Tromsø, Norway in Winter: An Almost Northern Lights Guarantee

Tromsø, Norway is located 217 miles north of the arctic circle, and in winter, it’s serious winter. I decided to go in December because I wanted to see the Northern Lights at a time and in a place where they’re almost guaranteed. And see them I did!

This was important to me because I had done a trip to Iceland a few years earlier that was specifically geared toward seeing the lights, but the cloud cover there was so miserable that we never even saw a flash.

What I don’t have is a real record of those lights in Norway. They aren’t always easy to document, and I wanted to see them with my naked eye, not through a lens or even while holding up a phone. But I have a couple of shots taken by others in our group that aren’t bad.

The locals keep track of aurora borealis forecasts, and they stake out the areas where they expect the fewest clouds. My group ended up in a field area, walking through brush and frozen snow. We stood outside in the cold for about three hours and saw the lights numerous times.

We saw colors of green, white, and purple. At first, the colors were somewhat muted, but as the evening went on, they grew more and more intense. Toward the end, we were treated to lights that kept getting more intense and neon as we watched. Then we saw green and white lights with hints of purple that seemed to climb like stairs upwards. To me, it was like watching angels ascend into heaven. Truly spectacular.

Nevertheless, I can’t say it was easy to be out there so long. The outfitter that took us out gave us all snowsuits to wear, which kept us plenty warm. But we were responsible for hats, gloves, and boots. I found that the fleece tights, wool socks, and snow boots I wore were no match for the temperatures in the teens Fahrenheit. My feet still felt frozen and numb pretty quickly.

I also wish I had taken a stool with me. Since then, I purchased this stool on Amazon. I’m not a sponsor for the company or anything. I just found the stool, which is quite easy to carry with you, as it folds up into a disc.

At some point during our time watching for the lights, our outfitter found a way to make hot chocolate for us, which helped to warm us up a touch.

Tromsø itself is a lovely town, but as I said, winter there is not for the faint at heart. I found it difficult. Nearly every sidewalk or pavement was covered in a sheet of ice, so you had to walk very carefully. I used hiking sticks fitted with snow guards on the bottom, and thankfully, I managed not to fall. The wind was also sometimes fierce.

The people and the village were charming, though, with numerous shops decorated with Christmas lights. I stayed at the Clarion The Edge Hotel, which was very nice with an exceptionally good breakfast. It was within (careful) walking distance of the village, and I could see the Norwegian Sea from my windows.

Other activities in the area include snowshoeing, whale watch cruises, visiting a reindeer farm, riding in a dog sled, and learning about the local indigenous Sami culture.

If you’re prone to jetlag like I am, you might want to take a light machine with you because if you visit this town in winter, it’s mostly dark the entire time. I struggled with sleep throughout my visit. As you’ll see in the photos below that I took from the planes between Oslo and Tromsø, the sun starts to show up as you cross the arctic circle and fly a bit south toward Oslo.

If cold weather doesn’t bother you, I recommend northern Norway, especially if you really want to see the Northern Lights. It’s quite an experience!