{"id":248987,"date":"2025-07-08T21:12:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T21:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/248987\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T21:12:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T21:12:17","slug":"the-places-to-go-where-youre-most-likely-to-see-the-northern-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/248987\/","title":{"rendered":"The places to go where you’re most likely to see the Northern Lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, you\u2019re more likely than ever to see the Northern Lights.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all thanks to the peak of the Solar Maximum\u2019s 11-year cycle, meaning a boost in the frequency and intensity of the Aurora Borealis.<\/p>\n

But where should you head if you want to witness the mesmerising natural phenomenon in all its glory?<\/p>\n

Best Served Scandinavia<\/a> has revealed the destinations around the world where you\u2019re going to have the best luck.<\/p>\n

And one is just a three-hour flight away from the UK\u2026<\/p>\n

Tromso, Norway \"Tromso, <\/p>\n

Tromso, Norway, is widely regarded as one of the world\u2019s best places to see the Northern Lights, thanks to the fact that it\u2019s right in the centre of the Arctic<\/p>\n

Tromso, Norway, is widely regarded as one of the world\u2019s best places to see the Northern Lights, thanks to the fact that it\u2019s right in the centre of the Arctic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When MailOnline Travel went to Tromso to see the Northern Lights in action, photographer Tor-Ivar Naess told us it\u2019s also because there are bigger geomagnetic storms that result in ‘stronger auroras for longer’.<\/p>\n

The Lights are most visible here from late September to early April, with peak visibility often occurring between December and February.<\/p>\n

And if the Lights themselves aren\u2019t enough of a draw, Tromso also has a great nightlife, with more pubs and bars per capita than anywhere else in Norway.<\/p>\n

Direct flights to Tromso are available from London Luton and Manchester Airport in the winter, with prices starting at \u00a389 one way.<\/p>\n

Swedish Lapland \"If <\/p>\n

If you want to see the Northern Lights without many other tourists, Kiruna is the place to, with a population of just 18,000<\/p>\n

If you want to see the Northern Lights without many other tourists, Kiruna is the place to, with a population of just 18,000.<\/p>\n

Another place in Swedish Lapland for the Lights is Lule\u00e5, as the archipelago benefits from a lack of light pollution.<\/p>\n

The best time to see the Northern Lights here is from September to late March, with December, January, and February most likely to provide good results thanks to the long, dark, and clear nights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are also a wide range of winter activities available in Lapland, including husky sledding and ice fishing.<\/p>\n

So off-the-beaten-track is the Swedish Lapland that there are no direct flights from the UK at the moment \u2013 however Lulea and Kiruna can both be easily reached from Stockholm.<\/p>\n

Reyjkavik, Iceland \"Iceland\u2019s <\/p>\n

Iceland\u2019s capital is one of the most popular places for tourists to head for the Northern Lights \u2013 with many dedicated tours heading out of Rejkavik. Above is the Glacier Lagoon<\/p>\n

Iceland\u2019s capital is one of the most popular places for tourists to head for the Northern Lights \u2013 as the city has so much more to offer on top of the Aurora Borealis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The best months to see the spectacle are between September and April \u2013 and there are plenty of tours available from Reyjkavik that come with a hot chocolate to help keep you warm while you\u2019re searching for the Lights.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t manage to see them<\/a>, you\u2019ll leave Iceland feeling content \u2013 as the area is full of incredible geography, like geothermal spas and geysers, and excellent restaurants.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of direct flights from all over the UK to Reyjkavik, with prices starting at around \u00a330 for one way, and journeys taking just over three hours.<\/p>\n

Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland \"Lapland <\/p>\n

Lapland is best known for being Santa\u2019s home, but the Northern Lights are another reason to go to the place where it\u2019s Christmas all year<\/p>\n

Lapland is best known for being Santa\u2019s home, but the Northern Lights are another reason to go to the place where it\u2019s Christmas all year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Head to Rovaniemi between September and April if you want the best chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget to go husky sledding, ice fishing or on a snowmobile safari while you\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

There are direct flights to Rovaniemi from all over the UK, and MailOnline Travel has found flights for just \u00a330 from London Stansted and Liverpool in November.<\/p>\n

Ilulissat, Greenland \"There <\/p>\n

There are just 5,000 people living in Ilulissat, Greenland\u2019s third largest city \u2013 but it\u2019s not just the quietness that makes it ideal for seeing the Northern Lights here<\/p>\n

There are just 5,000 people living in Ilulissat, Greenland\u2019s third largest city \u2013 but it\u2019s not just the quietness that makes it ideal for seeing the Northern Lights here.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s right in the heart of Greenland\u2019s aurora belt, which means it\u2019s very reliable for seeing the Lights.<\/p>\n

The lack of rain and low levels of wind mean the sky is often very clear too.<\/p>\n

Ilulissat is best to visit between September and April, however there are no direct flights from Iceland during this time.<\/p>\n

Instead, tourists will need to head to Copenhagen, then take an Air Greenland flight to Nuuk, and then another domestic flight to Ilulissat.<\/p>\n

Svalbard, Norway \"Svalbard <\/p>\n

Svalbard benefits from almost no sunlight in the winter, with absolutely none in February. This makes it incredibly likely to see the Northern Lights at some point during these months<\/p>\n

Svalbard benefits from almost no sunlight in the winter, with absolutely none in February.<\/p>\n

This makes it incredibly likely to see the Northern Lights at some point during these months.<\/p>\n

But, just 650 miles from the North Pole, in the Arctic Ocean, the archipelago is also incredibly remote.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to get there from the UK is to get a flight from Tromso to Longyearbyen, which takes under two hours.<\/p>\n

Or you can get there as part of an expedition cruise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year, you\u2019re more likely than ever to see the Northern Lights. It\u2019s all thanks to the peak…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[92,70,183,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-248987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-travel","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114819678076492319","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}