Seeing the Northern Lights is something on a lot of peoples bucket lists, and for good reason. Seeing coloured lights dancing in the sky is so surreal and something we were very lucky to experience. However, finding somewhere to go and see them can be tricky. We did a lot of research, and eventually settled on travelling to see the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway. If you’re looking to tick off this bucket list item, read ahead to see why Tromsø is the perfect place to be!

In this post:

1. Our Requirements
2. Why We Chose Tromsø
3. Seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø
4. Accommodation in Tromsø
5. Northern Lights Tours
6. Other Tours

When looking for somewhere to see the Northern Lights, we had a couple of requirements. First, we needed it to be easy to get to. Second, we needed it to be reasonably priced get to and stay in. And third, we needed the chance of seeing the lights to be pretty high. We knew it was going to be expensive anywhere, so didn’t want to stay more than a couple of nights. As a bonus, we also wanted somewhere interesting that had things to do during the day as well. Ideally we wanted to visit somewhere cute that would be worth going to even if we didn’t get to see the lights.

We thought we would probably have to make a compromise somewhere, as we didn’t think there would be somewhere that fit all of our preferences. After a bit of research, we landed on Tromsø, Norway. We found that it was going to be the easiest way to see the Northern Lights in Europe. Now let us tell you why!

Of course there are many places in northern Europe where you can see the Northern Lights. While researching, we strongly considered Abisko in Sweden, Roveniemi in Finland, and anywhere in Iceland. However, we found these places either too remote, hard to get to or too expensive. We picked Tromsø, Norway because it was a perfect mix of all our requirements!

Tromsø is the largest city in northern Norway. It has a population of around 42,000 from over 100 different nationalities. The size of the city was one of the reasons we ended up choosing Tromsø, as there was lots to see and do during the day. There are a couple of museums including the Polar Museum, the Troll Museum, and the Northern Norwegian Art Museum. There’s also the famous Arctic Cathedral, an aquarium, a cinema, and even an international film festival that we happened to be there for. It’s also the home of the worlds northernmost university, the University of Tromsø. Another great thing about Tromsø is the high street with lots of lovely shopping, restaurants and supermarkets.

And if none of that interests you, there’s some amazing scenery around you can admire and explore. Tromsø also has the highest number of old wooden houses in northern Norway, so you could go around and see those too. However, one of the main reasons we picked it is because it has its own airport. There are infrequent flights direct from London to Tromsø, but there’s heaps from Oslo. From the airport it’s an easy 20 minute public bus ride into the city.

One of the main reasons we chose Tromsø is because it’s an ideal place to see the Northern Lights. Let’s explain what you need to see the lights to explain why Tromsø is so perfect.

The way our tour guide explained it to us is that you need three conditions to see the lights:

• First, you need a solar storm to have happened three or four days earlier. These can be tracked so you’ll know about this a few days ahead.
• Second you need a strong magnetic field to see bright lights, this is measured with the KP index. There are apps and websites where you can check this index, but it can only really be trusted a couple of hours in advance. The higher the number (9 is the top) the better the lights, but you can start seeing them from as low as 3.
• Lastly and most simply, you need clear skies. No matter how good the lights are, if there are clouds in the way, you aren’t seeing anything!

Tromsø is so perfect for a number of reasons, but it all boils down to this: the further north you go, the better chance you have of seeing the lights. Tromsø is 350km into the Arctic Circle and apart from two cities in Russia, is the biggest city in it. This means that even when the KP index is at a 3 or 4, you still have a good chance of seeing lights. To put it simply Tromsø is so far north that if the lights are happening, and the skies are clear, you will be able to see them from in or near Tromsø.

Being so far north also means there are longer periods of darkness, something you obviously need to see the lights. The lights are visible from mid September to April but if you can, visiting during Polar night is even better. This happens in Tromsø from mid November to mid January, which means the lights can sometimes be seen during the day, giving you more time for light hunting!

The last reason Tromsø is great is because the weather is so mild for how far north it is. It is luckily located in the Gulf Stream – a warm Atlantic ocean current. This means temperatures in winter are more manageable than other arctic cities. In winter the average temperature is only -4 celsius which makes light hunting a lot more comfortable.

All of this makes seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø a much more real possibility than a lot of other places in Europe!

Obviously one of the most expensive parts of seeing the Northern Lights is finding accommodation. Because there are a certain time of year you have to be there, places can hike the prices up, and they do! You’ll want to look for something around the main town on the western side of the strait. A good place to look is Booking.com as there’s heaps of choices on there. However, we found that eating out in Tromsø was insanely expensive, so we opted for somewhere with a kitchen.

Instead, we booked this beautiful place on Airbnb, and they have two other rooms you can book too! It was a room in an adorable wooden cottage, staying with lovely hosts about a 10-15 minute walk from the city. Apart from saving money on food as we could eat in, we found that staying with a local was invaluable. They gave us tips on what to see in the city, how to see the lights, and even shared a traditional Norwegain Christmas dinner with us. It really was such a cool experience and something we still talk about.

No matter if you’re looking on Booking.com, Airbnb or somewhere else, remember to look as far in advance as you can to find the best deal for you needs!

There are heaps of amazing tours for every want and need to help you see the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway. Below are some of the one’s we recommend including the one we actually did.

IMPORTANT: A lot of tours offer discounts such as 50% off your next booking if you don’t see the lights. Unfortunately not all the tours do this so you’ll have to take this into consideration when looking at which tour you want to do.

This is the tour we chose and we very luckily saw the lights with them. The tour picked us up from the city centre about 6pm and ran until about 1am. While it is expensive, we liked this tour for several reasons. Firstly they don’t have a set route, and will chase the lights depending on where they’re strongest. The tour guide is also super knowledgeable on how to photograph the lights and helped each individual get the best pictures. They even included cookies and hot chocolate on the tour so we really enjoyed it and would recommend it!

This tour is similar to the one we chose, but is cheaper! They go hunting for the lights and give you tips on how to take the best photos of them. It also provide cookies and tea or coffee so is definitely worth checking out!

This tour is a bit more expensive but as the name says, also offers a bit more luxury. For four hours, you can search for the Northern Lights from the comfort of a hot tub on a yacht! Also included are a traditional stew, cookies, drinks, books, games, blankets and pillows. It would be a super fun and unique experience to see the Northern lights in Tromsø.

A very cool place to look for the Northern Lights is from Tromsdalstinden peak. This tour will drive you to the base of the Tromsø cable car where you will head up to 1,238 m above sea level into the snowy hills. The guide will help you look for the lights and they also provide tea, coffee and cake while you wait.

If you’re still interested in seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø but also want a fun cultural experience, these tours might be for you instead:

If you’re interested in a different, more entertaining night, this tour might be for you! It takes place at a camp where you can go reindeer sledding, have a three course meal and hot drinks and watch a traditional performance. While at the camp you’ll be able to keep an eye out for the Northern Lights but this tour isn’t necessarily about looking for them.

If you’re a dog lover, this tour is a great choice for you. You head to a camp outside of Tromsø and are fed a traditional meal, hot drinks and marshmallows. Of course you will also keep an eye out for the lights but if you don’t see them, don’t worry! The tour takes you to visit 200 Alaskan huskies and their puppies which would be such a great experience!

We really hope this post helps you on your quest to see the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway! It really is the most perfect little city. It’s in a great location in the arctic circle, has great weather, is easy to get to, and has enough to keep you entertained during the day or even if you don’t see the lights. There’s also lots of great accommodation and heaps of great light hunting and other tours. So if you see the Northern Lights or not, we hope you have a wonderful time in the amazing city of Tromsø.

If you want to see more about our experience in Tromsø, along with the rest of our time in Norway, check out our vlog:

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