Chasing the northern lights in Tromsø

Tromsø sits 350 kilometres inside the Arctic Circle, right under the auroral oval, which makes it one of the most reliable places on earth to see the northern lights. Reliable isn’t guaranteed, though: you need darkness, clear skies and solar activity all at once.

Darkness is the easy part from late September to March. Clear skies are the problem, because the coast is often cloudy. That is why the aurora chase tours exist: they drive inland, sometimes all the way to Finland, to find a gap in the cloud.

Improving the odds

Stay at least four nights. Check the cloud forecast (yr.no) more than the aurora forecast. Get out of the city lights; even the hill above town, reached by cable car or a steep path, helps. Dress for standing still at −15°C, which is colder than it sounds.