The Best Places to See the Northern Lights in 2026 💫Experience the magic of the Northern Lights with this ultimate guide to 8 of the world’s most iconic aurora destinations. Whether you're chasing green ribbons across Arctic skies or planning your first winter escape, this guide brings together the top locations, local insights, and tips! ✨🌙Authorskerrieturcic
DestinationsScotlandItinerary

Lapland, Finland

Northern Lights Village Saariselkä
Lapland, Finland, has long aurora-season nights and minimal light pollution, plus snow-covered landscapes for beautiful reflections. The best time to go is between August and April. Staying in a glass igloo is one of the best ways to experience the aurora here. There are several types to choose from, but the Glass Roof Experience features north-facing glass roofs to maximize your chances! 💜✨🌙
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Arctic sky, Nature & Northern lights Photographing Pyhä-Luosto
Pyhä–Luosto National Park is famous for stable weather and dark skies. On this 2-hour tour, an expert guide will take you out through the forest and show you how to best capture the northern lights on your camera!
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Immeljärvi
The Levi ski village and surrounding viewpoints, like this lake, are a popular spot for aurora viewing. Lake Immeljärvi is easily accessible from Levi town, with walking paths leading to the lake's southern edge, which offers a clear view to the north. To maximize your chances, visit between late September and early April, and consider viewing from the lake's northern end, but be cautious due to thinner ice, especially near the river mouth.
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Levin Iglut Glass Igloos
Is luxury glass igloo resort in Levi is an incredible way to experience the magic of the northern lights. Choose from one of the 27 igloos on a higher elevation on the slopes of Utsuvaara—each offering panoramic views of the Arctic sky!
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Syöte Igloos
Get cozy and sleep under the northern lights! Situated on the top of the Pikku-Syöte mountain, the Syöte Igloos offer a luxury stay in nature. The igloo even has a kitchen stove and refrigerator!
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Scottish Highlands

Cairngorms
Cairngorms National Park is one of Scotland's Dark Sky Parks. The huge open landscapes and high elevation make it a great spot to catch the Northern Lights from October to March.
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Loch Morlich
Loch Morlich in Cairngorms National Park is a great spot to catch the aurora. Aim to go between October and March on a clear, cold night. You can check the KP index for the best conditions—a KP of 4 or higher is ideal for Loch Morlich, but even a KP 2–3 can produce a glow here because it's so far north with very dark skies. The beach on the north side of the lake is best for a clear northern horizon, reflections on the lake, and it's easy to access from the parking lot.
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Loch Loyne
Located right off the A87 between Invergarry and Cluanie on the road to Skye, Loch Loyne in the Highlands is known for its wide, sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. This is one of the best spots to simply pull off the road and catch the Northern Lights, thanks to the elevation and the low light pollution. Again, it's smart to check the KP index. A higher KP, like a 4-6++, will give you incredible pillars and dancing lights, but even a 2 or 3 will be beautiful if you have a clear, cold night.
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Yellowknife, Canada

Aurora Village
The season for seeing the Northern Lights in Yellowknife, Canada, is much longer—you can get lucky between late August and early April. But for your best chance, go anywhere from December to April. 🌌 Aurora Village is a dedicated viewing site with heated teepees, open skies, and unobstructed northern horizons. This is a great option if you want comfort, expert guidance, and photography help.
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Prelude Lake Territorial Park
About 30 minutes from Yellowknife, Prelude Lake Territorial Park has extremely dark skies with minimal light pollution. The lake’s frozen surface in winter gives you wide, panoramic views of the aurora overhead.
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Dettah Ice Road
In winter, you can drive onto the ice road toward Dettah for a dramatic, wide-open viewing area far from city lights. It's one of the most accessible and striking spots for aurora watching!
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Tromsø, Norway

Fjellheisen
The best months for aurora viewing in Tromsø are September to April. Taking the Fjellheisen cable car just before dusk is a quick and easy way to catch the Northern Lights in Tromsø. The high vantage point with minimal light pollution offers panoramic views of the aurora over the city, mountains, and fjords. This location, Storsteinen, is considered one of the best places in Tromsø for observing the lights, with the added comfort of a viewing platform and a restaurant available at the top.
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Prestvannet
Prestvannet Lake on Tromsøya Island is easy to reach from the city and has very low light pollution around the lake. Plus...stunning backdrops!
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Kvaløya
Kvaløya Island gives you wide-open fjord views, very dark skies, and is a perfect place for combining aurora hunting with beach or mountain scenery.
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Ersfjordbotn brygge AS
Ersfjordbotn is just a short drive from Tromsø, with dramatic mountains framing the sky; one of the region’s most photographed aurora spots. Book a stay at this cozy place and increase your chances of seeing the lights!
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Fairbanks, Alaska

Friends of Creamers Field at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
Fairbanks has cold, clear winters and inland weather, which makes for perfect for steady aurora viewing. You can often see lights 4 or 5 nights a week during peak season! Creamer's Fiels is dark, flat, has great open-sky views, and is still close enough to town.
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Murphy Dome
The Murphy Dome is a high-altitude location that's far enough from city lights to minimize light pollution, and it offers unobstructed, 360-degree views of the sky. As one of the highest peaks in the area, this spot provides an elevated and open vantage point for watching the northern lights. 🤩 The best time to catch the lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., but sometimes even earlier in Alaska. Bring gear for extreme cold weather here!
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Chena Hot Springs Natural Pond
Watch the Northern Lights, then relax in the hot springs! Chena Hot Springs is 60 miles outside of Fairbanks, so there's minimal light pollution, plus you'll be in the quiet backcountry for a more peaceful experience. Chena Hot Springs also sits directly under the "aurora oval," the band of high-frequency aurora activity.
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Chena Hot Springs Resort
Chena Hot Springs Resort is famously one of the best places to watch the northern lights. Imagine sitting in the soothing natural hot springs while watching the aurora dancing overhead!
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Alaska Railroad - Fairbanks Depot
If you're heading up to Alaska to catch the northern lights, check out the Aurora Winter Train. It runs between Anchorage and Fairbanks, and is an easy and unique way to travel north and experience the aurora borealis!
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Aurora Ice Museum
The Aurora Ice Museum is also located at Chena Hot Springs Resort—the world’s largest year-round ice environment!
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Private Tour for Chasing Northern Lights (Aurora) with PHOTO
Let an expert guide lead the way on your northern lights adventure! This 4-hour tour includes a photography service, so you don't have to watch the aurora through a lens—just enjoy the magic of the aurora while someone else captures it for you. It also includes pick-up from your Fairbanks hotel.
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Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Jökulsárlón
Watch the northern lights over the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. The glacier lagoon creates surreal reflections of the aurora on calm water and icebergs. Far from major towns, the light pollution is extremely low here.
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Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach's black sand and ice chunks light up under the aurora. The best viewing time in eastern Iceland is between September and April.
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Fjallsárlón
This glacier lagoon near Jökulsárlón is a nother great spot to catch the aurora and is a little quieter—but equally as dramatic
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Private Northern Lights Tour from the East of Iceland
Take a private tour along the eastern side of Iceland in search of the northern lights—but with the advantage of an expert guide. This tour lasts 4-5 hours and includes transportation in an off-road vehicle, allowing for better access to the lights. Chairs and blankets are provided, as well as professional photos, so you can just enjoy watching the northern lights and not worry about photographing them!
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Abisko, Sweden

Aurora Sky Station
Abisko is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. The best time to see them is from early September to late March, when the nights in Sweden are the longest and darkest. Abisko National Park often has clear skies even when nearby areas are cloudy, making it one of Sweden’s most reliable spots, too! Take the chairlift up to the Aurora Sky Station for panoramic views from the observation tower, explore the Northern Lights exhibition, and warm up in the café and souvenir shop.
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Torneträsk
In the winter, frozen Torneträsk Lake's vast open space provides a very cool reflective surface for the lights. You'll get some unique photo opportunities here!
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Aurora Tour with Dinner in Abisko
This 5.5-hour tour is led by a local Sami guide in Abisko, who will take you out for your best possible chance to see the northern lights. Afterward, enjoy an incredible 3-course dinner featuring local dishes ke smoked Arctic char, and cloudberries with vanilla ice cream.
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Svalbard, Norway

Adventdalen
Svalbard, Norway, is one of the few places where you can see the aurora during the daytime in the Polar Night (late November to January). Remote, wild, and far above the Arctic Circle, Svalbard has almost zero light pollution! Your best overall months for viewing are from August to April. 🌟 Adventdalen Valley is wide, silent, and extremely dark! Just be sure to dress for extreme conditions and travel with a guide because polar bears are a hazard here.
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Longyearbyen Harbour
Walk or drive just beyond the town for clear horizons and your best shot of viewing the aurora from Longyearbyen. Remember, traveling with a guide is best because of the extreme conditions and polar bears.
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Svalbard Experts
If you're heading into the extreme wilderness, it's recommended to join a tour or consult with experts who can guide you.
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