5 of The Best Places to See The Most Amazing Northern Lights in Europe

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The Northern Lights are well-known phenomena where colorful ribbons or curtains of lights in vibrant and glowing greens, blues, and purples are visible throughout the night sky during the winter months. The lights are the result of various ions colliding, and the colors that are visible are dependent on the type of ions involved in the collision. The resulting display is a magical sight – there really isn’t anything else like it!

Seeing the northern lights is a popular bucket list item, and many people come from all over to check it off their list. The experience of seeing the stunning natural display of colorful light is something many people want to experience, and the occasion relies on a very specific set of circumstances. To see the lights clearly you must be in the right place at the right time, and even then, it’s never guaranteed. As it’s a natural phenomenon, it can’t be scheduled. However, there are certain places you can go where you have the best chance of witnessing it.

Read on to discover five of the best places in Europe to see the incredible astral show, and learn the best times of the year to go:

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Tromso, Norway

Northern Lights in Europe, Tromso

Tromso is a great city to visit in Norway during any part of the year, but if you venture here between September and April you have a good chance of experiencing a great view of the Northern Lights. The area is known for fairly stable weather, which is one of the elements that increase the chances of seeing the lights clearly.

You might be able to get a glimpse of them while in town, but the further you get away from any light pollution, the better chance you have of seeing them clearly. You can head out of town by yourself, or book one of the almost forty guided tours available in the city. If you prefer you can book small group tours or choose to go with a larger group. Either way, the opportunity to see the Northern Lights in Tromso is unmatched.

In addition to the Northern Lights experience, there are many other activities that you might enjoy while staying in Tromso. The tour such as the Reindeer Experience, Sami Culture, and Short Reindeer Sledding Tour from Tromso and the Snowmobile Safari with Camp Troll are just two of many other amazing things you can do here.

To see what else you can do in Tromso check our full list of activities here.

Need a place to stay during your Northern Lights trip to Tromso, see our recommended hotels to stay in Tromso here.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Northern Lights in Europe, Iceland

There are many reasons to visit Iceland’s capital city – the nightlife, the culture, and the opportunities to see the Northern Lights. You have a decent chance of seeing the light show between September and April as it’s during this time that Reykjavik sees about 20 hours of darkness. The conditions for the Northern Lights to be the most visible include darkness, so avoiding the dense portions of the city can improve your view.

There are many guided tours available, and you can even rent a car to drive out of the city to see the lights. The guided tours are great options, especially if you’re short on time, as the guides are experts in the intricacies of the weather conditions so they will know the best places to take you during certain times to give you the best chance of seeing the incredible astral display in person.

In addition to the Northern Lights experience, you might also enjoy other activities/tours such as the Golden Circle, Kerid Volcanic Crater, and Blue Lagoon Day Trip from Reykjavik, Snorkeling Between Continents in Silfra, and more. Click here to see the full list of things you can do in Reykjavik.

Need a place to stay during your Northern Lights trip to Reykjavik? Some of our favorite hotels are the CenterHotel Laugavegur and the CenterHotel Midgardur but you can see more hotels to stay in Reykjavik here.

Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa, Sweden

Northern Lights in Europe, Sweden

This absolutely beautiful floating hotel is an incredible place to stay even without the added bonus of the perfect vantage point from where to see the Northern Lights. The hotel lounge and shared areas are part of a structure that floats in the Lule River, and a series of nearby cabins offer a more solitary experience. The cabins have large windows that enable guests to see the Northern Lights clearly on any night that they’re visible. The hotel offers some rooms as part of the floating structure, and these spaces are also unique locations from which to view the light display.

It is definitely a more luxurious option, and it emphasizes general wellness and offers spa facilities. If you’re looking for a lavish immersive experience to indulge in while you’re hunting down views of the Northern Lights, the Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa in Sweden may be the place for you.

Ilulissat, Greenland

Ilulissat is one of the best places throughout Europe to see the Northern Lights, and if you’re in Greenland, it’s the best place to go. The lights here may be visible slightly earlier than other locations on this list – some records say they have been visible as early as late August. Generally, the final days of the season where you can see the lights occur during the month of April. That said, it’s even better to visit between November and February as the darker and longer the nights are, the better chance of the lights being visible.

While you can see the lights on your own, it’s always a great option to book a guided tour. The available tours in Ilulissat are unique and many of them offer additional experiences. Greenland Tours offers a multi-day experience where you can snowshoe, try your hand at dogsledding, and, of course, experiencing the unparalleled views that Southern Greenland has to offer. These tours are specifically designed to create an immersive experience that takes you to locations where you can get the best possible view of the Northern Lights.

If you are in Ilulissat, and looking for a place to stay. We recommend Hotel Arctic, Hotel Avannaa, or Best Western Plus Hotel Ilulissat.

Rovaniemi, Finland

Northern Lights in Europe, Finland

Rovaniemi is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights in Europe. There are certain exceptional vantage points from within the city, and there is even an alert system you can sign up for that notifies you when the light show is imminent. Although there is no way to predict exactly when and where the light show will be visible, you generally have the best chance if you’re waiting between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. The best time to visit if you’re coming specifically to see the Northern Lights is from late August to early April – on average, the stunning display is visible 150 nights out of the year.

To elevate your experience, book a guided tour to venture out a bit further for a potentially clearer view. You can book a tour on snowmobiles, snowshoes, husky sleds, or even reindeer sleighs. Whatever your personal comfort level is, you’ll likely be able to find a tour that suits you.

To see what else you can do while staying in Rovaniemi, see our full list of things to do here.

Looking for a place to stay in Rovaniemi? We recommend LAURI Historical 19th Century Manor, HAAWE Boutique Apart Hotel, and our personal favorite, the Ounasvaaran Lakituvat Chalets.

Video Guide: 5 Best Places to See the Northern Lights in Europe

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DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links, MultiCityTrips may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Need help planning a trip to see the Northern Lights in Europe?

Want to experience the Northern Lights in Europe, but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of multi-city trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!

At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a trip that include visiting multiple cities, countries throughout Europe as well as the bucket list trip to see the Northern Lights in Europe are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city European trip and craft your European vacation package at the best price.

Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations in Europe.

To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in  5 Easy Steps”  here.

Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today

Private Travel Coaching & Consulting Call

Want to plan and book your upcoming trip yourself? If this is your first time traveling to any of the European destinations or you are new to multi-city, multi-country travel but prefer to manage every part of your trip on your own, this option is for you! 

For just $150 per hour, our destination expert can answer any questions you might have as you plan and book your dream trip. From assisting with route planning, and destination selection, recommending the best areas or places to stay, the best transportation options, things to do and see, saving tips and so much more! 

Ready to plan your trip with our help? Book your private coaching session with our destination expert now and we’ll confirm your appointment within 24 hours!

Travel Resources for Planning Your Own Trip

To make planning your European trip on your own easier, in addition to what already mentioned in our travel guide, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in any destination using these travel resources:

European River Cruises:

Uniworld River Cruises: The world’s best and most awarded luxury river cruise line—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia, and Peru. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality, and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.

Pre- and Post-cruise/Tour Extensions: Uniworld curated pre-and post-cruise/tour extensions make it easy to add a few days to the front or back end of your trip while leaving the planning to them

The packages include a variety of hotel options, transfers, and a dedicated destination expert to escort you along the way.

Flights: 

Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.

CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!

Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.

JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.

Hotels

Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.

Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.

Airport Transfers & Transportations: 

Airport Transfers: GetTransfer offers both airport transfers & car rentals with a personal driver. Other airport transfer options are KiwiTaxi and Viator.

TrainEuroRailTrainline, or RailEurope are all great sites for train tickets as well as Rail Passes if you would like to add more flexibility to your trip. They are good for most trains throughout Europe. For trains in Italy, we like and recommend ItaliaRail. As for Portugal, you will need to go to the official website for Comboios de Portugal (the Portuguese train company) to book your train tickets when traveling in Portugal.

BusFlixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.

CarRentalsAutoEuropeEconomyBookings, or  GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)

Bike RentalBikesBooking is a great site for bikes & scooter rentals

Transportation ComparisonOmio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)

Tours & Activities:

TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.

Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.

Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.

GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities

Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.

Travel Insurance:

Travel Guard:  Their comprehensive travel insurance programs, starting at $30, include per-trip & annual plans, coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, medical expenses, baggage loss & more! Travel Guard provides 24/7-customer service with a personal touch through its World Service Center.

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links, MultiCityTrips may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Trip by Travel Experts

Need help planning a trip and find the best vacation package for your multi-city trip to Europe? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!

At MultiCityTrips, multi-city, multi-country European vacations, and complicated itineraries are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize an amazing multi-city trip to your dream destinations in Europe.

Ready for a trip? Check out our planning options and get in touch with us today!

Featured Pre-Designed Packages

These air-inclusive, pre-designed multi-city European vacation packages can be personalized to suit your needs!

Private Travel Coaching & Consulting Call

Want to plan and book your upcoming trip yourself? If this is your first time traveling to any of the European destinations or you are new to multi-city, multi-country travel but prefer to manage every part of your trip on your own, this option is for you! 

For just $150 per hour, our destination expert can answer any questions you might have as you plan and book your dream trip. From assisting with route planning, and destination selection, recommending the best areas or places to stay, the best transportation options, things to do and see, saving tips and so much more! 

Ready to plan your trip with our help? Book your private coaching session with our destination expert now and we’ll confirm your appointment within 24 hours!

Schedule a FREE Consultation

Not sure or can’t decide which planning option is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute call with one of our travel experts to discuss your travel needs today!