Top 10 Places to See The Northern Lights in Europe

Discover the best places to see the Northern Lights in Europe, from Iceland and Lapland to Tromsø, Scotland and the Faroe Islands.

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Seeing the Northern Lights is one of my travel dreams in Europe, but it is also one of the most unpredictable. You can carefully choose the destination, season and night, but in the end, you still need three things to work together: aurora activity, darkness and clear skies.

I have been very lucky in Iceland. I successfully hunted the Northern Lights both around Reykjavík and on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. My experience in Finnish Lapland was completely different. I stayed one week in Rovaniemi, but clouds covered the sky almost every night.

That is why this list is not simply about going as far north as possible. Some places have better weather, some have stronger aurora activity, and others are worth visiting even if the lights never appear. So, in this post, I’m gonna share all my learnings about hunting aurora from my own experiences, and also pick the 10 best places to see the Northern Lights in Europe that I’ve researched.

When to See the Northern Lights in Europe

The main Northern Lights season in Europe runs from around late August or September until early April, when northern destinations have enough darkness. Iceland, for example, officially considers late August to late April its aurora season.

For most places, September–October and February–March are excellent periods to try. Deep winter gives you much longer nights, but more darkness does not automatically mean better conditions if the sky is cloudy.

travel-iceland-northern-europe aurora — I saw the aurora right in Reykjavik!

The most useful viewing window is normally somewhere between 8 PM and 2 AM, although an aurora can appear earlier or later. In Iceland, auroras are statistically most frequent around 11 PM, with roughly 10 PM–1 AM recommended for watching. In northern Norway, the recommended viewing window is also roughly 8 PM–2 AM.

One thing I especially liked about Iceland in September was that I could already start hunting at around 9 PM. In winter, darkness arrives much earlier, although you may still need to wait until later in the evening for stronger activity.

No matter where you go, I recommend staying at least three or four nights. If seeing the Northern Lights is the main reason for your trip, five nights or longer gives you much more protection against bad weather.

10 Best Places to See the Northern Lights in Europe

1. Iceland

Iceland is still my personal favourite because I have successfully seen the Northern Lights there twice: once around Reykjavík and once on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Reykjavík is convenient because you can join an organised aurora chase or drive only a short distance away from city lights. Snæfellsnes, however, gives you much more dramatic scenery for photography, including mountains, coastlines and Kirkjufell.

skogafoss-iceland-10-Places-to-See-the-Northern-Lights-in-Europe-u — Northern lights at Skogafoss, Iceland’s famous waterfall

The biggest problem is Icelandic weather. It changes extremely quickly, so checking cloud cover is often more important than obsessing over the Kp number.

Best for: Northern Lights + an Iceland road trip
Best time: September–March

Related: Best Time To Visit Iceland | Best Places to Visit in Iceland | Iceland 5 days itinerary with northern lights

2. Rovaniemi, Finland

Rovaniemi sits right around the Arctic Circle, so it sounds like the perfect Northern Lights destination. Unfortunately, my experience proves that latitude alone guarantees nothing.

I stayed for one entire week, but it was cloudy almost every night. On one evening, the cloud became slightly thinner near the horizon and I could finally see just a little green light behind it.

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Rovaniemi is still a great winter destination because you can combine aurora hunting with Santa Claus Village, husky rides, reindeer and snowy Lapland landscapes.

The viewing hours can also feel rather late. I often found myself waiting around 10 PM–1 AM, which feels even later after spending a whole day outside in Arctic winter.

Best for: Families and a classic Lapland holiday
Best time: September–March

3. Tromsø, Norway

If seeing the Northern Lights is your main goal, Tromsø is one of the strongest choices in Europe.

It sits inside the auroral zone, and there is a huge industry of Northern Lights tours that drive away from clouds and light pollution. This makes Tromsø particularly easy if you do not want to rent a car.

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You also have plenty to do during the day, so your entire trip does not depend on one unpredictable natural phenomenon.

Best for: First-time aurora hunters
Best time: September–March

4. Lofoten Islands, Norway

For photography, I would choose Lofoten over almost anywhere else.

The Northern Lights can appear above sharp mountains, beaches, fishing villages and red cabins, giving you incredible foregrounds instead of just a dark sky.

lofoten-10-Places-to-See-the-Northern-Lights-in-Europe-u — Lofoten, Norway

Its weakness is the coastal weather. Clouds can move across the islands very quickly, so staying several nights is important.

Best for: Northern Lights photography
Best time: September–March

5. Abisko, Sweden

Abisko is one of the places I would seriously consider for my next dedicated Northern Lights trip.

The area is famous for its relatively dry microclimate and its reputation for having clearer skies than many other Arctic destinations. This is particularly attractive to me after spending one cloudy week in Rovaniemi!

abisko-sweden-10-Places-to-See-the-Northern-Lights-in-Europe-u — Abisko, Sweden

You can stay around Abisko National Park or combine it with nearby Kiruna.

Best for: Travellers prioritising clear skies
Best time: September–March

6. Inari & Saariselkä, Finland

If you want Finland but prefer somewhere quieter than Rovaniemi, continue farther north to Inari or Saariselkä.

You get less light pollution, huge wilderness areas and excellent access to the auroral zone. Auroras can be visible on roughly half of dark, clear nights around Lapland resorts such as Saariselkä.

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This would be my choice for a quiet cabin trip rather than a busy Christmas holiday.

Best for: Couples and Arctic wilderness
Best time: September–March

7. Svalbard, Norway

For something much more extreme, travel to Svalbard.

During Polar Night, Longyearbyen receives no direct sunlight for weeks, creating extraordinarily long periods of darkness. This means you can potentially see aurora much earlier in the day than at most European destinations.

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However, Svalbard is expensive, remote and not somewhere you casually wander into the wilderness alone.

Best for: A true Arctic adventure
Best time: November–February

8. Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are much less reliable than Arctic Norway or Lapland, but the landscapes make them an interesting alternative.

Imagine the Northern Lights appearing above cliffs, waterfalls and tiny Faroese villages.

The biggest problem is exactly the same one I experienced in Rovaniemi: clouds. I would never visit the Faroes only for the aurora. Instead, plan a winter trip because you want to see the islands and consider the Northern Lights a bonus.

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Best for: Landscape photographers
Best time: November–February

9. Shetland Islands, Scotland

You can also see the Northern Lights in Scotland, where they are sometimes known locally as the Mirrie Dancers.

The Shetland Islands are one of the UK’s best places to try because of their northern latitude, dark skies and open horizons.

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You will normally need stronger geomagnetic activity than in Tromsø or Lapland, so I would combine aurora hunting with a wider Shetland trip rather than travelling only for the lights.

Best for: Seeing the Northern Lights in the UK
Best time: October–March

10. Northumberland, England

Yes, the Northern Lights can even reach England.

Northumberland is one of my favourite choices because it has extremely dark skies and good views toward the northern horizon. During strong geomagnetic storms, auroras can become visible this far south.

However, I would treat it very differently from Tromsø or Abisko. Go to Northumberland for a dark-sky weekend and consider an aurora appearance an amazing bonus.

Best for: UK-based travellers
Best time: Autumn and winter during strong aurora activity

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Understanding the Colors of the Northern Lights

Most Northern Lights photographs are green, but auroras can also be pink, purple, blue or red.

The colors are not filters or different types of aurora. They are created when incoming energetic particles interact with different gases at different heights in Earth’s atmosphere.

How Do You Get Green Northern Lights?

Green is the most common aurora color and is mainly produced by oxygen roughly 100–200 km above Earth.

This is the color you have the highest chance of seeing during a normal Northern Lights trip.

A weaker aurora may actually look grey or almost white to your eyes, while your phone or camera records it as green. Human night vision is much less sensitive to color than a modern camera.

How Do You Get Pink Northern Lights?

Pink usually appears near the lower edge of a strong aurora, where energetic particles penetrate deeper into the atmosphere and interact with nitrogen below roughly 100 km.

If you want a chance of photographing pink, look for nights when the aurora becomes bright, fast-moving and very active rather than a faint green band on the horizon.

But you cannot predict or request pink aurora simply by travelling to a particular destination.

How Do You Get Red Northern Lights?

Red aurora comes mainly from oxygen higher in the atmosphere, generally above around 200 km.

Red can become especially noticeable during significant geomagnetic activity. Because this red emission occurs so high above Earth, it can also be seen from much farther away, which is one reason strong storms sometimes produce spectacular red auroras over Scotland, England and even farther south.

For me, seeing red or pink would be the jackpot. Green is already beautiful, but a multicoloured aurora usually means you are witnessing something much more intense.

Which Destination Should You Choose?

If the Northern Lights are your absolute priority, I would choose Tromsø, Abisko or northern Finnish Lapland.

Choose Lofoten if you care most about photography, and Rovaniemi if you want a complete winter holiday with Santa Claus Village and other Lapland activities like husky sledding, reindeer safaris, snowmobiling, skiing and other winter sports.

Iceland is probably my favourite overall combination because even if the aurora does not cooperate, you still have waterfalls, volcanoes, beaches and an incredible road trip waiting during the day—at least before the island becomes fully snow-covered later in winter—plus opportunities for winter hikes, glacier walks and snow-based excursions.

The Faroe Islands, Scotland and England are different. I would visit these places for the destination itself and consider seeing the Northern Lights a very lucky bonus.

Northern Lights hunting involves much more luck than I expected before doing it myself. Choose somewhere with good aurora activity, stay several nights, watch the clouds and be patient. And most importantly, choose a place you would still be happy to visit even if the sky stays completely dark.