Photograph: Shutterstock

The 7 best places to see the Northern Lights around the

world
From Canada to Sweden and Greenland, these are the best places to see aurora borealis across the
globe

Written by Ellie Walker-Arnott, Sarah Medina & Sophie Dickinson Monday 31 January 2022

The Northern Lights (aka the aurora borealis) should be on every traveller’s celestial bucket list.
TikTok and Instagram are full of aurora-chasers who spend considerable amounts of time tracking
geomagnetic storms in order to see swirling streaks of pink, green, yellow and blue light up the sky.
Typically, the Northern Lights are visible in places like Iceland, Norway and Canada, but every now
and again, the northern reaches of the USA and UK get a display, too.

The lights might look magical, but there’s a rather unromantic scientific explanation for them. The
Northern Lights may appear as an arc that curves across the sky, or ribbons of pink, yellow and
green that move through the darkness. They light up the sky when gaseous particles in the Earth’s
atmosphere and charged particles from the sun’s atmosphere collide, and are blown towards the
earth by solar wind.

It’s because of this that we can sort of predict where you can spot them. They’re usually deflected by
the planet’s magnetic field – but this is weaker at the poles. That means somewhere within the
Arctic Circle is your best bet. In the southern hemisphere, they’re called aurora australis, but they’re
much trickier to spot from land.

For the best viewing experience, you’re going to want to choose a dark night, so looking skywards
between November and March is recommended. Pick a night when there’s a new moon, and make
sure it’s cloudless and that there’s no light pollution. 

So, are you ready to see something pretty spectacular? Here are the best places on earth to see the
Northern Lights. 

Best places to see the Northern Lights around the world

Photograph: Shutterstock

1. Norway
The northern reaches of Norway are nicely nestled within the Arctic circle, and the mega-long nights
in winter make perfect aurora viewing conditions. The town of Tromsø is a popular place for
Northern Light-hunters to base themselves. You can sometimes even spot the lights from the town
itself.

If you’re taking your quest very seriously, there are few places better than Svalbard for spotting the
lights. The world’s northernmost year-round settlement, Svalbard is in darkness pretty much
constantly between November and February, providing optimum opportunties. Just make sure you
take an official tour rather than heading out into the wilderness on your own. This is polar bear
territory. 

Stay here It’s not opening until 2022, but Svart, the world’s first energy-positive hotel, would make a
dreamy base. The circular hotel which stands in the shallows of a fjord, will be off grid and zero
waste – and its Arctic Circle location makes it a good bet for seeing the Northern Lights during your
stay too.

Read more

Photograph: Shutterstock

2. Iceland
Reykjavik is popular with aurora-spotters, who base themselves in the city and head out into the
darkness at night on organised tours or in rented cars. You can even see the lights in town
sometimes, especially in Oskjuhlid forest. But heading away from the bright lights will aid your
chances. The Westfjords and North Iceland have longer hours of darkness and statistically less
frequent cloud cover. 
Stay here Rural Hotel Ranga in southern Iceland boasts zero light pollution, riverside hot tubs and a
special wake-up call if you want to be roused each time the Northern Lights appear. Yes please! 

Read more
Photograph: Shutterstock

3. Canada
Though you might spot them anywhere in Canada, much of Northern Canada falls into the Aurora
Zone, so is a brilliant place to try your luck. The Northwest Territories are your best bet. Churchill in
northern Manitoba is another spot that’s popular with aurora-hunters for a reason, as are Yukon,
Nunavut, Newfoundland and Labrador. You might even get lucky in Alberta during autumn – the
lights have been known to make an appearance in Banff National Park. 

Stay here Aurora Village is found near Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and you can
probably guess from its name that it’s a great place to see the Northern Lights. Spend the night
watching the skies besides the fire in a teepee before being transferred to a hotel in Yellowknife for a
well-deserved nap/scroll through your aurora snaps. 

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Photograph: Shutterstock

4. Scotland
When the conditions are right, the Northern Lights can be spotted anwhere in Scotland – they have
been sighted as far south as Edinburgh – but northern Scotland, which sits at a similar latitude to
parts of Norway, is where you’re most likely to get an eyefull of the dancing colours. The islands of
Shetland, Orkney, Harris, Lewis and the most northerly top of Skye all get regular visits from the
lights. Other good places to try your luck are Caithness, the northernmost edge of the Scottish
mainland, and the Cairngorms National Park.  

Stay here The Highland Haven is a neat, scandi inspired cabin just off the scenic North Coast 500
road at the far north of the Scottish mainland, near Dunnet Head, the most northerly point. 

Read more
Photograph: Shutterstock

5. Sweden
Swedish Lapland is an ideal aurora-hunting playground, with plenty of wholesome outdoorsy
activities to keep you occupied while you’re waiting. For the very best chance of seeing the Northern
Lights, head to the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko National Park. Kiruna, the country’s northernmost
city is also an ideal base, as is the nearby village of Jukkasjärvi (home to the Ice Hotel). For a side of
stunning scenery and isolation, visit the tiny village of Porjus.

Stay here There are countless cool places to kip while you hunt the Northern Lights in Sweden, but
The Ice Hotel is one of the most iconic. The famous hotel, freshly constructed and sculpted out of
snow and ice each winter, is not only a unique place to spend the night but in a stellar location for
seeing the aurora. 

Read more
Photograph: Shutterstock
6. Finland
Finnish Lapland plays host to the Northern Lights an impressive 200 nights a year. You’ll want to
visit this northern region in winter, when 24-hour summer daylight is replaced with almost constant
night. Popular bases for aurora-spotting holidays include remote Utsjoki in the far north, Kilpisjärvi in
the west and the skiing town of Levi. In the central Lapland resort of Luosto, bells are rung when the
aurora makes an appearance. Handy!

Stay here If just the thought of spending all night outside in the hope that you’ll catch a glimpse of
the aurora makes your toes feel chilly, give this a go instead. The Arctic Treehouse Hotel has suites
with floor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the bed, for admiring the view and watching for the
Northern Lights from beneath a duvet.

Read more
Photograph: Shutterstock

7. Greenland
Light pollution is minimal in wild, rural Greenland. If you visit during the winter months, your chance
of spotting the Nothern Lights is pretty good wherever you’re based. The lights can be seen from
Greenland’s capital Nuuk, while Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut are also good places to base yourself.
Southern Greenland might be better if you don’t love the biting cold, but if you’re feeling brave, you
should book a trip to beautiful Ilulissat in northern Greenland. 

Stay here Got your thermals on? You can sleep overnight inside an actual igloo while hunting for the
Northern Lights in Greenland. Iglo Lodge, on the shores of frozen Lake Nalluarsup, is a collection of
traditional hand-built igloos, filled with candles and really, really good sleeping bags. 
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