The best time to see the Northern Lights in Norway is during the winter from November to late February. You can only see the Northern lights from up north, so do not expect to go to Oslo and see them. We made that mistake once and went again to the Snowhotel in Kirkenes and finally saw them. In this guide we are sharing the best places to see the Northern Lights in Norway this winter.
The most important thing about Northern lights is that they are part of nature, meaning you are not warranty to see them everyday so make sure to plan your trip for at least a week to have enough days to have the highest chance of seeing strong northern lights activity. In order to see the northern lights you need the following: be in the arctic circle, be really dark, high solar activity and of course a lot of luck!
We have only been in Kirkeness and we were lucky enough to see the northern lights, but not as a strong as we wanted as we needed a higher solar activity. We met so many people taking cruises and they told us that the best way to see them is in a cruise as you are literally in the middle of the ocean without light pollution.
The Best Places To See The Northern Lights in Norway:
1. See the Northern Lights in Tromsø
Tromsø is one of the more popular places in Norway to catch the aurora borealis thanks to favorable weather conditions. There is a park called the Aurora Park, where you can best see the northern lights when they are active. The city of Tromsø is also a picturesque small town with many beautiful and colorful wooden houses.
2. See the Northern Lights in Senja
Senja is second largest island of Norway, located in the far north of the country. Its beautiful mountainous landscape make it the perfect backdrop to hunt for the northern lights. Even if you do not end up seeing a strong northern lights show, you can still witness the giant Senja Troll!
3. See the Northern Lights in Kirkenes
Our recommendation is to get a tour from Kirkenes to see the northern lights as the city has a lot of pollution. You can also head to the Snowhotel, located outside of city for the chance to see the northern lights while enjoy a completely unique experience sleeping in a hotel made of snow! If the geomagnetic activity is really high you might be able to see them from your room but not as well as if you are in a darker place.
Save this article for later ⇟
