Best Places To See The Northern Lights

Since there are so many places from which it is possible to see the northern lights, the 'best' of these is often argued. Clarity, brightness and awe-inspiring value of the lights is dependent majorly on the time of year, weather and other environmental factors. This can be another issue when deciding where to go. The idea of this hub to to clear up some of the confusion and present a few of the best options.

The arctic town of Tromso in northern Norway is one of the most ideal places for a northern lights holiday. Situated more then 300km inside the arctic circle, Tromso has as close to perfect view of the lights as you can ask for. Oh, and it's incredibly cold! Here, the northern lights can be seen between 6pm and 1am every other day at the very minimum. In other words, it's basically guaranteed unless you are hit by a blizzard.

The absolute best time of the year for this particular trip is January. For most of the month, Tromso lies in complete darkness as the sun remains below the horizon (That's how far north it is). The biggest attraction of seeing the aurora borealis in Tromso in January is the northern lights festival, held in honor of the lights, and to celebrate the first dawn of the year. It is also boasts a wide variety of international music and provides an awesome party atmosphere. This fact alone makes Tromso a top choice for your northern lights holiday. On top of this there is amazing skiing in the area, with hundreds of other activities such as dog sledding, museums and planetariums.

Even if the festival and party life isn't your scene, Tromso still stands at the forefront of northern lights vacation destinations.

On the other side of the world, Ontario, Canada provides another amazing destination to see the northern lights. Taking a snowmobile for a one hour ride north of Lake Superior brings you to a spectacular viewing area. This is another incredibly cold option for your trip, so be sure to pack your thickest and warmest gear! Now, hiring a snowmobile and trying to drive there yourself is generally not advisable, especially if you have never lived in or experienced similar climates and terrain. However, this doesn't really change much, as you can quite easily seek professional guidance. Several professional tour operators in the area are available to offer their guidance and expert knowledge of the northern lights. When booking, make sure to look around for the best deals, if that wasn't already obvious.

Iceland is our final contender in the battle for the best place to see the northern lights. The city of Reykjavik in particular. From the city itself, views of the lights are not as spectacular due to street lighting affecting the view. But further out of the city the lights can be seen perfectly, in all their glory. Once again there are several tour operators in the area departing regularly. The best part is that you are still close to the city action. While Reykjavik is still a relatively small city, the nightlife is surprisingly raucous, with a ton of bars concentrated in one area and organised pub crawls.

Iceland is right in the middle in one of the most active areas of the Aurora Ovals - where the northern lights are formed. If the weather provides clear sky, the lights are almost always visible.

While these three destination are some of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, there are loads more options. These are spread throughout Sweden, Finland, Lapland, and Alaska. If you can't seem to arrive at a conclusion, there's no reason not to see them twice. Most northern lights destinations have plenty of other activities, so you definitely wouldn't be losing out . What better time to start organizing your northern lights holiday.