Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway

Tromsø is 300km north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. It’s further north than Iceland, Finland and Sweden, making it one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.

I’ve heard stories from so many friends about their unsuccessful searches for the Northern Lights, so I nervously planned this trip to Tromsø expecting the worst but hoping for the best. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones!

If you are planning a winter trip to Norway for those elusive but wondrous Northern Lights, then go into it knowing that you might be unlucky. But even if you are, the Tromsø region is beautiful and has much more to offer beyond the lights too.

Northern Lights in Tromsø

When can you see the Northern Lights in Tromsø?

The best time to see the Northern Lights in Tromsø is between October and March and usually after 6PM until the early hours when it’s darkest. Northern Lights tours in Tromsø are bookable from 15th of September until 15th of April, so this is a good indicator of when a sighting is possible.

What are the chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø?

This isn’t easy to answer because there’s never a guarantee of seeing the aurora borealis. However, Tromsø is one of the best locations in the world due to being so far north and often having stable weather conditions. In February 2019, our guide said the weather had been less stable meaning only around 50% of people caught a glimpse of the lights.

What’s most important is to go on a clear, dark night and get away from light pollution. Clouds massively interfere with seeing the auroras and high winds also make it difficult. Even on the clearest of nights though, you could be unlucky if the lights aren’t active.

How can I check the aurora forecast for Tromsø?

It’s not very sophisticated, but I checked the Aurora Forecast for Norway to get an idea of the chances each day. It’s very difficult to predict the weather ahead of time, so keep an eye on it during your stay. The tour guides use various apps for checking but they’re never fully reliable and are quite complicated to understand.

Where can you see the Northern Lights in Tromsø?

Whilst I know Tromsø locals would have the best aurora-spotting locations up their sleeves, if you’re an amateur like me and you aren’t confident renting a car and driving on the icy roads, then there are two good options for seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø: joining a Northern Lights tour and going up the Fjellheisen cable car.

To maximise my chances, I booked a Northern Lights tour and did a DIY trip up the cable car. I was incredibly lucky to see lights on both nights and loved both options. If you’re on a budget, it’s worth trying to catch a sighting from the cable car first. That said, a Northern Lights tour is an experience in itself and the guides are extremely skilled in finding the best locations on the night.

My Northern Lights Tour in Tromsø

Chasing the Northern Lights was a spectacular experience. At 6PM, we jumped in a van with our guide Max from the Northern Horizon team to start our search. It was a small group tour with a minibus of 8 people.

Max drove us out to a secluded coastal part on another island nearby where he predicted winds would be lower and the skies clearer. Depending on the weather conditions, guides will drive out as far as they need to go to maximise the chances of seeing the lights.

Whilst we only had to drive out for around 45 minutes, Max said he often chases lights across the border into Finland or Sweden.

We suited up in the outrageously sexy thermal suits (see pics) and Max set up a campfire. We felt like real explorers! We roasted (veggie) sausages on the flames and wrapped them in lefse, a traditional Norwegian bread like a tortilla made from potato. Max explained that in order to see the Northern Lights, you first need to be able to see the stars. If you can find a spot where the sky is clear and the stars are shining, then you’ve got a chance of seeing the lights.

Then, we waited. When searching for Northern Lights, you need patience (that, and to be able to withstand the cold). You’ll often need to wait for hours before seeing a glimmer of light. The -15°c was biting, despite being clad in layers of bulky thermals and snow gear. I pulled my woolly hat as far down over my ears as it would go and looked to the sky.

By 8PM, we got lucky and saw some very faint, wispy lights. They began to stretch across the sky slowly. Max caught a few pics for us (his photography skills are insane!) What you see in the photos is about 25x more vibrant than what our naked eye could see. The deep green colour to us looked more like a wispy white and the lights were actually extremely faint. It’s common that lights appear more white to the naked eye than they do on camera.

The lights started to fade and we gathered around the campfire once again. Many of our group were hopeful that the lights might make an appearance again and we waited it out for another few hours. Max kept us regularly updated, checking in on the Northern Lights prediction apps and with his friends and colleagues who were also out on the chase. That was it for our night, but I was elated that we’d seen even the faintest of lights.

What to Expect on a Northern Lights Small Group Tour:

  • An experienced guide who knows the whole region and tries their damnedest to get you a glimpse of the lights. Guides drive you to the location they deem to have the best chance of the Northern Lights being visible. Our guide Max was so skilled and so passionate that it really made the experience for us.
  • Thermal suits! I can not understate the importance of these. It’s below freezing out there and in order to spot the lights you’ll be out in the cold for long periods of time. The thermal suits are invaluable and usually only given on small group tours.
  • Campfire and snacks. Campfire, hot chocolate and reindeer (or veggie) sausages were all part of the experience for us. They help warm you up too.
  • Photos. If the Northern Lights do appear, capturing them on camera is not easy. The guides on these tours are experienced at Northern Lights photography, and if you’re a keen photographer they’ll help you get the right settings too. Be sure to check if photos are included as part of your tour, as some tours whack an additional price tag on for the photos after. With Northern Horizon, photos are included.
  • Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or Airbnb. Northern Lights chasing starts around 6PM and can go onto the early hours of the morning, sometimes as late as 4AM.
  • If you’re out in a minibus and then in the wilderness, this means there are no toilets except for the outside. It was so cold that the thought of taking the thermal suit off, let alone trying to get out of all my layers was not appealing. I decided not to drink too much before going out so I didn’t have to wee!

Book a Northern Lights Small Group Tour:

Our Northern Lights tour was this tour with Northern Horizon and I couldn’t recommend them more. The tour can be booked directly on the Northern Horizon website or on Get Your Guide.

Northern Horizon also provide a full refund for bookings cancelled up until 48 hours prior to tour start and will reschedule or refund any trips that cannot go ahead due to bad weather.

Northern Lights from the Fjellheisen Cable Car in Tromsø

The next day the weather was so clear, that we tried for a second time to see the Northern Lights. This time we caught the cable car up the mountain to the Tromsø viewpoint (210 NOK return). The day we went up was so beautiful that the sky had looked like a continual sunrise all day. We headed up early at 2:30PM so we could see the sunset over Tromsø (the sun sets at around 3PM).

The top of the cable car is one of the best places in Tromsø to go aurora hunting. There’s a cafe at the top of the cable car where you can keep warm and toasty. There are gorgeous views out over the city, so it’s worth the trip up even if you don’t see the lights (dinner and a glass of wine, yes please – prices are the same as in the city).

We waited in the cafe for 5 hours, hopping outside every half hour hopeful to see something and continually checking the stars were there. Eventually at 8PM, some lights started to appear!

The faint green beams stretched across the sky, right overhead. After 15 minutes of some low-level activity, whoops and cheers started coming from the mountain side at the back of the building. We ran through the hut to the other side, out into the deep snow.

Here the aurora was getting really strong. At the base, it was twirling pink and white, releasing green beams skidding across the sky. As we waited it started moving, as though vibrating (many people call it ‘dancing’). The lights pulsated all the way across the sky overhead in green-ish, white hues.

It was mesmerising and surreal. I’ve never seen anything like it! After another 15 minutes or so, the lights calmed down again and dark night set in again.

Norway Winter Kit List

You will be freezing your butt off out here in Norway, so come prepared. How you dress in Norway during winter is so important. Temperatures in the winter months can go as low as -25°c. It’s especially cold when you’re out on a northern lights tour. The tours happen at night and drive out into rural areas where there’s deep snow and little shelter from the wind. If you’re not prepared for the cold, your Northern Lights experience really won’t be very fun.

How to Dress in Norway:

  • Wear layers. You’ll be much warmer if you layer your clothing. Several thin layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thick layer.
  • Insulators. Locals recommend merino wool base layers. Helly Hansen’s insulating jacket above was developed with the Swedish Ski Team for maximum warmth and minimal bulk.
  • Snow boots. Make sure you have a decent pair of study snow boots that are warm and waterproof. They should be a size bigger than your usual shoe size as you’ll need to fit in two pairs of socks.
  • Thermal socks. Two pairs of thermal socks will do the trick. Make sure there’s space inside your boots for them without crushing your toes.
  • Foot warmers. Slip a pair of foot warmers in your shoes before you set out on a northern lights chase. These little secret feet warmers make a massive difference when you’re standing out in the snow for so long!

Me getting kitted up in my thermals and Helly Hansen gear

Are you going to see the Northern Lights?

Ask any questions about seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer. If you’re heading on a trip, or if you’ve just been, let me know how it goes. I’d like to hear about your experiences — good and bad!

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Disclaimer: I was generously hosted by the Northern Horizon team, but my reviews are honest and I would 100% recommend them. I was also gifted the Lifaloft Hybrid Insulator by Helly Hansen and I was damn glad to be wearing it!