Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed]

Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed] - Aurora Borealis and Sun Visible in Sky of Northern Norway

I am contemplating between Tromso (Norway), Abisko (Sweden) and Rovaniemi (Finland).

While Tromso is perhaps the most well-developed in terms of tourism infrastructure (and other activities to do) out of the three, it seems lights are best seen from Abisko due to least pollution and colder weather.

Can someone provide first hand suggestions?

tromsorovaniemi


Best Answer

This question is opinion-based, but I would certainly go for Abisko. But why not make it a trip and visit all three?

Abisko and Rovaniemi are both pretty good but Abisko is in the mountains and near the coast, and has more natural scenery to offer. Rovaniemi has the santa claus village. Tromsø has the prettiest scenery but the least favourable climate for northern lights, although if you go inland a bit to Bardu conditions are essentially identical to Abisko.

If you prefer natural scenery, go to Abisko to see the lights and spend the day looking at natural scenery, either from Abisko or from the sky station. Abisko has a nice canyon, is next to a beautiful lake, and has generally a beautiful valley with Kungsleden leading south, which is good for hiking or cross-country skiing.

If you prefer santa claus village and tacky souvenir shops, go to Rovaniemi to see the lights at night and the santa claus village during the day. You can also spend some time exploring the surrounding hills/forest.



Pictures about "Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed]"

Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed] - Aerial Photo of City With Lights during Night Time
Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed] - Black Metal Arch Frame
Best place to view the Northern Lights [closed] - Man Looking Towards the City


Where is the best place to see the northern lights from?

Since solar activity is at its strongest closer to the North Pole, you should head to the Arctic Circle to increase your chances of spotting the northern lights. The best places to see the aurora borealis are the Nordic countries of Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, which lie within or near the Arctic Circle.

What state has the best view of the northern lights?

Hands down, Alaska is the best place to see the northern lights in the United States, thanks to its geographic location and dark skies.

Where is the cheapest place to see the northern lights?

In this article, we will outline the five cheapest places to see the Northern Lights.
  • Abisko, Sweden.
  • Murmansk, Russia.
  • Shetland Islands, Scotland.
  • Reykjavik, Iceland.
  • Tromso, Norway.


Is 2022 a good year to see the northern lights?

"There will continue to be aurora viewing opportunities in 2022," Steenburgh said. "The solar cycle is indeed ramping up and as solar activity increases, so do the chances for Earth-directed blobs of plasma, the coronal mass ejections, which drive the geomagnetic storms and aurora."


5 Best Places to See the Northern Lights



More answers regarding best place to view the Northern Lights [closed]

Answer 2

I boarded the Hurtigruten at Tromsø and we viewed the borealis from the sea on the way to Kirkenes. It was nice because on the boat we were away from many of the lights of the built up areas.

The biggest concerns for seeing the northern lights are 1) to be as far north as possible; 2) for it to be dark; and 3) to be free of cloud.

So, Tromsø would be the obvious best bet because it is so much further north. To ensure darkness, do not travel at midsummer and if you choose a wintertime trip, that will maximize your chances. To be free of cloud, you simply need to maximize the dark hours spent on the ground there.

Another consideration would be to choose seating, route and flight times in darkness, so that if the ground visit is obscured by cloud cover, you may have a good view of the borealis from the airplane.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Tobias Bjørkli, Kenaz Nepomuceno, Artem Beliaikin, Djordje Petrovic



Related Topics