How to see the Northern Lights in Tromsø
Tromsø is one of the best places in the world to witness the northern lights. But how do you see the northern lights in Tromsø?
I’ve been working as a northern lights trip leader for four seasons now. I take groups on two week trips up to Northern Norway and Finland to see the northern lights. On top of that, I follow all the Facebook groups for Tromsø that debate how to see the northern lights. Often I see the same questions over and over again, as well as the same mistakes, so I thought I’d put it all together into a guide so you can make sure you’re making the most of your visit.
Here’s my guide to how you can optimise your chances for a successful experience.
In this article...
Choose the Right Time of Year & Day
The best time to see the northern lights in Tromsø is from September through to early April. The best time for the lights in Tromsø is between 6pm and 2am, though they can be seen any time it is dark enough. The optimal time is due to the earths rotation, with the aurora belt being strongest on one side and weaker on one side.
If you just want to see the lights and avoid cold weather and snow, then I recommend going in September. If you want to combine northern lights with all the wintery activities, I recommend going in February and March. October – January can have excellent northern lights, but it’s often stormy and rainy and the darkest time of year, meaning you never get to see how beautiful the area is.
Give Yourself Enough Time
You need to spend at least four nights above the arctic circle to give yourself the best chance of seeing the lights. It’s often cloudy in Tromsø, so many nights are not optimal. I actually recommend spending a week up there if you are very eager to see the lights.
Check Weather & Solar Activity
It’s important for the northern lights that you have clear skies and avoid cloudy conditions. Tromsø’s weather can be unpredictable, so keep an eye on forecasts. Even if the weather forecast is cloudy, still check outside. The forecasts can often be wrong!
In Tromsø, the weather forecast is more important than the solar forecast. Tromsø is exposed to the sea and frequently gets bad weather and clouds, so it’s important to be aware of this before going.
It’s also important to check solar activity. While Tromsø is so far north even weak and inactive northern lights can be visible, it’s best to keep an eye on the activity so you know when there’ll be strong nights or weak nights.
It’s worth noting that the northern lights may suddenly appear as explosions in the sky, and then disappear quickly again. Or they may appear as a fog for hours before exploding in the sky. It’s important to be actively looking throughout the evening, and not give up too early.
I took this photo approximately 20 minutes out of Tromsø and we were parked by the highway (was on a guided tour).
Go to a Dark Location
While the northern lights can be seen from Tromsø city centre, they’ll never look as good as they can without light pollution. Therefore, you need to get out of the lights of the city.
If in Tromsø centre, the best places to go are:
Fjellheisen cable car
Prestvannet Lake is a nature reserve with no artifical illumination.
Kongsbakken park has no streetlights.
Telegrafbukta is a popular beach on the southern tip of the island and is a top choice for spotting the northern lights.
Alternatively, you can book accommodation out of the city centre so you’ll be guaranteed dark nights. On this occasion, you may want to hire a car to take yourself into the city every day.
I’m not going to recommend places out of the city centre as I do not encourage you renting a car and driving around.
Go on a Guided Tour
My best advice is to go on an organised tour with a local guide who is able to share their knowledge and offer some advice. The guides monitor the weather, cloud cover and northern lights activity carefully.
There are two different times of northern lights tours:
A northern lights hunt involves going by car, minibus, or full-size bus and the focus of this activity is seeing the northern lights.
A northern lights experiences combines hunting for the northern lights with an activity, such as dog sledding, snowmobiling, or a reindeer safari. In this case, the focus of the activity is the experience, and the northern lights is the bonus.
Which one is better? This is completely up to you! Some prefer the idea of doing an experience so the entire night isn’t a waste in case you don’t see the lights, but experiences make it harder to photograph the northern lights.
Northern lights may only appear for a minute, so it’s important to have someone constantly watching the sky.
I recommend browsing the VisitTromsø website for ideas on what kind of tours you can do: https://www.visittromso.no/northern-lights
Go on a Cruise
Northern lights cruises are another good way to see the lights. These cruises take you far out of the city lights and will provide stunning backdrops with mountains and fjords as you take photographs of northern lights.
My photo above was taken from Hurtigruten near the port of Skjervøy. Being on a ship can give a more dynamic photo, but you have to adjust to the fact that the ship is moving.
Book Everything in Advance
It’s important to keep in mind that Tromsø is extremely popular for northern lights tourism, and everything books out months in advance. This includes the good hotels and northern lights guides. So be organised and have everything ready well before you come to Tromsø.
Go Somewhere Else in Norway
Tromsø is not the only city in Norway that gets northern lights. If you want to avoid overly crowded areas and mass tourism, here are some other places that offer northern lights experiences and tours and won’t be as busy:
– Alta
– Kirkenes
– Narvik
– Svolvær
– Kautokeino
Do not Hire a Car!
I know it can be tempting to hire a car to go out northern lights searching yourself, but I do not recommend it. The roads can be icy and dark, and if you aren’t used to driving on ice in the dark, you risk crashing and injuring yourself of others. Many may also not focus clearly on the road if they are eager to get to a northern lights spot. Please book a tour – it’s for the safety of yourself and the locals.
Emma's Northern Lights Diary
You can see all my northern lights sightings using the link below.
How to Observe the Northern Lights
Here’s my general guide to observing the northern lights.
