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How to See the Northern Lights: A Travel Guide

Get our top tips to plan a successful trip to view the spectacular aurora borealis

Dramatic show over the mountain and well-lit port in Norway
Northern lights, as seen in Norway, are bursts of green, red, blue and violet light caused when solar winds carrying electrically charged particles penetrate Earth’s magnetic shield and collide with atmospheric gases.
Getty Images
By

Hilary Nangle,

 
AARP
Published January 31, 2020
/ Updated October 04, 2024

It’s 1 a.m. in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, and I’m swathed in so many layers of wool, down and high-tech clothing that I can barely move. The temperature is 44 below zero: It doesn’t matter whether that’s Fahrenheit or Celsius; the scales meet at 40 below. I should be dancing around for warmth, instead I’m lying on frozen tundra watching ethereal green, white and rose lights streak, shimmy, swirl and shimmer in the night sky.

Among travelers 50 and older, 67 percent list travel on their bucket lists, and 23 percent plan to visit unusual or off-the-beaten-path destinations, according to the AARP Travel Trends report. Seeing the northern lights, or aurora borealis, is a bucket list destination with broad appeal. According to a 2024 survey commissioned by Expedia, 42 percent of Americans prioritize chasing the northern lights over other bucket list destinations this year. And for good reason. They’re awesome. ​

But the truth is, even when taking a themed tour or visiting a location renowned for sightings, there are no guarantees. Clouds might mask the lights, or they may not appear. You can increase — but never ensure — the odds of success by understanding what they are and where and when they are most likely to appear.

Tips to see the northern lights

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center offers these tips to increase your odds of seeing the lights.

  • Travel to the magnetic poles.
  • Get away from man-made light pollution.
  • Avoid full moon nights.
  • Be prepared to stay awake, as the best viewing usually occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
  • If possible, time your visit to coincide with the spring or fall equinox. 

If you’re considering a trip, now’s the time. The sun’s solar magnetic pole flips about every 11 years, and when it does, solar activity increases, creating more frequent and intense displays. Scientists predict the current solar cycle will peak in 2024–26. That means more opportunities to check aurora viewing off your bucket list.

What you need to know about the northern lights

What: Bursts of green, red, blue and violet light caused when solar winds carrying electrically charged particles penetrate Earth’s magnetic shield and collide with atmospheric gases.

Where: The action occurs in the auroral oval centered over Earth’s north pole, and can be observed more than half of the nights of the year between the north and south latitudes of about 60 and 70 degrees. Good sighting spots include parts of Alaska, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Maximize your chances by choosing a rural destination far from city lights and plan to stay at least three nights.

When: Generally, the ideal opportunities occur around late September and around March. Clear, dark nights are ideal, with the optimal hours usually between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. According to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the best time to travel to the auroral zone is around the equinoxes, since the annual auroral cycle peaks around then.

Tip: When chasing this elusive show, choose a location or an itinerary that offers daytime diversions as well as fallback options for cloudy nights. That way you’ll enjoy a memorable vacation, lights or no lights.

According to the Geophysical Institute, during extreme aural events, you may be able to see the lights throughout the U.S. and Europe, but these events are rare. The best places to go to see the lights are high northern latitudes in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia. Here are some special ways to experience the phenomenon ranging from do-it-yourself to fully escorted tours (rates are per person, subject to change and depends on the exchange rate):

A band of subtly coloured aurora over the snowy trees of the northern boreal forest in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
The northern lights are visible above the northern boreal forest in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
Getty Images/Stocktrek Images

Canada

Churchill, Manitoba, edges Hudson Bay and lies beneath the auroral oval. Guests on Frontiers North Adventures’ Northern Lights and Winter Nights expedition travel far from Churchill’s lights via Tundra Buggy to view the lights. Highlights include viewing from a yurt in the boreal forest and crossing the frozen Churchill River to Dan’s Diner for feasting on regional fare while gazing through skylights at the aurora borealis. And at remote Thanadelthur Lounge, you can warm up inside until the show begins, then head to a rooftop observation deck or out onto the frozen tundra for viewing. The six-day tour includes two nights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, three nights in Churchill, meals and daytime activities, including snowshoeing, cultural presentations and museum visits.

Rates: from about $5,315

Hurtigruten cruise ship
If you don’t see the northern lights on Hurtigruten’s 12-day cruises from mid-September to March in Norway, the cruise line promises a free six- or seven-day cruise.
Getty Images

Norway

Hurtigruten offers a 12-day coastal cruise round trip from Bergen, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site (its 14th-century Bryggen district), to Kirkenes. You’ll see North Cape, Europe’s northernmost point; countless fjords and mountains; and 34 ports of call — and the cruise line is so confident you’ll see the lights on cruises from mid-September to March, it promises to give you a free six- or seven-day cruise if you miss them. If you’re especially interested in astronomy, Hurtigruten also offers astronomy-focused voyages.

Rates: from $2,226

Multicolored sky during the Northern Lights glowing over a frozen snowy forest, Riisitunturi National Park, Lapland, Finland
The aurora borealis glows over a frozen snowy forest in Lapland, Finland.
Getty Images

Finland

Lapland-based Aurora Service Tours began life as an aurora forecasting company. Now it also offers tours in which you stay in a private cabin with a full kitchen and sauna, prepare your own meals and join about 12 to 16 other guests seeking the lights at night. Rates include aurora chasing, winter outerwear and airport transfers, with a stop at the supermarket. Snowmobiling and snowshoeing excursions are also available.

Rates: from about $1,100 and up for three nights; from around $1,215 for four nights

a tent lit up at night with the Northern Lights in the sky
Lights Over Lapland Aurora Holiday in Sweden includes nightly excursions to aurora-viewing locations.
Courtesy Lights Over Lapland

Sweden

Get the perfect shot on a Lights Over Lapland Aurora Holiday in Sweden’s Abisko National Park. It includes lodging, locally sourced and traditional meals, nightly excursions to different aurora-viewing locations, camera and related equipment, arctic overalls and a guide. At least one daytime activity, such as a Sami and reindeer visit or arctic ice fishing, is included.

Rates: from about $1,850 for four nights

a person in a tent in Iceland
In Iceland, the northern lights are visible above a tent.
Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Iceland

Location, location, location: The Northern Light Inn is sited within the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark, surrounded by the Holocene Svartahraun lava field, near the Blue Lagoon (the hotel has free shuttles there), and only 20 minutes from the airport. It’s even located on Northern Lights Road. You can wait for the lights in the hotel’s viewing tower, then step outside for the show.

Rates: from about $299 per night 

Aurora borealis, dancing over Fairbank, Alaska
Head to Alaska to see the northern lights above the Arctic Circle.
Alamy

Alaska

American citizens don’t need a passport for Alaska’s Arctic Aurora, an eight-day trip with John Hall’s Alaska. This fully escorted tour by motor coach and small plane includes three nights at Sophie Station Suites in Fairbanks, two nights in a geodesic igloo with a glass ceiling at Borealis Basecamp and two nights north of the Arctic Circle at Coldfoot Camp. You’ll spend nights watching for the northern lights. Daytime activities include curling and photography lessons, and a pick-your-adventure day choosing from snowmobiling or snowshoeing. Group size is limited to 20.

Rates: from $9,429 for double occupancy, including transportation by custom-built coach and air within Alaska, meals, daily activities and tours, baggage handling, gratuities, taxes and a black subzero jacket.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 31, 2020. It has been updated to reflect new information.

Hilary Nangle has written for many publications, including Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Snow, Ski, Travel + Leisure, Westways and Yankee. She’s also the author of four guidebooks to her home state in the Moon series: Maine, Coastal Maine, Acadia National Park and Best of Acadia.

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