How to See the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway (+Best Tours & Tips)
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Looking for information on the Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway? This article should answer all your questions and – hopefully – help you see auroras in Tromso.
Tromsø’s unique location over 300 km North of the Arctic Circle in Norway and its stable mild weather make it one of the best places to see the Northern Lights in the world.
Many people I met in Tromsø told me that seeing the Northern Lights was the ultimate dream and the main reason to visit Northern Norway in winter. But what to expect and what to know before you go aurora hunting in Tromsø? Find out!
Before we continue with the Northern Lights, I just want to say that there are so many more reasons to visit Tromsø in winter. Seeing auroras is a wonderful experience, but the Tromsø region has a lot more to offer. You can read all about it in our previous post – best things to do in Tromso in winter.
And now back to chasing the Northern Lights in Tromsø…
TIP: If you stumbled upon this guide looking for the best Northern Lights tours in Tromso, this is the best small-group tour that I recommend the most. If you are mainly interested in photography, then check out this big-bus tour with professional photographers.
You can also read about our personal experience with Tromso Northern Lights tours further below, where we also compare big bus aurora tours vs. small group tours. Read on!
PRO TIP: If you are planning to book a tour, do it well in advance! Recently, most tours in Tromso (whether it be dog sledding or aurora hunting) have been completely sold out 3-4 weeks in advance!
When is the best time of the year to see the Northern Lights in Tromso?
Generally speaking, the best time to see the Northern Lights in Tromso is from mid-September to April.
You may get lucky and see auroras even at the very end of August or mid-April. But if you want to increase your chances, it’s probably best to come between October and March.
Northern Lights tours in Tromsø are bookable from the 15th of September until the 15th of April. So it’s a good indication that the chances are probably still quite high as early as mid-September and as late as mid-April (see below for more information).
What is the best spot to see Northern Lights in Tromsø (and can you see auroras in town)?
The best way to see the Northern Lights is to go to a place where there is no light pollution. So ideally you travel far outside the city. That being said, sometimes auroras are really strong and it is possible to see the Northern Lights in town as well.
If you are in Tromso on a cloudless evening, one of the best places to go aurora hunting is up the mountain which can be reached by Fjellheisen cable car. If you are lucky, it will be an amazing spectacle as the views from there are simply stunning.
What time of the day can you see the Northern Lights?
Our Northern Light tour guides told us that usually, the best chances of seeing auroras near Tromso are late in the evening towards midnight.
But you never know – sometimes you can see them as early as 6 PM or as late as 6 AM, or they can be dancing the whole night too. So as long as it’s dark, keep looking.
How big are the chances to see the Northern Lights in Tromsø?
As I already said, Tromso is one of the best places to see Northern Lights in the world. You need dark skies without (too many) clouds in order to see the auroras. So if it’s really cloudy and snowing, it might be difficult.
On the other hand, Tromso has relatively stable weather. So if you are in the area for at least 3-4 days in winter, you should be able to catch the auroras at least once.
Our Northern Lights tour guides said that there are very few nights when they don’t get to see at least some auroras. However, you won’t easily see them in town, so you need to go looking for them. And if you don’t know where to start, it might be wiser to join a guided tour (see further below).
Where can I find the aurora forecast for Tromsø?
There are several websites where you can check the aurora forecast for Tromso (like this one by the Arctic University of Norway). But our local guides said that they aren’t that trustworthy and certainly not if you check more than a few hours in advance.
Local guides said that they see auroras in Tromso practically every cloudless night in winter.
So it’s more a matter of looking for a place with no light pollution and no clouds rather than following an aurora forecast.
What to wear when chasing the Northern Lights?
What to wear when hunting for the Northern Lights will depend a bit on how you are planning to do it. Small group tours provide thermal suits, whereas if you go on a big bus tour on your own, you’ll have to do with your own clothing (for more explanation, please also see the comparison between the tours below). In any case, you have to dress really warm.
Here you can find our complete Norway winter packing list, it has a specific section on the clothing for watching auroras.
You can also download your copy of the Norway winter packing list by filling in the form below.
Can I see the Northern Lights without a tour?
Yes, of course, you can see the Northern Lights in Tromso without taking an organized tour. If you have a car, make sure to check the weather forecast (local cloud radar would be the most useful to keep an eye on) and look for a nice dark place outside of town.
You can also drive to several places on the same night. But if there are no clouds and you found a nice open spot with good visibility in all directions, you can just as well stay there and wait. If the aurora is visible that night, you will see it.
It might be a bit tricky to find the best spots and optimal conditions if you don’t know the area very well, but it’s definitely something you can also do on your own.
What are the best Northern Light tours in Tromso?
There are dozens of different Northern Lights tours in Tromsø, so it might be difficult to decide which tour to choose. Before my trip, I was convinced that small group tours are better as they are more flexible, but my experience shows that it doesn’t really matter. Further below, you can find more information on big-group tours vs. small-group tours. But first – my personal experience.
I joined two different aurora tours on two connective nights in Tromsø. The first night I went on a small group tour with a minibus (8 people). It was a very cloudy night and the chances of seeing auroras were very slim. There was just one area where the weather radar showed fewer clouds and so every single tour company in town drove to that same area that night.
In the end, the clouds parted a little bit and we got to see a rather weak aurora. It didn’t really matter which tour company you went with – everyone was at the same place and everybody got to see pretty much the same.
The second night the skies were clear and so the chances of seeing the auroras were much bigger. That night I was traveling on a big group Northern Lights bus tour (there were two buses actually). They brought us to a beautiful remote beach that was so big that people just scattered in all directions and nobody disturbed anyone. I saw several small group tours on the same beach that night as well.
We were lucky to see the most amazing aurora display that lasted for several hours. Once again – it didn’t really matter which tour you were on.
Contrary to what I expected, I preferred this big bus Northern Lights tour. It was extremely well organized and had everything I needed. It provides comfortable transportation to the place where the chances to see auroras were best for that night.
There are guides to answer all your questions and people to hang around and chat with if you feel like it. At the same time, you are free to do your own thing and have the freedom to go where you want, take pictures, and never have the pressure to join the group when you don’t feel like it.
But if you are less interested in photography and more in the experience, then a small group tour is definitely more special. In that case, I recommend this highly rated aurora tour (the BEST Tromso Northern Lights small-group tour). After all, there are few experiences that can compare to roasting marshmallows and chatting by the bonfire with the Northern Lights dancing above you…
Important! While in the past, you could usually find a tour just a few days in advance, nowadays, aurora tours often sell out weeks in advance. So reserve it as soon as you know your travel dates! The website we use and recommend has a very flexible cancelation policy, so it’s a hundred times easier to cancel a tour if you can’t go rather than find one without planning well in advance.
Northern Lights tours comparison – small group vs. big bus
As I said, your chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø are pretty much the same, no matter which tour you choose. That doesn’t mean that small-group and big bus tours are identical. Not at all!
Below you can find my observations as to the main differences between the small group and big bus Northern Light tours in Tromsø.
What to expect on a SMALL GROUP Northern Lights tours in Tromsø
- Thermal suit is included.
- They put up a bonfire and serve a warm meal (soup, some local specialty, or sausages that you can bake – depends on the tour). They also offer some warm drinks and some cookies. Our tour guide had a bag of marshmallows we could roast by the fire. Sitting by the bonfire in winter is a nice experience and something extra to keep yourself busy while waiting for the Northern Lights.
- Small group tours usually also have tripods available and the tour guide will help you with the camera settings to help you get a good picture of the Northern Lights. Most guides also take pictures with their own camera. The pictures are offered to you for free after the tour.
- In general, small group tours last a bit longer (7-8 hrs), they drop you off at your hotel after the tour.
- If the weather is really bad and the chances of seeing the auroras are very slim, they usually contact you in order to reschedule the tour.
- Small group tours are of course more expensive than the big bus tours, but you also get more for your money. The price differences are quite big between the tours, so keep this in mind. This highly-rated small group aurora tour offers the best price/ quality ratio at the moment.
TIP: Be sure to book your Northern Light tour in advance. When I was in Tromsø in the first week of March, all the small group tours were fully booked for the nights when the weather was good (also because they rescheduled people from the previous nights and those who booked in advance, of course, got priority). If the tours above are fully booked, check for more tours here.
What to expect on the Northern Lights BUS TOURS in Tromsø
- Big bus Northern Lights tours are extremely well organized. Bus tours have a somewhat stricter schedule, so they are less flexible in terms of staying longer. On the other hand, it might be an advantage as well – they will not go back to town earlier just because one or two people decide that they had enough.
- They have dedicated guides who don’t drive and therefore have the time to tell you more about the Northern Lights and answer any questions you may have.
- The guides are usually also experienced photographers who help everybody with the settings of their cameras, answer questions, etc. They also have their cameras available to take pictures of you. One big difference is that you don’t get these pictures for free. After the tour, you receive a link to their website where you can view and purchase the images if you want to. It’s not cheap, but it’s not something that is obligatory either. However, if you want a really nice souvenir from a memorable night, the guides will make sure to get a really nice picture for you. I found that they try really hard and all the pictures I saw after the bus tour were of excellent quality (see mine below).
- Big group tours don’t offer thermal suits. However, they always keep the bus warm and people who want to can just stay on the bus and only come outside when there is something to see. I spent hours outside and it wasn’t that cold at all. You just need to be dressed right for the cold. Check our winter packing list for Norway.
- They also offer all kinds of warm drinks and cookies on the bus, so you can always warm up with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
- The main big advantage of the big bus tour is that they have toilets on the bus, which may be very useful for a 5-7hr tour, especially if traveling with children.
- From what I understood, big bus tours don’t offer free cancellation in case the weather isn’t great. They still go and do their best to see the auroras. If you don’t see the Northern Lights the first night, usually you can book a tour for the next night at half the price.
TIP: Here you can book the big bus aurora photography tour that I did (and highly recommend for photographers). It’s also somewhat cheaper than most other Tromso aurora tours.
Northern Lights tours in combination with other activities
Since the days are short in the Arctic in winter, many companies offer a wide range of activities that can be done in the evening.
You can choose to go dog sledding, reindeer sledding, and many other tours at night. If you are lucky, you will also get to see the Northern Lights during one of these tours.
However, in these cases, you are not flexible in terms of location. It can be an amazing experience, but it is not really comparable to booking a dedicated aurora tour where they drive to places where the chances of seeing the auroras are highest for that specific night.
I went on a reindeer sledding tour near Tromso one night. We didn’t get to see the auroras that night, but it was still a really nice experience. I imagine that it would have been extraordinary if auroras were visible too.
Try to see it that way – if there are no auroras, at least you get to do something else for your money. And our guide said that they get to see auroras on average 3 out of 4 nights.
READ ALSO: Best Tours in Tromso
So, this is my experience when searching for the Northern Lights in Tromso. As always, feel free to leave a comment below if you have a question that I forgot to cover in this post.
TIP: If you are interested in the aurora photography, don’t miss our beginners’ guide to Northern Lights photography.
More tips for your winter trip to Tromso:
- Accommodation: Best Hotels in Tromso
- Airport transfers: Book your Tromso airport transfer here
- What to see: Things to Do in Tromso in Winter
- Itinerary: Tromso Itinerary for 3 Days in Winter
- Bucket-list: Dog Sledding in Tromso
- Ice Hotel: Tromso Ice Domes
- Budget: How Expensive is Norway
- Travel inspiration: Svalbard in Winter & Best Things to Do in Lofoten & Northern Norway Itinerary
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I am spending two nights in Tromso in Feb and am traveling via cruise ship. The ship’s passengers are a bit on the older side and I am looking for smaller groups. How to best get from the port to the tour? Do tours usually pick up people from the port?
Hi Kora, as far as I know, Tromso cruise port is right in the city center (see map) where most tours depart. So you can book a tour online – we use and recommend this website – and simply walk to a pick-up point.
For example, this small-group tour departs just a 5-minute walk from the cruise terminal. This tour is even closer, departing next to the tourist office, like 2-3 minutes walk from the cruise port. Tromso city center is so small and walkable that you can just book pretty much any tour you like without having to worry about getting to the pick-up point if your ship docks in Tromso.
Just book well in advance because many tours sell out.
Hello, we are looking at traveling to tromso mid September 2024 for about 3 nights, do you think we will be able to see the northern lights?
Hi Susanne, yes, there is a good chance to see the Northern Lights in Tromso from about mid-September. The rest depends on Mother Nature.
Have a great trip!
Hi,
thanks for the very informative article.
I am living in Oslo for the next 3 months and have the option to choose between Oct or Nov to go to Tromso to chase the Northen lights in a weekend, which month would you pick to have the best chance to see it, Oct or Nov?
Hi Fernanda, if you don’t have to decide now, I’d just wait and see how the weather forecast looks like and then book last minute. Otherwise, it’s always a gamble anyway.
It’s not that much about the chances to see the auroras, more about the weather and cloud coverage. Statistically, November has fewer rain days than October, but you just never know in advance.
One more thing to consider is that October will normally be much warmer than November which might be important if you are planning on doing some hiking or other outdoor activities.
If you go and the weather isn’t great, try booking a Northern Lights tour since they’ll drive outside the city and look for the places that have the best chances on that specific night.
Good luck!
Grreings Ms Jurga,
I am planning a first visit to see the northern & looking into Nov. 2023, please advise flying out of Orlando,,what is the best possible options to flying into Tromso? I’m in my 60s & planning a solo trip. Planning on a week.
Regards
Cam
Hi Cam, to get to Tromso in winter, you’ll likely need to fly via Oslo. There are very few places from where you can fly to Tromso outside of Norway.
There are tons of websites where you can research all the possible flight options for you – Google Flights, Skyscanner, Momondo, Kiwi, etc. Try any of them and see what they suggest.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!
The links is not poiting to a specific company. Can you please tell me the name of the companies you took the tours?
Hi Caroline, the very first tour link points to the exact Northern Lights tour and I think I already explained to someone else that the first tour you see, is normally the one we link to. We can’t always control what other websites show when we link to them… Anyway, here it is once again.
Have a great trip!
Very informative article. Thank you. Can you please provide names of the tours recommend here? The links don’t necessarily take you to the correct sites. Thanks again.
Hi Ankit, sometimes, the tours disappear and then appear again and they get redirected, etc.
Anyway, when possible, I’m linking directly to the tours that I took so it should open correctly. For the big bus tour, I took this one with Northern Shots.
For the small groups, the one I took isn’t available anymore, but this one with Polar Adventures is great. I took another tour with this company and it was excellent.
Hope this helps.
Super helpful blog, great job Jurga! Now that we’re allowed to travel again, I can hopefully fulfil my bucket list dream of seeing the aurora from Tromso with my wife. I’ll be using everything you’ve detailed to help make this is a memorable trip whether the sky shines or not! Thanks for all the information.
Glad you found this useful, Paul. Good luck with the planning and hope you get to see the Northern Lights!
Hi Jurga. I’m glad to stumbled upon your page. Very easy to understand and informative!! My partner and i will be in Tromso in first week of March 2022. Hope we are lucky and be able to catch the aurora
Thanks for your kind words, Anne. The beginning of March is a beautiful time to be in Tromso. Fingers crossed you get to see auroras, but I’m sure you’ll love it either way. Be sure to go dog sledding too – it’s amazing.
Enjoy your trip!
Hey! Thanks for all the detailed info!
Thinking of driving by myself, by any chance do you know the name of that beach where you saw the lights? Thanks and good trips!!!
Hi Mirko, I think it was this place, but I’m not 100% sure. But it really doesn’t matter. The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon. When they appear, you’ll see them anywhere where the sky is clear. If they are strong enough, you’ll even see them in towns and through your hotel window…
If you have a car and the roads are somewhat ok, you should drive to a place that has no clouds and ideally far open views in all directions. That’s it really – for the rest, it’s just luck. Tromso is a great place to see the Northern lights – because of its unique position, you can see nice auroras at that altitude even if the activity is very low.
Good luck!
hi i just wanna ask is it ok to go in february in tromsø to see the northern lights cause we would thinking to go there in february in the middle. Is that the best month to go. Pls advice.
Hi Lisa, the Northern Lights season is between September and March, so yes, February is a good time for auroras in Tromso. The rest is pure luck, depending on the weather, aurora activity, and your effort to actually go outside and try to see them.
Good luck!
My daughter and I will be visiting Tromso from 2/28-3/3/22. Were renting a car and are hoping to view the lights on our own in order to keep costs down. We’re from New England and used to driving carefully on winter roads. I’d appreciate your recommendations on dark locations to try depending upon weather conditions. Also, are roads treated with sand? Are there street lights on most roads? We want to do this safely. If we carefully drive the speed limit will this aggravate locals. I greatly appreciate your time, help and information. Thank you very much. Stay awesome, well and blessed!!!
Hi Paul, I really don’t know what to say – it depends on what exactly you want to see and do. In general, for all the winter activities, you can just stay in Tromso and book tours, and you don’t need a car at all. For many things, you need a tour anyway – dog sledding, reindeer, snowmobiles, fjord cruises, and similar and they offer pick-up in town. So renting a car is a waste of money. Here you can find an overview of the best things to do in Tromso in winter.
I didn’t drive in/near Tromso myself but sitting on the bus/ mini-bus when doing tours, I could see that most roads looked like an ice skating rink – pure ice. No sand, not even in the city. Also the pavements in the city were pure ice and it was useful to have spikes for your shoes. As for the lights, some roads in/around town are lit, many others are not.
As for dark places, there are plenty and also close to town, so you could just walk or take a bus if you want to get just a bit outside of the city center. Taking the Fjellheisen cable car can be a good option if the aurora forecast is favorable, and they run quite late at night. But it all depends on the weather/ aurora forecast. What tours do is look for the places that have the most chances for clear skies and take you there. Sometimes it might mean driving for an hour or two outside of town. Sometimes, you can also see auroras in town. You just never know in advance.
Sorry I can’t help you more. Nobody can tell you in advance how the roads/ weather will be. So it all comes down to what you are planning to do and how much you’ll actually need a car.
Also, keep in mind that car rental/parking/tolls are very expensive in Norway. Also, check the car rental prices for your travel dates before making any further decisions. Winter should be ok, in general, but this summer, there was a huge shortage of cars, with prices of 2000-3000 EUR for a week if you could even find a car…
Good luck!
You don’t need to fork out for a trip. Walk west from the city centre towards Telegrafbukta beach….about 40 mins walk. Clear night can’t beat it ????
Thanks for sharing your tips, Mark! I agree with you that – when conditions are good – you can see auroras just near the city and also from the town itself.
But many visitors only come to Tromso for a day or two, which often means that they don’t have ideal conditions, and for that, it’s still worth taking a tour that will do their best to find an ideal location with no clouds. Also, walking on icy pavements in Tromso in the dark isn’t for everyone…
Hi! Found this article and the Packing List really helpful. Can I ask do the mini bus not have toilets? What to do when toilet breaks are needed?
No, minibusses don’t have toilets. When you take an aurora tour with a minibus, they’ll usually do their best to stop at a petrol station or somewhere similar at least once or twice during the evening. In general, most tours take 4-6 hours and so one stop is usually sufficient. Don’t drink too much tea and you’ll likely be ok the whole evening anyway. 😉
hello ! I really enjoyed reading this article. I want to ask you do the tours provide warm clothes ? If they dont what do I have to wear? Thanks in advance
Hi Hay, yes, small-group aurora tours like this one do provide thermal suits. Big-bus tours don’t, but usually you can stay inside the warm bus while waiting for auroras to show up…
But, of course, you should be wearing other warm clothes of your own in any case. Thermal suit is great, but it’s not enough if you are not wearing warm winter clothing. For practical examples, please refer to our guide on what to pack for Norway in winter.
Hi Jurga,
Very nice information. We are planning on going to Tromoso end of Jan 2020. After reading your blog I feel we can even do it in Feb 2020. Is it better to book the tours well in advance. we are planning on staying in Tromoso for four days and then take a ferry to Lapland of Finland for three days and stay in Igollo for a night to see the northern lights. Reason being we are flying all the way from Sydney we thought of finishing Santa’s land also. We have already seen the midnight sun in Norway and also from Finland
Hi Usha, if your travel dates are flexible, then I think February is a bit better indeed. You’ll have a bit more daylight to enjoy outdoor activities.
While you don’t have to book activities too far in advance, I’d certainly book your Tromso hotels asap. I also recommend booking tours that you really want to do. If you book Tromso tours that we link to in this post, you can still cancel (most of) them up to 24hrs in advance, whereas if you don’t book, you risk that some of them will be sold out. That’s especially the case for dog sledding and the Northern Lights tours.
Enjoy your trip! It sounds like it’s going to be an amazing winter adventure!
Glad to find this site, detailed information and very helpful. We will visit Tromso in the first week of March too, may I know how early you book the small group tour? We are worried that it’s too soon to book the tour without weather forecast, while I find some tours are already fully booked. Thanks!
Hi Musetta, I also visited Tromso in the first week of March. Many tours were fully booked and I couldn’t go on a small group aurora tour one night due to that. The problem is that everyone waits to see the forecast and then if it’s somewhat favourable, they all start booking tours. Small group tours sell out, sometimes a few days in advance. This was also the case for dog sledding, for example, as it’s less weather-dependant, so people book it upfront as well.
What I advice to do instead is book tours that have 24 hr free cancelation policy (most tours we suggest on our site do). Then, in case the weather looks really bad, just cancel it at least 24hrs in advance.
Hope this helps.
Hi Jurga, thanks for your advice. It’s really helpful. I will discuss with my friends.
Best Regards
Musetta
What are the chances of seeing the lights from the deck of our cruise ship? We will be on Viking Ocean Cruise and will stop in Tromso and Alta.
Quite high, actually. All you need is darkness, clear skies, and high aurora activity. Cruise ships usually offer plenty of chances to see auroras as you are sailing in the dark the whole night and pass so many different areas that there are bound to be some places with no cloud coverage at the right time.
Fingers crossed for you! Enjoy your trip!
Hi Jurga
Your posts are lovely and I am glad I stumbled on them when looking for information arounf travel to Tromso.
What I am unable to figure out is what sort of budget would be sensible for two adults and a teenager for food?
Also we are vegetarians?
Is it better I look into packing some food on my travel to TRomso?
Thank you very much
Hi Divya, it’s really hard for me to advise on the budget as everyone travels differently and so much depends on your restaurant choice… Here you can find some examples of how much (including food) costs in Norway, so maybe this will help a bit.
I wouldn’t worry about finding vegetarian food, it’s really not an issue in Scandinavia.
hi may i know which month did you go?
I visited Tromso in the first week of March.
Hello there,
I am lucky that i discovered your blog. I loved the posts about Tromsø.
I want to book flight tickets to Tromsø as a bday gift for my boyfriend. Your posts helped me a lot to decide that Tromsø is the ideal choice for nothern light.
Since i am planning on a rather small budget 🙁
Question to all of you and especially to Alina : you wrote you went to great places by rent car by yourself. Could you name us a few? A street? A place a beach?
I calculated the expenses and I cannot afford a guided tour 🙁
Thanks in adavance for reply.
Yours
Sophia
Hi Sophia, I don’t think Alina will answer to you as she probably won’t see this (readers don’t get notification about the comments, only I do).
I’d say try not to overthink it. Your best bet is to stay a bit outside the city where the chances of light pollution are smaller. I assume you’ll rent a car? Then just check the weather forecast (best some kind of weather radar that shows clouds) and head to a place that has least chances for clouds for that night. It’s not about a specific place to be, it’s about being in a dark place with no clouds. And then just wait. You can always ask at your accommodation for people to recommend a nice desolate place nearby (based on the forecast). There are so many beautiful landscapes around Tromso where you can sit and wait for auroras (make sure to dress warm).
If you don’t rent a car and stay in Tromso itself, then it becomes a bit more tricky. You can only see auroras in town if they are extremely bright. The best place to watch auroras in Tromso is by taking Fjellheisen cable car to the top of the mountain. It’s also not cheap though, but such a nice thing to do, the views are amazing.
Hope this helps a bit.
Hello Jurga,
thank you for providing me with tips.
I really want to rent a car for the trip to be more flexibel. Was is save /or difficult to drive on snowed roads?
I couldnt find well connected public transportation like bus or so to go around. so I thought having a car would be cheaper.
Did you also explore the areas around Tromso?
Yours Sophia
Hi again Sophia, I didn’t drive in Tromso in winter. I visited the city and did tours from there. You can read about my trip here: best things to do in Tromso in winter.
Every time I went on a tour, whether it was dog sledding, reindeer sledding, Tromso Ice Domes, or aurora tour, it was always quite far from town. I was really glad that I didn’t have to drive. The roads were covered in ice. Locals drove 80km/h as if it was nothing, but if it was me, I think I wouldn’t have driven more than 40km/h and would have been terrified… And in general visibility was good as the weather was mostly dry during my visit. I can’t imagine driving there in a snow storm or in the mist. I don’t want to scare you, as you really never know how the roads will be… Just be aware of this and don’t over-plan your days, leave enough time to get to places. Also keep in mind that the days are short.
Great advice, thank you. My wife and I will be in Tromso for 4 nights, starting October 18th. So many of the “tour” companies want our business and all pretty much offer the same thing. We would prefer a small tour rather a big bus. How do we choose which company to go with??
I honestly think it doesn’t matter that much. I did two tours, small and big group, and actually enjoyed the big bus tour more. (Which was completely opposite to what I expected.)
All the companies try to give you the best experience, it’s the little extras that make the difference. Some will give you a thermal suit (most small group tours do), some will give you warm soup, others will let you fry a sausage, or some other meal, etc. But in terms of seeing the auroras themselves, they all look at the forecast and try to find the best suitable place for that specific night.
Hello!..May i ask how much is the price of photo that the tour guide sold to you online?.thanks..
Hi Mendio, please check my answer to another reader from just a few days ago.
Hi,
Do u still remember,how much to purchase the picture(bus tour) online…thx
The pictures were 350 NOK each (around 36 EUR). Not cheap for sure, but the good thing is that you can decide after you see how the picture turned out. I guess it’s all relative; if you’d hire a professional photographer for any job, it would cost many times more.
Hi Jurga, which dates were the photos taken? October? November? December?
Hi Basia, I was in Tromso in the first week of March, that’s when these pictures were taked. The best season for Northern Lights is anywhere from mid September till the end of March (+- a few weeks).
We are headed to Tromso in March of 2019. What was the name of the beach you went to?
Thank you for a nice article.
Hi Marilee, I don’t remember the exact location for sure now (because we didn’t drive there ourselves but went with a tour). But I think it was a beach next to the road Fv.304 a few kilometres past Hansnes where the road makes a sharp turn. Just keep in mind that it was the best location for auroras chosen for that specific night based on the weather radar and aurora forecast for the area. What you need in order to see the Northern Lights is a clear sky with no clouds and ideally an open space with good visibility in all directions. You can always call one or the other aurora company when you’re in town and ask which areas have the biggest chances for that night. Good luck chasing auroras in Tromso next winter!
Amazing photos! I’m planning to visit a friend in Tromso this coming September and I’m so glad that in that month I will able to witness that beautiful Northern Lights. It will be the best memorable trip of my life. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Keith, I hope so for you. Seeing the Northern Lights is a truly unique experience and Tromso is a really nice town that has plenty of things to see and do. Enjoy your trip!
Ohh how amazing is that? I can;t wait to go and see auroras myself <3 Planning a trip to Iceland soon, wish I had known that Tromso has better chances
Iceland in winer is a truly amazing experience too! But as far as the weather goes, yes, Tromso is much more stable. Icelandic weather is changing all the time… So if you don’t see the auroras there, you know where to go next 😉
I completely agree with the comment about the forecast – I visited Tromso 3 weeks ago and we saw auroras every night we left the city to escape light pollution (cable car is possible, but then anyway stronger aurora is needed). Even when it was showing that current KP index is 1, we saw amazing auroras dancing in the sky! An absolute dream come true! We didn’t book any tours, just rented a car, googled for the best aurora spots and went ourselves (and saw many tour buses with people grilling something!).
Thanks for sharing your experience, Alina. That’s indeed in line with what I experienced and heard from the guides. Just go and look for auroras every winter night in Tromso and the chances are very high that you’ll get lucky.
Hello Alina,
Could you tell me which places you went by car?:)
Thanks.
Sophia
Thank your for all these tips! I’ve been to the Tromsø before, but it was during the summer and we saw the midnight sun – also a great spectacle! Would love to go back in the winter now though and see the northern lights like you!!
Glad you fond this useful, Kathi. And we hope to go and visit Northern Norway in summer 🙂 I think it’s a region that is truly beautiful any time of the year.
I was wondering how you got such amazing pics! The photography skills of the tour guides alone seem like a compelling reason to do the tour! Among the many others – epsecially bathrooms on the bus 🙂
As I said, photography is my hobby. So much that I spent the whole evening outside and didn’t even get to the bathrooms 🙂 I did go back to the bus for some hot chocolate and cookies though :))).
But it is really good to have the guides who can help you with the camera settings, and all aurora tours in Tromso seem to offer this guidance. Everyone who had a decent camera and a tripod got some good pictures I think – the guides were really helping out.
Jurga, can a normal DSLR handle the cold there? I’d love to take tons of photographs but I’m afraid it would ruin my camera or something like that.
Thanks!
Bruna
Of course, Bruna! The only risk you have is that the batteries run empty quickly, so I always carry a spare battery and keep it close to my body in an inside pocket. In case of hunting for Northern Lights in Tromso it’s not even that cold really as the climate is very mild there. The coldest I had in Tromso was -6°C (21F), so nothing to fear when it comes to camera equipment.
I think it is a big big difference between the big and small tour groups offering you the photos for free. Your photos are incredible. Or are they ones that you took? If so do you have special equipment do that?
Hi Tanya, yes, indeed if you want to have nice pictures and know nothing about photographing the Northern Lights then it’s really nice to have the pictures that small group tours offer for free.
Photography is my hobby though, so I rather take the pictures myself. I’m one of those people who enjoy the aurora more if they can play with the camera trying to get some nice shots rather than sit by the fire and just watch it. 🙂
As for the pictures in this post, yes, I took all of them myself, except for that one picture that the guide from Northern Shots Tours took for me. You can never take that kind of picture of yourself without the external help and those guides are professional photographers who do it every night, so they know what they do.
As for the equipment you need, check this post that has more tips for aurora photography.
Great post with fabulous, detailed information and some beautiful images. Northern Lights are on the bucket list!
Thanks Lynne. I always try to provide lots of practical tips for our readers so that they travel well prepared and can make a memorable trip of their own. 😉