Seeing the northern lights is high on the wish list for many winter trips to Scandinavia – and for good reason. When conditions line up, ribbons of green, pink and purple can suddenly appear across the night sky, turning an already beautiful Arctic landscape into something pretty spectacular.
Venture north of the Arctic Circle in winter and you have a decent chance of seeing this phenomenon on a clear night. But which Scandinavian country has the best views? And how can you increase your chances of a sighting?
Here’s our guide to all you need to know about the northern lights and where in Scandinavia is the best place to see them.
What are the northern lights?
When to visit
Where to go
Which country is best?
What are the northern lights?
Also known as the aurora borealis, the northern lights occur when charged particles from the sun interact with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Guided by Earth’s magnetic field towards the polar regions, these particles produce the glowing colours we see in the night sky.
Green is the most common colour, although strong displays can also produce shades of pink, red and purple.
When is the best time to see the northern lights?
The northern lights can occur throughout the year, but you need dark skies to see them. Across the far north of Scandinavia, the main aurora season generally runs from late August or September until early April.
The darkest winter months give you plenty of hours for aurora hunting, but don’t rule out autumn or early spring. September, October and March can all be excellent times to go, with a good balance of darkness and potentially milder conditions.
More important than the exact month is the weather: you need a reasonably clear sky. Staying for several nights will improve your chances considerably, as even strong auroral activity won’t help if you’re stuck under thick cloud.
Where to see the northern lights in Scandinavia?
The lights are visible right across the northern reaches of Scandinavia, in a wide arc that stretches from western Norway, right through Sweden and into northern Finland.
There’s no ‘best place’ to see them, but each country has its own charms, as well as unique tours and places to stay which can add a new twist to the aurora-spotting experience.
For reliable aurora hunting, you’ll want to head well north of the Scandinavian capitals. The lights can occasionally be seen as far south as Stockholm, Oslo and even Denmark during strong solar activity, but sightings there are too unpredictable to plan a trip around.
Tips for seeing the northern lights in Scandinavia
- Spend at least three or four nights in the north if you can – one cloudy evening can easily ruin a one-night aurora trip.
- Get away from street lights and other sources of light pollution.
- Check both the cloud forecast and aurora forecast before heading out.
- Don’t give up too early: aurora activity can change quickly during the night.
- Dress much warmer than you think you’ll need – standing around waiting is colder than hiking or skiing.
- Consider a guided chase, especially around Tromsø, where guides can drive considerable distances in search of clearer skies.
Norway
Where to see the northern lights in Norway
Norway is a great place to visit if you want to see and photograph the northern lights, thanks to the nation’s spectacular coastal scenery – on this front, at least, no other Scandinavian nation can really compete.
One obvious downside is the high cost of living in Norway. Even basics like food and accommodation can add up quickly, so it pays to plan ahead – check out these tips for saving money in Norway!
The chances of seeing much activity in the country’s capital Oslo are quite small, so you’ll have to head up to northern Norway. Northern Norway offers the country’s most reliable aurora viewing, with Tromsø, Alta, the Lofoten Islands and the area around Kirkenes all popular bases.
The city of Tromsø is very much geared up for northern lights viewing with plenty of tours and activities available to help you get the best glimpses of the natural phenomenon.
Best tours and experiences for aurora chasing in Norway
You can certainly hunt for the northern lights independently, but a guided tour can improve your chances. Local guides keep a close eye on weather and aurora forecasts and can drive away from cloud cover or city lights when conditions aren’t looking promising in Tromsø itself.
In Tromsø, there are plenty of ways to go aurora hunting. You can join a northern lights chase with photos included, head into the countryside on a tour with a campfire, or make a real Arctic evening of it with a reindeer sledding trip and dinner, with the chance of seeing the northern lights along the way. Or, for something a little different, visit a camp that’s home to around 200 huskies, where you can watch for the northern lights around the campfire before warming up with a traditional bacalao dinner and homemade chocolate cake.
But, if you want to view the phenomenon in more comfort, head further north to Alta, and the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel. The hotel runs a northern lights tour, or you can simply settle yourself into the outdoor hot tub and wait for the show to begin in the dark skies above.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see that you’ll see the lights wherever you go – unless you’re on one of the Hurtigruten boat cruises. Hurtigruten even offers a Northern Lights Promise on eligible voyages of 11 days or more between 20 September and 31 March. If the aurora isn’t officially sighted from the ship during your voyage, you’ll be offered a complimentary six- or seven-day Coastal Express trip, subject to the current terms and conditions.
See our guide to the Hurtigruten boats for all you need to know about seeing the northern lights in style. There are more tips for seeing the northern lights in Norway in this guide.
Sweden
Just like in Norway, you have to head a long way north to get the best views of the light shows in Sweden.
Sweden may not have Norway’s dramatic fjord scenery, but its frozen lakes, mountains and vast forests make an equally atmospheric backdrop for the aurora. It’s also generally easier to keep costs down here than in Norway.
For the best chances, head to the far north of Sweden. Kiruna and Abisko are the best-known bases, while Jokkmokk is another atmospheric option if you want somewhere quieter.
Abisko is one of Sweden’s best-known aurora destinations. Its relatively dry microclimate means it can sometimes have clearer skies than surrounding areas, while its remote location keeps light pollution to a minimum. The Aurora Sky Station has long been one of Abisko’s best-known northern lights attractions, offering elevated views over the surrounding mountains and national park.
With an outdoor terrace, full-length windows, look-out tower and expert guides and equipment on site, some form of nocturnal light activity can be seen here most nights. There’s good, affordable accommodation at the nearby STF hostel and there are some fantastic guided tours on offer in both Kiruna and Abisko.
Finland
Northern Finland is another excellent choice for aurora hunting. Aurora activity is frequent in northern Finland, with Visit Finland estimating that the lights appear on roughly 200 nights a year – although you’ll still need clear, dark skies to actually see them.
There are plenty of ways to combine aurora hunting with a classic Finnish winter experience. You can head into the wilderness on a northern lights tour with a campfire BBQ, or take things slower with a private lakeside sauna experience, where you can warm up in the sauna, enjoy a BBQ and keep an eye out for the aurora overhead.
But, probably the best way to watch the northern lights is from the comfort of your own bed. In recent years, hotels with glass igloos have become popular around Finland.
If seeing the lights is your main priority, it’s worth heading further north too. Saariselkä and Inari offer darker skies and plenty of aurora-focused accommodation and activities, with less urban light pollution than Rovaniemi. Up in the north of Finland, near Saariselkä, the Northern Lights Village has glass-roofed cabins where you can stay warm and cosy while viewing the lights from your bed – so lie back and watch the show.
Which country is the best Scandinavian country for seeing the northern lights?
There’s no single best country for seeing the northern lights – Norway, Sweden and Finland can all be excellent choices. Norway wins for dramatic fjords and coastal scenery, Sweden has superb aurora bases such as Abisko and Kiruna, while northern Finland combines dark skies with perhaps the widest choice of glass-roofed cabins and other aurora-focused accommodation.
If we were choosing purely for the scenery, we’d probably pick northern Norway. For a dedicated aurora-hunting trip, though, we’d happily choose any of the three and focus more on spending several nights in the far north.
Check the northern lights off your bucket list
There’s never a guarantee that the northern lights will appear, and that’s part of what makes finally seeing them so special. Give yourself a few nights, get away from the city lights and keep an eye on both the weather and aurora forecasts – then cross your fingers and look north.
Have you seen the northern lights in Scandinavia? Tell us where you saw them – or where you’re hoping to see them – in the comments below!
See also:
Seeing the northern lights in Norway
