How to see the northern lights

There are no guarantees that you will see the Northern Lights. However, with good planning and familiarising yourself with factors that help determine when and where the Northern Lights will be dancing in the sky, there is a high chance that your hunt for the Northern Lights will be successful.

We have collected a simple guide on what to know when searching for the northern lights!

Organised or by yourself

It is possible to go and search for the auroras yourself, both near the city centre but also further outside. For the best places in the region, check out the guide from Visit Northern Norway. If you want to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights, we highly recommend you to use one of our partners for a northern lights guided tour. Book your northern lights tour here. 

When and where

In the period from mid-September to early April, it will be possible to see the northern lights in Tromsø. In these months the nights are dark enough to see the magical phenomenon and from mid-November to mid-January we experience polar night, where the sun will not rise above the horizon and only provide us with few hours of light during the middle of the day. 
Not only does it have to be dark enough to see the northern lights, but we also need to have a clear sky without any clouds blocking the view. The best premises for seeing the aurora, is to go somewhere far away from light pollution from the city, even though it will be possible to see strong auroras from the city centre of Tromsø. Tromsø Municipality has made an overview over places to see the northern lights.  
 

How to dress

When you are in Tromsø at the right period and have found the best spot to search for the northern lights, it’s now important to dress up warm and nicely. The green lady does not always be on time, hence it can be a long waiting game outside in cold weather. There are relatively large variations in the weather within the Tromsø region. The inland area often have more stable weather than the coastal areas. However, the inland area can be less accessible and the winter temperatures can be much lower than closer to the coast.