13 Tips and Tricks for Seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø

So you’re traveling to the Arctic to see the northern lights in Tromsø? I got you covered!

In this guide, I will give you all of my tips and tricks for seeing this beautiful phenomenon in Norway, as well as some photography advice that will help you go home with some pretty enviable photos to show friends and family!

Tromsø is often listed as one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights and while it is worthy of the title, there are a few things I think you should know before seeing the aurora in Tromsø.

By planning ahead, you can help maximize your chances of having a successful northern lights trip to the city and will not leave disappointed!

If you have any questions about seeing the northern lights in Tromsø, including packing information, best tours, and more… let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Tips for Seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway

1. Book your tour on the first night.

I can not emphasize this enough. I see so many bloggers out there who did a short trip to Tromsø writing itineraries that include a northern lights tour on night three. No, no, no!

Please do not book a northern lights night that far into your trip. Book it on your first night (and any you wish to book after that). The reason is that if you don’t see it on the first night, you can book some last-minute tours for other nights.

My favorite northern lights tour in Tromsø is offered by Polar Adventures and they offer a 30% discount on a rebooking if you don’t get to see the northern lights on your tour.

This is a huge deal – and you can book right there on the spot for an additional night (it can also be applied toward a different tour if you wish).

Here is my perfect northern lights itinerary for first-timers with the goal of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Tromsø:

• Night 1: Northern lights tour (dedicated one; not a combo activity)
• Night 2: Sami cultural experience at a reindeer farm (by doing this in the evening, you have a chance to catch the northern lights at the same time)
• Night 3: Another northern lights tour if you didn’t get to see it the first night

2. Choose a northern lights tour with a guarantee.

So currently there are no tours that give you a 100% refund if you don’t see the northern lights. This is pretty standard across the Nordics because it is a phenomenon that is so dependent on other factors, including weather.

But, Polar Adventures in Tromsø offers a 30% discount that you can apply toward another tour (including a second northern lights tour) if you are not lucky on your first trip out searching.

This is why I suggest booking your aurora tour on Night 1 – it gives you ample time for a rebooking if you don’t succeed that night!

3. Visit Tromsø in spring.

So many travelers head to Tromsø in December in search of the aurora. While, yes, it is more than possible to see it, it is actually not (typically) the best time to go.

The best time? Early spring… MARCH.

Fall is great, but Tromsø’s weather is at its cloudiest. Summer doesn’t work out due to that midnight sun. Winter is okay. But March? It is the best.

Without doing a deep-dive into the science behind the northern lights (you can read this article by Space.com to get that information), basically there are an average of 6 days with high geomagnetic activity in March. And December only has 3.

Shoulder season as a whole tends to have more geomagnetic disturbances compared to winter/summer. So while fall would ideally be just as good as March from an activity standpoint, the weather conditions can plague visibility. March sees less rain, snow, and clouds… making it the best month to visit Tromsø for the northern lights.

One thing to note is that you cannot see the northern lights toward the end of April going into May (you are approaching really long days at this point). So this ‘spring’ recommendation only really works during March.

4. Do other activities at night on combo tours.

While ‘combo tour’ is a term I kind of coined when talking about northern lights tours, it simply means to do an activity that is at night and outside. This can be dog-sledding, Sami cultural experiences at reindeer ranches, snowshoeing, or snowmobiling.

Dedicated northern lights tours are fun, but if you don’t see the aurora, you go home with memories of sitting in a van. If you do a combo tour, you may or may not see the aurora (you stay in one place, take mind) but you will go home with lasting memories from the activity.

Here are some of my favorite nighttime tours that may offer you the opportunity to see the northern lights over Tromsø:

• Husky farm and northern lights (this is not dog-sledding – simply visiting the husky farm at night)
• Sami cultural experience and reindeer feeding (my favorite evening combo tour; wheelchair-accessible with a heads up)
• Aurora catamaran trip with dinner (wheelchair-accessible with a heads up)
• Snowshoeing (great for active travelers)
• Snowmobiling (another adventurous traveler activity; must have a valid driver’s license to operate the snowmobile)

5. Book tours well ahead of time.

While aurora tours can often have openings as more buses and vans can be added last minute, that is not always the case! Be sure to book ahead of time (and on the first night of your trip). At least you are guaranteed to get on that tour.

On the other hand, if you are booking a combo tour like a husky farm visit or a Sami cultural experience that is at night and includes the possibility of seeing the northern lights, these are the first tours to book up.

I couldn’t even get on a husky tour during my last Tromsø visit. While additional buses can be added for aurora tours, you can’t just add more reindeer ranches or huskies… meaning that once they hit capacity, you are out of luck.

This has been an issue in recent years as there has been a surge of Airbnbs listed in Tromsø, creating a huge imbalance between tour offerings vs. accommodation. The high demand and lack of supply is one of Tromsø’s biggest issues at the moment.

6. Best Tromsø northern lights tours for kids.

Here’s the thing… kids and long van tours to see the northern lights are not always the best idea. I mean this more for young children (not teens). These tours go late into the evening, are cold, and can go until like 2am!

If you think your kid can handle it, that is amazing. But, if you question whether it is suitable for younger children, there are other options that I think may fit you better.

Here are some of the tours I recommend to those traveling to Tromsø with kids:

➡️ Sami cultural tour at a reindeer farm: While I am not a fan of reindeer sledding myself, there are plenty of kids who will enjoy it and it is a great evening tour option for those traveling with children.

These tours are usually around 4-5 hours long and Tromsø Arctic Reindeer will drive you out to their complex where you’ll have dinner and hot drinks, feed reindeer, go sledding (not mandatory), and see the northern lights! This is a relaxing but fun tour that is my favorite option for a combo northern lights excursion!

➡️ Husky farm visit (with the northern lights): Another great option for a tour is to visit the Tromsø Villmarkssenter where you and your kids will get the chance to meet some of the sled dogs, see the northern lights, and have a tasty dinner of Norwegian stockfish (bacalao-style). There will also be a chance to roast marshmallows over a fire!

7. Best northern lights tours for wheelchair-users.

If you are a wheelchair user and want to see the northern lights, no worries at all! There are a few options for you when visiting Tromsø. One thing to know before I dive into those options is that you will need to give both companies notice before your trip so they can accommodate.

➡️ Electric catamaran trip to see the northern lights: This evening excursion will take you and other guests around on the Brim Explorer to see the fjord around beautiful Tromsø. On board, you will have a dinner of Arctic tapas and drinks (alcoholic ones are for purchase).

I have not personally done the northern lights tour on this boat, but I have done their daytime tours in Tromsø and Lofoten, so I have personally been on the same boat you will go on. There is an accessible bathroom on the first floor, which is where you will be seated (hence the heads up for them). They also have wheelchairs to use on board.

➡️ Sami cultural tour at Tromsø Arctic Reindeer: I reached out to them personally to check if they could accommodate wheelchair-users and they said that while the entire ranch is not wheelchair-friendly, a lot of it is and that they welcome you out there. You will need to give them a heads-up before going out there so they can arrange the transport accordingly.

8. Make sure you plan enough days in Tromsø.

I know Tromsø is a short jaunt away from England, Germany, and other places in Europe.

However, 2-3 nights may not be enough time to see the northern lights. If you deal with a bad weather system coming through (welcome to the Arctic!), that can cover the entire span of your trip.

I always recommend a 4-5 night trip if you can manage it. I understand that it is not feasible for everyone, so just manage your expectations and keep your fingers crossed!

9. Know what you’re looking for.

If you are not planning to take a northern lights tour in Tromsø and want to venture out on your own, be sure to know what you’re looking for. I don’t advise this approach to those who have never seen the aurora before. But, if you want to give it a shot, good luck!

The Aurora Borealis is best seen outside of the city where light pollution is lower. It also requires clear skies and enough activity (solar winds, etc). And… it might not be super easy to see with the naked eye.

A lot of times, it appears like a white streak in the sky. You may not even realize that there is an aurora overhead! The best way to see if that white streak is an aurora is to hold your phone (which needs to be somewhat newer) up to it with your camera app open. It will usually show color.

If you are planning to head out on your own, I highly encourage downloading a few apps before you go. You can see those below.

10. Download an Aurora app to help you plan ahead.

There are a few apps I use for aurora hunting:

• Aurora (download in the iOS store or the Google store)
• Windy (download in the iOS store or the Google store)
• Weather app

I am going to keep this in very simple terms without getting too technical (I mean, you just want to see the thing, right!?). Here is what Aurora and Windy look like (so you can ensure you download the correct apps).

The Aurora app gives you all the information you need to know regarding activity. It is a free app where you can see an aurora map, KP indexes, best locations, and webcams. Under the forecast tab, it gives a section that tells you solar wind levels which is important for northern lights viewing.

You can see some screenshots from my app here (disregard the ads – I use the free version):

I would mostly pay attention to the Tromsø webcam, the KP index for the week (although you can see the aurora with low KP indexes… don’t let people tell you otherwise), and solar wind speeds and density. The higher the number, the better (for all).

Then you have Solar Wind Bz. You want this to be very negative. If all of these come together with no cloud coverage, you are likely to see some lovely northern lights!

Another app I use is the Windy app (which can be downloaded on their website). There is a section on this free app called ‘Cloud Coverage’.

This is the best app I have found to figure out where clear skies are. Unfortunately at the time of writing this, Tromsø is not looking so hot (typical autumn weather). You can also see forecasts for a few days out but do know that weather is subject to change.

The last app I use is simply a weather app. My iPhone weather app usually says the opposite of what is actually happening, so I tend to check out Norwegian site YR. It is pretty good for weather everywhere, in my opinion.

11. You can’t see the northern lights in Tromsø in summer.

I think this is a pretty obvious statement for most people but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t realize that you can’t see the aurora when the midnight sun months are here.

There are a lot of Facebook group questions I see come through about this so I am sure someone is going to read this and learn for the first time.

It is a totally valid question if you have never experienced the midnight sun or northern lights before. You can see the northern lights in Tromsø from mid-September until mid-April.

12. Set up your camera BEFORE your northern lights tour.

If you are into photography and are looking to shoot the aurora on your trip, get your settings ready before your tour. I always recommend doing this in your hotel so you can practice with manual focus just a bit.

I am copying these settings from my northern lights tour guide, but here is a good suggestion of where to start:

• ISO: The higher the ISO, the more light will be let in and the grainier the photo will be – start at 2000 and try to decrease.
• Shutter speed: The longer the shutter speed, the more light that will be let in. Start at 3 seconds.
• F-stop: How wide the lens is open – go as low as you can with the number as this means more light is allowed in. Keep it on that number and don’t move it around.
• Manual focus: On the side of the lens you should see a small toggle between AF and MF. Move it to MF. Just remember to toggle back after your aurora tour.

Manual focus can be the trickiest part of it all. You will need to have your lens on MF instead of AF (MF=manual focus) and you will need to focus to infinity on something like the stars, the moon, a mountain, etc. Most lenses don’t focus on infinity so go there and then work your way back to wherever you find that crisp scene.

When you get outside, it will be really cold, so you won’t want to be removing your gloves/mittens over and over to set these. Get them ready to go before!

13. Bring a power bank and spare batteries with you.

If you’re heading out into the Arctic to photograph, you will want to bring a power bank for your phone and some spare batteries for your camera.

The cold depletes your phone battery at an unusually high speed and your camera batteries will do the same.

Keep your spare batteries in a pocket so they stay warm and ready to go when you need to switch out.

Bonus Tip: Skip Tromsø and go to Abisko or Alta instead.

I have previously compared Tromsø to Alta and you can read more about that here. Alta is close to Finnmarksvidda (a large plateau) where you can often find clear patches of skies and it is a great place to hunt for the northern lights.

However, Abisko is where it’s at.

Located in northern Sweden close to Kiruna, Abisko is the best place in the world to see the northern lights. The area has a microclimate (often called the ‘blue hole’) that gifts the region with more clear nights than other places in the Arctic.

You can read more about it on Lights over Lapland’s site (I did an aurora tour with them in Abisko, actually). And, yes, I saw the northern lights on it!

If you have any additional questions about seeing the northern lights in Tromsø, Norway, please let me know in the comments.

I may be expanding this guide over time to include more FAQs and tips as I see fit. I will also be writing a full aurora photography guide soon, so be on the lookout for it.

More Tromsø Activity Guides

• Northern lights tours in Tromsø
• Whale watching tours in Tromsø
• Tromsø whale watching tips
• Dog sledding tours in Tromsø
• Snowmobiling tours in Tromsø
• Reindeer sledding in Tromsø

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