There’s something about the first week of January that makes us dream bigger. The year stretches ahead, full of possibility. The Christmas decorations are coming down, work hasn’t quite ramped up yet, and for a brief moment, anything feels possible. Including that trip you’ve been thinking about for years.
You know the one. The destination you’ve saved photos of, mentioned in conversations, put on mental lists labelled “someday.” The place that represents adventure, or relaxation, or culture, or simply somewhere completely different from everyday life.
Here’s the thing about someday: it never actually arrives unless you make it arrive. And if there was ever a year to stop dreaming and start booking, 2026 is it.
Nature’s Greatest Light Show
The aurora borealis might be the world’s most magical natural phenomenon. Shimmering curtains of green, purple, and pink light dancing across the Arctic sky. It’s something that photographs can’t quite capture and that stays with you forever once you’ve witnessed it.
The 2026-27 winter season (September through March) offers excellent viewing conditions. We’re approaching a solar maximum period that increases aurora activity, meaning more frequent and intense displays. But seeing the Northern Lights requires more than just showing up. You need dark skies, clear weather, the right latitude, and ideally, expert guides who know where to position you for the best views.
That’s where decades of travel experience makes all the difference. Our team has arranged countless Northern Lights trips, and we know which operators deliver the best experiences, which locations offer the highest success rates, and which times of year balance good viewing with comfortable temperatures.
Your Northern Lights Destinations
Iceland: Europe’s Arctic Wonderland
Iceland offers the easiest access for UK travellers. A mere three hours from British airports to Reykjavik, you can be chasing the lights the same evening you leave home. Despite being the most accessible option, Iceland doesn’t compromise on spectacle.
Stay in Reykjavik itself, where you can combine aurora hunting with the city’s vibrant culture, excellent restaurants, and the famous Blue Lagoon. The lights are visible right from the capital’s outskirts on clear nights. Alternatively, venture into the countryside where darker skies create even more dramatic displays.
The Icelandic landscape adds another dimension to your Northern Lights experience. Picture the aurora reflected in glacial lagoons, illuminating ice caves, or framing active volcanoes. Combine your trip with the Golden Circle route (geysers, waterfalls, and tectonic plates), glacier walks, or soaks in natural hot springs beneath the dancing lights.
Our Iceland specialists have personally explored everything from luxury hotels in Reykjavik to remote guesthouses in the Westfjords. They’ll match you to the right base for your preferences, whether that’s comfort and convenience or remote wilderness.
Norway: Fjords, Mountains, and Arctic Skies
Norway provides multiple options for Northern Lights adventures, each with its own character.
Tromsø, situated well above the Arctic Circle, is considered one of the world’s premier Northern Lights destinations. This vibrant Arctic city combines urban comfort with wilderness access. During the day, explore museums, restaurants, and the striking Arctic Cathedral. At night, head out with guides who use weather forecasts and aurora predictions to find the clearest skies.
For a different perspective, consider a Hurtigruten coastal voyage. These working ships sail Norway’s dramatic coastline, stopping at ports between Bergen and the far north. The beauty of a cruise approach is that you’re constantly moving to new locations, increasing your chances of clear skies. When the aurora appears, announcements alert passengers to head to the viewing decks. It’s a comfortable way to chase the lights while exploring Norway’s coastal communities and fjords during the day.
Alta offers equally excellent viewing with different landscapes. Known as the “City of the Northern Lights,” it sits directly beneath the aurora oval. The surrounding area features dramatic fjords and the UNESCO-listed Alta rock carvings.
The Lofoten Islands deliver possibly the most photogenic Northern Lights setting on Earth. Traditional red fishing cabins (rorbuer) line pristine fjords, with jagged peaks rising behind and the aurora overhead. It’s the kind of scene that makes even amateur photographers look professional.
Norwegian aurora tours often include activities like dog sledding through silent forests, snowmobiling across frozen landscapes, and stays in glass-roofed igloos where you can watch the lights from the warmth of your bed. Several of our agents have experienced these trips personally and return with stories that convince even the most hesitant travellers.
Finland: Lapland Magic
Finland’s Lapland region combines Northern Lights with winter activities that appeal to all ages. Based around Rovaniemi, you’ll find reindeer sledding, visits to Santa’s Village, stays in log cabins with private saunas, and cross-country skiing through snow-laden forests.
The Finnish approach to winter is about embracing the cold rather than merely enduring it. After an evening of aurora hunting, you’ll warm up in a traditional sauna before perhaps taking a dip in an ice hole. It sounds extreme, but Finnish hospitality and the concept of sisu (roughly: perseverance and determination) creates an atmosphere where these experiences feel natural rather than intimidating.
Accommodation ranges from cosy wilderness cabins to the famous glass igloos of Kakslauttanen, where you can lie in bed watching the sky, hoping the lights will appear. The Finns have mastered the art of combining comfort with adventure.
Canada: The Yukon’s Reliable Skies
Canada’s Yukon Territory offers some of the world’s most reliable Northern Lights viewing. Whitehorse sits directly beneath the aurora oval, and the combination of stable weather and dark skies means high success rates for sightings.
It’s a longer journey than European options, certainly. But you’ll combine the lights with Canadian wilderness, Indigenous culture, and the kind of vast landscapes that Britain simply doesn’t have. The Yukon in winter is extraordinarily beautiful, with the aurora often visible from September through April.
Many travellers combine Whitehorse with a journey on the White Pass and Yukon Route railway, dog sledding expeditions, and visits to natural hot springs. The Canadian approach tends towards smaller groups and more personalised experiences.
What Our Travellers Say
Our agents who’ve chased the Northern Lights consistently say the same thing: photographs don’t do it justice. The movement, the scale, the way the colours shift and dance, the absolute silence of an Arctic night interrupted only by the crunch of snow underfoot. These elements combine to create something genuinely profound.
Sarah from our Boroughbridge branch experienced this first-hand on a Hurtigruten coastal voyage from Tromsø to Bergen. “On our very first evening after boarding, the announcement came through: Northern Lights Activity. We all dashed up to deck 9 to stare at the sky,” she recalls. Over the course of the week-long journey, the lights made several appearances, including one particularly memorable sighting off the coast of Lodingen. “It was blowing an absolute gale and still snowing. I ventured up to the top deck, and I’m glad I did. The Northern Lights made another appearance. The deck was empty apart from a couple of us and a few hardcore photographers with their tripods set up. Absolutely stunning, but I could no longer feel the right-hand side of my body, so I retired to the bar!”
Her advice? “The Hurtigruten crew announce when the lights are visible, which is brilliant because you don’t miss them. And layer up properly for those deck viewings.”
Making It Happen
The Northern Lights won’t wait forever. Solar maximums come and go. Weather patterns change. And most importantly, life has a way of pushing “someday” further and further into the future unless you actively resist.
Make this the year you stop looking at other people’s photos and see them yourself. Our experienced team has arranged Northern Lights trips for hundreds of travellers. We know which accommodations offer the best balance of comfort and location, which tour operators have the highest success rates, and which times of season suit different travel styles.
Whether you want a long weekend in Iceland, a week exploring Norwegian fjords, a family adventure in Lapland, or a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the Yukon, we’ll handle every detail. Flights, transfers, accommodation, tours, activities – we’ll arrange it all while you focus on the anticipation.
Best time to book: Now, for autumn/winter 2026-27. Northern Lights season books up quickly, particularly around Christmas, New Year, and February half-term. Early booking means better choice of accommodation and tour options.
Contact your local Spear Travels branch to start planning your Northern Lights adventure. Because the difference between dreaming about the aurora and actually seeing it is simply making the decision to go.
Ready to embark on your next adventure?
Contact us today to start planning your dream holiday!