It was cold.
When I first decided to go to Norway on my own, one of the main things I knew I wanted to see was the Northern Lights, I just wasn’t exactly sure where you see them. For someone who doesn’t know any better, like me, I thought you could pretty much just see them anywhere in Norway, but obviously that is not the case.
I literally did a search for, “Where to see the Northern Lights in Norway”, and the entire first page pointed me to a place called Tromsø. I hadn’t heard of Tromsø before, but then again, I haven’t heard of the majority of small towns in the world, so I did a little more research, and found that it’s actually the place with the highest statistical success rate of seeing the Northern Lights!
The reason why it has these high success rates, is because it’s located on the Arctic Circle, where the Northern Lights often occur. It’s a charming little town, that reminds me of Christmas in the winter, and gave me a good taste of what it’s like to live in the movie Frozen! So if you’re planning on taking a trip up to Northern Norway, and you decide to head to Tromsø, here are all of my tips for traveling there:
While it could technically be helpful to watch the weather if you’re planning on chasing the Northern Lights, you can’t always guess when they’ll happen, but you can guess when there will be cheaper flights! Well, kind of. You can use flexible dates to actually find them like I show in my SkyScanner “flexible technique”; just enter the departure airport (I flew from Oslo) and enter the airport for Tromsø, then use the “whole month” or “cheapest month” option for dates to see when it would be cheapest to go.
While the Northern Lights can technically happen at any time of the year, they are said to be most visible in the winter when it’s mostly dark. The “best months” for visibility are September through March with recorded best visibility overall in October and March according to the Aurora forecast site Norway-Lights. During the summer there’s a period of 24 hours of sunlight, which is also interesting to see because you get a glimpse of the peculiar, but really pretty, midnight sun. Depending on which natural phenomenon you want to see, you can decide on which season to go.
I’ll admit, there were a few times when I was either too cold to be outside, or needed to get work done from my laptop, which is why I requested a room with a view at the Scandic Ishavshotel which overlooks the Tromsø bay area. It also acted as a weather-radar tower, so I could see when the sun snuck out and I could run down stairs to take photos. But most of all it gave me a birds-eye view of the bay and the quaint little homes across from it, that I wouldn’t have been able to get from anywhere else.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to taking tours when I travel. I don’t like feeling like I’m being herded to a tourist spot to take pictures solely for the purpose of profit. I researched quite a few companies and ended up going with a newer one called Chasing Lights because they seemed to be the most authentic, and genuinely passionate about seeing the Northern Lights. They also offered photos with the tour, which I’m really happy about considering none of my photos came out nearly as amazing as theirs did.
The natural phenomenons are not all there is to see in Tromsø! Aside from the beauty and charm of the little Arctic city, there’s also quite a few cultural landmarks worth checking out. You’ll see the iconic Arctic Cathedral immediately as you enter the area; with it’s triangular architecture that almost makes it look somewhat like the Sydney Opera House. There’s also Polaria, the uniquely designed polar animal exhibit, where you can see seals swimming year round, and various fish species.
Norway’s natives are the Sami people, who still live and work right in and around Tromsø. You can learn about them at one of the various museums, or hear their stories in real life when you take one of their tours, like the reindeer sled ride. I got to do one with them and learned about how reindeer are still one of their main source of incomes…even though that has a lot to do with harvesting the meat.
My reindeer sled ride was at a place called Camp Tamok in Lyngsfjord, which is about an hour away from Tromsø. The tour picks everyone up right outside the Scandic Ishavshotel, and takes them along a beautiful scenic route by the water (which was frozen when I was there), before ending at the winter-wonderland-like camp. They also offered snowmobiling and dog-sledding tours, and afterwards everyone gathered in one of the circular well-built teepees for some hot Reindeer soup and a traditional Sami dessert.
Although I thought I did pretty good at packing warm winter clothing to layer in Tromsø, I still ended up buying more wool socks and gloves at a local sweater store. If you don’t already have them, get 100% wool undergarments as well, which they sell at most shops in town anyway. Also make sure you have some form of waterproof outer wear and shoes, and that you leave enough space around your toes to move them around so they can increase circulation!
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Im curious - why is chasing lights crossed out now on your blog? I planned on using them but am curious whether something has changed with the quality of the tours?
Hi! The link probably just needs to be refreshed, I still love Chasing Lights and highly recommend them!
Tromso is beautiful place. I love Tromso so much. I have planning to Tromso travelling. In about Tromso City, Was searching on Google and i found your blog. I read your blog and i get the some important information on Tromso solo travelling. Thanks for such post and please keep it up.
Glad you found my Tromso travel tips helpful!
Your tips are very nice. I read your article and I got valuable tips on travelling. Very useful tips you share with me. Solo travelling is very stressful. Thanks a lot for this beauty Enjoying article with me. I appreciate it very much!
Thank you Braxton! I hope you have a wonderful time in Tromso, it's one of my favorite places!
Hi Alyssa, hope you are doing well.
Thanks for sharing and I love your blog. It's easy to read :)
I will be be doing solo trip in Feb 18.
It's seem like the hotel is quite pricey at Tromso and most tour package required 2 pax min?
Do you have any recommendations on the hotel & chasing light northern light tour?
Hi Winnie! I actually might be doing a Group Trip to Tromso to see the Northern Lights around that time which would cut the cost of the double occupancy! Shoot me an email if you're interested! Alyssa@mylifesamovie.com :)
Hi! I've been doing some research about where to go to see the northern lights as well as I would very much like to see and experience it. What I am not able to find online, though, is the answer to this question:
If you'd like, is it possible to just walk out of town and go sit on the beach or in the woods somewhere and look at the lights?
I've read that in other towns/places (which are more to the north, though) that you can't leave town on your own due to dangerous animals living there as well.
SO, technically you could drive a bit out of town (probably not walk since you need to be far from city lights), but the reason why it helps to have a tour is because they can track them, and also because it's very difficult driving conditions! I don't think animals are a problem, but road conditions definitely are!
I am glad I found this! For the past week I have been doing searches of Northern Lights and all of my research has led me to Tromso. I will be traveling by myself so I am glad to get a solo traveler's perspective on doing the trip alone! Any other tips?
Thanks Kristin! All my tips are in the post, but please let me know if you can think of any questions!
I tried looking at the site you listed for the reindeer sledding but saw there was only options for two or more people. How were you able to book it as a solo traveler and not pay a two person price?
I got paired up with another person who was part of a 3 person party, so it worked out...so I would suggest emailing them and asking if that can be an option? When I went it was a per=person cost rather than per-sled!
Wow! What a breath taking trip!
Hi! i am contemplating if i should do a solo trip to tromso too! can i know how much you spent in total for this tromso trip?
Hi Jenn! It depends on how long you want to go for! Norway is super pricey unfortunately but you can get away with budget hotels there, and the flight there from Oslo isn't bad. In total though my 3 nights there plus the Northern Lights tour was probably around $700 :/
Last week I booked my budget flight to Denmark and am so glad I found your article on the Northern Lights! This is also a part of my trip, but your article has helped cut down a lot of the research. I will definietly check out Norway now! Love the site and the snapchat!
Thanks Vanessa! Norway is definitely magical, you're going to have an amazing time!