The Best Places to See the Northern Lights

Typically, chasing down the ever-elusive aurora borealis is a daunting task—but if you’ve been dreaming of witnessing this dramatic phenomenon, now is your best chance.

This winter, the sun’s 11-year solar cycle reaches its peak (a period known as the solar maximum) and with it brings an increase in solar flares and geomagnetic storms. This means the northern lights will be brighter, there will be more sightings than usual and these sightings will stretch farther south beyond the Arctic Circle.

Read on for some of our favorite polar properties for northern lights viewing, along with the best times to go.

Where to Stay:

Beyond Sheldon Chalet’s privileged location, perched on a nunatak in one of Alaska's most inaccessible regions, this five-bedroom lodge offers a superb vantage point for watching the northern lights dance. Panoramic windows invite viewing directly from your bedroom, and the prime elevation of 6,000 feet highlights the beautiful blues, greens and purples.

When to Go:

September to late-April

Where to Stay

Part art installation, part hotel, ICEHOTEL has been impressing visitors from around the world with its ice-based architecture and construction for more than three decades. Guests stay here not only for the cachet of saying they've slept on a bed of ice but also to partake in the property's wide array of northern lights experiences. Enjoy an evening hike, a snowmobile safari, a photography workshop or a wilderness dinner with guides trained in both the science of the phenomenon and the Sami significance. Another favorite: Tree Hotel, a quirky property made up of sleek, minimalist treehouses is a spectacular spot for Northern Lights-viewing and photography. Activities like night safaris with experts, dogsledding and snowmobiling are offered. And since so many of the accommodations are glass-enclosed, lucky visitors may see the Lights from their rooms.

When to Go:

September to March

Where to Stay:

Denmark's rugged Faroe Islands are ideal for those curious about the road less traveled, with varied terrain, ample opportunity for photography and rich natural landscapes. The best northern lights-viewing is at Hotel Føroyar, which is not exceptionally luxurious but well-located above the town of Tórshavn on the coast and away from the village lights.

When to Go:

November to March

Where to Stay:

To maximize your experience at the cozy Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, in the Finnish portion of Sápmi, stay in one of the glass igloos. With an Aurora alert system set up in all accommodations, guests will be warned at the first sign of the dancing sky and can participate in northern lights-themed hunting activities with reindeer, huskies, a horse sleigh and snowmobiles.

When to Go:

September to April

Where to Stay

Eleven Experience’s glorious Eleven Deplar Farm offers adrenaline-pumping pursuits such as heli-skiing and snowmobiling based out of a plush 13-room lodge. Guests can take in the northern lights from a geothermal heated pool with a cocktail in hand or standing atop the Troll Peninsula with an expert photographer to assist in capturing the sky.

Meanwhile, Hotel Rangá, an SLH Hotel is a 30-room cabin retreat along the Golden Circle. In wintertime, its remote, dark-sky setting, free from most light pollution makes it a convenient option for travelers looking for a rustic, Northern Lights escape closer to Reykjavik. The hotel offers wake-up calls for aurora sightings and features an on-site observatory with powerful telescopes for enhanced stargazing experiences.

When to Go:

October to April—and next year only, for another astronomical phenomenon, Iceland is one of the few places that will experience the total solar eclipse August 12.

Where to Stay:

Just steps from the sea, Lyngen Lodge is a northern Norwegian oasis with an understated, alpine-chic feel. Guests spend days cross-country skiing, ice fishing, dogsledding and snowshoeing, and in the evenings, learning how best to photograph the lights with photography experts on hand. For proximity to Norway's Fjord Country, consider two other favorites that are farther south: Union Øye and Storfjord Hotel. Both are seriously cozy, historic retreats perfect for foodies, outdoor adventure-seekers and upping the romance.

When to Go:

November to early-April

How to Plan

The arctic is an increasingly popular destination for sea-based voyages, with top cruise lines such as Quark and Ponant offering itineraries with a good chance of seeing the northern lights from sea. Indagare’s Peter Schlesinger joined Ponant on a sailing from Svalbard to the North Pole, Greenland and Iceland just after the fall equinox. And while the North Pole is actually too far north (!) to see the aurora, he had great sightings on a nightly basis once the ship, Le Commandant Charcot (a polar-class II icebreaker), returned closer to the Arctic Circle.

Look for itineraries that explicitly mention the possibility of seeing the Lights, and that are long enough so that a few days of clouds won’t be a dealbreaker.

Reminder, seeing the northern lights is, unfortunately, never guaranteed. Visibility is dependent upon light pollution, magnetic activity, cloudiness and the position of the sun.