Northern lights in Norway: when and where to go

Northern Norway is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. You still need the right season, the right place and a clear sky: here is our advice for enjoying them in the best conditions, from the Lofoten Islands to Tromsø.

Why northern Norway?

The northern lights appear when particles sent by the Sun meet the gases of the upper atmosphere, around the magnetic pole. They gather in a wide ring, the auroral oval, which passes right over northern Norway. In Tromsø (69° north) or Lofoten (68° north), modest solar activity is often enough to bring out the northern lights, as long as it is dark and the sky is clear.

To understand the phenomenon, read our article How can the northern lights be explained simply? and, for their green, red or purple hues, Why do the northern lights come in different colors?

When to go: September to March

The northern lights occur all year round, but you need darkness to see them. In northern Norway, the season runs from September to late March: in summer, the midnight sun makes them invisible.

In December, in the heart of the polar night, the sun no longer rises in Tromsø and the nights are very long: the northern lights can appear as early as mid-afternoon. In late February and March, the days get longer, the light is superb on the snow-covered mountains, and the nights remain dark enough for the northern lights; the weeks around the March equinox are even known to be favorable.

Darkness, a clear sky and a little solar activity

The northern lights’ first enemy is cloud. The Norwegian coast has changeable weather, and an overcast sky can clear in an hour. At sea, far from city lights, the sky is perfectly dark: aboard Polarfront, you just step out on deck to enjoy the show, or even watch it from the panoramic sauna.

The Sun’s activity follows a cycle of about eleven years. It entered its maximum in 2024, and the following years remain rich in northern lights, sometimes spectacular ones. Forecasts such as the Kp index give an idea of the expected activity, but in northern Norway, a clear sky is often enough. We wrote about it in our article on this particularly intense period for the northern lights.

Photographing the northern lights

A recent smartphone in night mode already gives lovely results. With a camera, bring a tripod, a fast wide-angle lens (f/2.8 or wider), manual focus set to infinity, an ISO of 1,600 to 3,200 and exposures of 5 to 15 seconds, shorter if the lights move fast.

On a ship, photos are easier at anchor, when the boat is steady. Bring spare batteries, which the cold drains quickly, and keep them warm in an inside pocket. To go further, our photo voyage in Norway is led by a photographer.

Our voyages to see the northern lights

Winter magic in Norway: 9 days in December, in the heart of the polar night, from Tromsø to Skjervøy, where orcas and whales come to hunt herring, then Senja, the Trollfjord and the Lofoten Islands.

Photo voyage in Norway: 8 days in December with a photographer, from Tromsø to Skjervøy and on to the North Cape.

Norwegian gems in spring: 8 days in late February and early March, from Bodø to Tromsø via the Svartisen glacier, Lofoten, the Trollfjord and Senja, between returning daylight and nights of northern lights.

And in Spitsbergen, the northern lights return with the dark nights from late September: that is the season of our voyage Autumn lights in Svalbard.

READY TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS DANCE?

Winter magic in Norway

Photo voyage in Norway

Norwegian gems in spring