Where to see the Northern Lights if you'd rather see them abroad
Created by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gaseous particles, the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are reason enough to travel to Iceland, Tromsø and Rovaniemi this year.
Staying at the best Northern Lights hotels is one of those experiences that feature on just about anyone’s bucket list, even though it's impossible to predict sightings even with modern forecasting methods.
When it comes to increasing your chances of a sighting, the autumn season between September and November can be very good and comes with the advantage that you don’t have to bundle yourself up in quite so many layers against the cold – although our favourite Northern Lights hotels mostly have accommodation that has been specially designed so you can watch for the epic display from your room, cabin or igloo.
Autumn also gives you the benefit of longer evenings and more compact darkness because the glare of the snow hasn’t yet arrived, plus the chance of enjoying the lovely seasonal colours of the foliage. But, because it's not well known that you can experience the Northern Lights so early in the year, destinations and places to stay tend to be quieter.
There's no denying the charm of a winter Northern Lights trip when you can also immerse yourself fully in spectacular snowy landscapes, on foot or by other means such as husky safaris or snowshoeing – again, most of our listed hotels will organise those activities for you.
Here are our favourite Northern Lights hotels in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland for a cold-weather escape...
Malangen Resort, Norway
In Mestervik in the heart of northern Norway, at a meeting point for three cultures – the Sami, Norwegians and Kvens (people of Finnish descent) – Malagen Resort is surrounded by glorious mountains and pristine nature. You can choose between modern hotel rooms in the main building, all with fantastic fjord views, or self-catering cabins sleeping up to six, and there’s also the Arctic Spa and Marmælen restaurant with its local cuisine.
The best chances of seeing the Northern Lights are from the hotel’s own Camp Nikka beside Lake Nikkavannet, a 20-minute walk from the resort along a gravel path, with leather-covered wooden benches set around a campfire on which coffee is brewed while you keep a lookout.
Arctic Panorama Lodge, Norway
With just six rooms, six suites and a spa, this boutique option on the island of Uløya on the east side of the Lyngen fjord (you can call the boatman-owner an hour prior to arrival to arrange a crossing) is a truly romantic escape. Directly below the Auroral Oval or Belt where the swirling Borealis is on display for more than 200 nights of the year, Arctic Panorama Lodge offers to chance to watch the lights from rooms with picture windows, on a guided dogsled ride, a nightshoeing expedition or a special trip to see them reflected on open water.
Other incredible things to do here include visiting the Aurora Spirit Distillery, which produces some of the purest alcoholic drinks in the world under the Northern Lights, from arctic botanicals and berries plus glacial water.
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
Handcrafted anew winter, Sorrisniva is the world's northernmost igloo hotel, with a mix of igloo rooms and themed suites built using ice harvested from Sierravann, a few kilometres deeper in the Alta Valley.
Open from mid-December until early April each year, it offers an exciting array of wilderness experiences in Arctic Norway: hunting the Northern Lights, of course, and also snowmobiling across the Finnmark plateau, snowshoeing, husky sledding, and Sami experiences. Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is also beloved by foodies for its fabulous and unique cuisine using ingredients such as reindeer and moose from the tundra, seafood from the Alta River and Norwegian Sea, vegetables from local farms and berries picked in the wilderness. There’s also an ice bar specialising in blue ice drinks.
Thon Hotel Lofoten, Norway
In the prime Northern Lights viewing spot of Svolvær on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden, the airy contemporary Thon Hotel Lofoten overlooks the town harbour with its floating sauna and its departure quay for the Hurtigruten Coastal Express.
Many of the colourful modern rooms, some with feature wallpaper, have huge picture windows from which to appreciate the gorgeous mountain views. There’s also an innovative restaurant, Paleo Arctic, drawing inspiration from the Paleolithic period with its hunter-fisher-gatherers to create dishes such as beetroot- and gin-cured Arctic char with Lofoten seaweed and wild garlic oil.
ÆRA Glass Cabins, Norway
A 30-minute drive from Tromsø centre in an area free of light pollution sits ÆRA, with its glass-fronted cabins for watching for the Aurora work its spellbinding magic over the fjord; some are greenhouse-like, all-glass versions directly facing the fjord. Complimentary alarms can be booked if you’re worried you might miss nature’s gorgeous light show.
Private and communal saunas as well as snowshoe loan mean you can be both active and relaxed here. Native cuisine can served to your room or in a Sami-style tent (food ranges from sweet or savoury pancakes to king crab from the Barents Sea), and there’s also the Aurora tipi with coffee and stories ’til late.
Tromsø Lodge, Norway
The Explore category of lodges at this cabin complex have vast glass windows for spotting the Northern Lights. While being only five minutes’ drive from lively Tromsø itself, Tromsø Lodge exudes the feeling of being in wild Arctic nature – you’ll fall asleep to the sound of the river, and there are fabulous hiking trails from your doorstep. You can also use the facilities of the adjoining local sports club with its skiing, athletics, gymnastics, and football.
Hearty breakfasts to set you up for the day are served in Tromsø Lodge’s welcoming restaurant, while at lunch you feast on anything from Thai soup to tacos.
Snowhotel Kirkenes
In a small town on a peninsula along the Bøkfjorden, known for its views of the Aurora Borealis, Snowhotel Kirkenes is one of the world’s first year-round hotels made completely of snow and ice. Its accommodation comes in the form of wooden cabins inspired by traditional gammes – remote Sami hunting and fishing huts. Winter stays include breakfast and a three-course dinner in the farmhouse restaurant, which makes expert use of local ingredients such as such as reindeer, arctic char and cod.
King crab safaris, dog sledding, snowshoe walking, snowmobile tours and hunting the Northern lights are all on the agenda in the colder months, and there’s also the on-site Snowfun park with huskies and their puppies, along with reindeer. And the hotel’s architect-designed reception building in wood and stone offers its own immersive arctic experience – one-of-a-kind hand-picked pieces of art sourced from Northern Scandinavian artists.
Golden Crown - Levin Iglut, Finland
Close to the ski resort of Levi and to Kittilä Airport, the boutique resort of Levin Iglut features 27 glass igloos with super-luxe decor (one with an outdoor Jacuzzi and private terrace), plus the partly underground Northern Lights House for up to six, with panoramic windows, a sauna and a terrace hot tub.
It also has a restaurant in a glass tower with glorious views, serving local, where possible organic fare from clean nature, including foraged mushrooms, berries and lichen. There's also a traditional Sami kota where you can cook sausages over a log fire, or which you can book out for private dining.
Magical Pond Nature Igloos, Finland
Just 8km from Ruka ski resort, this collection of modern igloos sleeping up to four is another place to soak up the surrounding nature, which is visited by wildlife including reindeers, elks and foxes. All with kitchenettes, the 20 Magic Pond Nature Igloos each face the forest and pond for a private, secluded feel.
As well as watching for the Northern Lights from your igloo designed for maximum immersion in nature (and also built and furnished using only local organic materials), you can borrow the property’s snowshoes or hire its fatbikes to explore the forest, or you can relax in the on-site sauna. There’s a fireplace out by the pond to grill Finnish sausages or marshmallows over, a cosy lounge with snacks and drinks, and a hut restaurant serving delicious three-course meals.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland
The home of Lapland’s original glass igloos, Kakslauttanen is a famous resort at the edge of the pristine wilderness, right by the Urho Kekkonen National Park. Its array of aurora-hunting excursions includes trips by horse- or reindeer-sleigh, snow-tank sleigh, snowmobiles or skis, while other winter activities including ice-karting and ice-fishing safaris.
As well as the original igloos, there are more newly built Kelo-glass versions that combine the cosy warmth of the site’s log cabins with the drama of the igloos, all sleeping six and including their own sauna, fireplace, kitchenette and glass-roofed bedroom. On-site restaurants provide satisfying Lappish fare.
Icehotel Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
Sweden’s original Icehotel (also an art exhibition with ever-changing ice and snow creations) has been built anew each year since 1989 by passionate artists gathered in the town of Jukkasjäarvi – which happens to be within the Auroral Oval and a prime spot for Northern Lights sightings.
A bucket-list favourite, Icehotel Jukkasjärviit offers both art suites and ice rooms with beds and other decor crafted from ice. It also now has the Icehotel 365 addition, for year-round stays. The restaurant delivers a five-course menu of Scandinavian specialities, while the famous Ice Bar serves drinks in unique ice-carved glasses.
Aurora River Camp Glass Igloos & Cabins, Sweden
Outside Kiruna in Swedish Lapland, right by the Torne River and surrounded by boreal forests, the Aurora River Camp offers waterside igloos and cosy cabins for two or four people. None come with a TV – you’ll be too busy sitting around one of the firepits watching for nature’s own show.
Other activities in and around the camp include snowmobiling and dog sledding. Guests have kitchenettes or full kitchens, access to a service house with further cooking facilities, and barbecue equipment; there are grocery shops just across the river, too.
Camp Ripan, Sweden
At the heart of Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city, Camp Ripan is a family-run, sustainability-focused resort of cosy cabins with cool contemporary interiors, some sleeping four. The resort runs its own Northern Lights tours and even has custom-made street lights with down-angled shades so you can see nature’s show more clearly.
Intent on preserving the soul and purity of the Swedish, Sami and Torne Valley Finnish cultures that intersect here, the property includes panoramic windows, a mesmerising real fire in a vast hearth, Ripan Kitchen with its Arctic tasting menu, and a spa with buckets of the likes of homemade birch leaf scrub, or foot salts with juniper berries, that you can liberally apply between blissful sessions in its warm pools.
Torfhús Retreat, Iceland
East of Reykjavík in the Golden Circle, the traditional grass-roofed stone turfhouses that make up the Torfhús Retreat are far from any light pollution and offer gorgeous night-sky views from your private geothermally heated basalt hot tub – and, in winter, a high chance of spotting the Aurora Borealis.
There also a few Torfbaer – individual suites – sharing a geothermally heated plunge pool between three. As well as chasing the Northern Lights, ask about local outings ranging from snorkelling between tectonic plates to horse-riding and Super-Jeep expeditions through the Highlands.
Ion Adventure Hotel, Iceland
The bar at this dramatic stilted structure beside a dormant volcano – built from the abandoned relics of a nearby power plant as an ode to the return of wild nature – was specially designed to maximise Northern Lights sightings. The Ion Adventure Hotel also has an impressive selection of offerings from Icelandic microbreweries, while the restaurant is feted for its modern Nordic cuisine.
The spa with its sauna built of lava rocks is reason enough in itself to check in here, with treatments based on Icelandic herbs and an outdoor deck with a long hot tub fed by a hot spring. The stylish rooms also come with toiletries with all-natural foraged wild herbs.
Hotel Blonduós, Iceland
One of the oldest hotels in the country, Blonduós was converted from a sheriff’s house in 1943 and updated to a boutique style in more recent times. Top spot is the sensational suite in the old church a few steps away –a vast space with wooden pews, stained-glass windows and a vaulted ceiling. The hotel’s Sýslumaðurinn Restaurant with its sea views serves mainly local cuisine.
As well as Hunafloi Bay views and the possibility of spotting a passing whale or two, this off-the-beaten spot is a fantastic location for seeing the Northern Lights. You can also tour its Icelandic Textile Centre with its crafts displays.
Fosshotel Myvatn, Iceland
In the lesser-visited north of the island, Fosshotel Myvatn sits in an area with less rain than other parts of Iceland, less cloud coverage and less light pollution, because it’s less populated. Nearby you’ll also find the Myvatn Nature Baths, a naturally heated artificial lagoon with mineral-rich waters.
The hotel itself is a low-rise, grass-roofed triumph of contemporary architecture, with stylish interiors and a restaurant serving innovative cuisine. Much of the surrounding lunar landscape and natural wonders may be familiar to you from Game of Thrones. Rooms are simple but stylish havens, with muted colours and lots of wood. Some have Lake Myvatn views.
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