. There’s a restaurant serving up inventive local food, a sauna and a riverside hot tub.

The hotel is an hour’s drive from Lulea airport; Lulea is a 70-minute flight from Stockholm. The Swedish Lapland location is slap bang in the middle of the Aurora Belt, meaning you have an excellent chance of seeing the Northern Lights in all their full glory, in season.

Snowmobiling is the ultimate high-octane way to get out and experience the great outdoors. Speeding at up to 100km/h, they allow you to cover vast distances, even on the short tours.

Lapland, being a vast, unspoilt wilderness with spectacular scenery and miles and miles of empty trails º is perfect for it. No wonder, then, it’s recognised one of the best places in the world to snowmobile.

Tour options will range from ‘try it out’ experiences lasting several hours, to authentic adventures lasting several days or even a week that often also include experience of the traditional Sami way of life. Some tours are aimed specifically at seeing the Northern Lights

There are countless variations of times, locations and add-on experiences, but see our recommendations below of specific snowmobiling-inspired experiences and organised tours (provided by our partner Viator).

Built each winter, this icy architectural showcase has become one of Lapland’s – and indeed Finland’s – biggest draws. Designed by a different architect each year, it always includes the castle, a restaurant, wedding chapel and the infamous ‘SnowHotel’. Bedecked with dramatic ice sculpting enhanced by colourful lighting, it’s a unique visual spectacle that will captivate adults and children alike.

The castle contains bedrooms for guests to stay over in; beds made from of ice and room temperatures a chilly 0°C to -5°C. Thick furs and sleeping bags are provided, but one night is usually enough.

There’s also a restaurant (open to anyone) that serves up Finnish cuisine on tables made of ice; choose between a 3-course menu or a simpler menu of soups and pastries. Drinks include fresh juice from pressed local berries, mulled wine or hot chocolate if you need some warming up, and a fully licensed bar. It’s open for lunch and dinner.