I remember the first time I came to see the northern lights in Tromsø. I had no idea where to go, what to do, how to find them, how to see them at all, quite simply.

Obviously I knew I had to get away from the city, but that was it. So, to stop you ending up in the same boat, I’ve listed my 10 favourite places to watch the lights. Obviously this isn’t the bible (I’d say the bible is the next article, the guide to the northern lights in Tromsø which pulls together several dozen spots :p ), it also depends a lot on the weather conditions, meaning that if it’s cloudy to the north, we’ll tend to look for a spot further south. And I’d say the best place is the one you enjoyed finding as you explored the region, on foot or (above all!) by car. And that’s my big thing, driving around the Tromsø region to find THE spot.

I like finding the right setting, between the mountains, a view over a fjord, a lake… After several years, there’s still plenty left to see, which is why this region is a huge playground and the list below won’t necessarily still hold next year, or you’ll simply find better 🙂

Of the ones I’m showing you below, some face exactly the right way, others have a magnificent setting but can need certain conditions for you to see anything. I’ll explain all that below. These are places around Tromsø that require a car for the most part

The 10 best places to watch the northern lights in the Tromsø region

The Fjellheisen cable car – the northern lights above Tromsø

The Fjellheisen cable car is now a real classic for watching the northern lights when you don’t have a car.

It’s pretty easy to get to, just the other side of the bridge or reachable by bus from the centre, and above all… you go up by cable car so there’s no hassle. But you can also walk up and down, though you’ll need crampons in winter because it’s steep and slippery!

Up at the top you get a magnificent view over Tromsø and the mountains of Kvaløya and Ringvassøya, so even if you’re not coming for the northern lights you’ll get an eyeful. What I’d mostly recommend is coming at the end of the day for the sunset (it’s pink and gorgeous) and then waiting patiently for the night. Okay, it can be a long wait, but it’s worth it! And at that ticket price, why deny yourself 🙂

The facilities up there are useful for watching the lights. There’s a platform, and you can move away either along the cliff or further out onto the plateau and get away from the city lights, but mostly from other people.

• Why it’s great for the northern lights

The view! It’s very open to the north, the east and the south. If you walk out onto the high plateau, you’ll have a 360-degree view. It’s easy to see the northern lights there and you can wait inside if it gets too cold

• What the downsides are

The price of the cable car has gone up a lot over the past few years, we’re now at around €50 for the return trip. It’s obviously free if you walk up and back down.

It can get veeery cold up there, with a nice little icy wind. Keeps you awake!

The last car down is at midnight, which can be a touch early because the northern lights are unpredictable

But above all, the main flaw for me is how popular the site is and the people who put out huge amounts of light when they’re outside. Just in front of the building, I find it really is too much, it’s impossible to get away from a light or a torch. So you have to move off.

In the end it’s still a good spot, easy to get to, very pretty, with somewhere to warm up and grab a bite to eat, and wait for the lights without freezing solid.

The Grøtfjord fjord

I love this place. Grøtfjord has become fairly popular too, and for good reason, it’s a magnificent spot! There are plenty of places around the fjord, so there’s room for everyone.

On the road to Tromvik, you first come across the village of Grøtfjord (which has a great view, but has the misfortune of being lit up like a Christmas tree). And right after it, the fjord, majestic.

On the right-hand shore of the fjord there are quite a few places to stop, it’s fairly easy. At the head of the fjord and on the left-hand shore it’s a touch trickier, with no proper pull-ins, but it can still be done.

If you go to the head of the fjord, it can be a bit of a pain in heavy snow because the access won’t be cleared, but you’ll have it all to yourselves!

• Why it’s a good place to see the northern lights

The orientation is good: you’re facing due north. But the fjord is relatively narrow so visibility, particularly to the west and the south (depending on where you are in the fjord), isn’t great

It’s a magnificent place, plain and simple, that’s why I love it

There’s generally less wind. Generally.

• What are the downsides

The view is a bit limited, but the setting makes you forget that.
It can get busy, so you need to turn up early to get your spot. The upside is that since parking spaces are limited, once you’ve got your space, you’re fine.
It’s the coast, so the weather can be changeable.

The road to Kvaløyvågen

Once you’re through the tunnel that leads to Ringvassøya, you get a whole string of nice spots for watching the northern lights. The best bit starts as soon as you pass the abandoned cabins by the water and open up a wide field of view.

It’s marked on the map: from that point all the way to the village of Kvaløyvågen, there are plenty of places to pull over (apart from the lit stretch of road, the rotters). You get a great orientation, especially down by the beach (marked on the map), east/north/west.

Safe to say you can’t miss a thing 🙂 A bit further on there’s a small frozen lake and a little plain that’s easy to spot because it’s a reindeer farm.

• Why it’s a good place to see the northern lights

The weather here is really not bad! You’re right across from Ringvassøya, where there are generally fewer clouds, so on that front it’s pretty good
The view is wide open, east, north, west
And loads of spots along the road to Kvaløyvågen

• What are the downsides

The tours like coming round here, and above all the parking options are shrinking in the best places, which is a bit of a shame

Naustbukta facing the Lyngen Alps

Right, this one I found by accident. Even though it’s huge, well known, the works. I’d never ventured over that way and yet it’s a beauty. The fjord is stunning, wide, big mountains, a small beach, hardly any light. Honestly, it’s great. It faces north/east, so perfectly decent but nothing amazing when activity is high.

The first time I went, the sky was gorgeously clear, packed with stars, not a wisp of cloud, KP=4 and… nothing -_- not a single aurora in the whole region. The second time was much better! And I’ve been going regularly ever since.

• Upsides of this spot

The beach is big enough that even if there’s a group it’s no big deal
The fjord is really pretty I think, with the Lyngen Alps as a backdrop

• Downsides for seeing the northern lights

The orientation isn’t exceptional. I mean you can see the lights perfectly well, but if they come from the south, then it’s really not great for photography
There isn’t much parking space and it does happen that a single minibus blocks the lot so nobody else can get in. Lovely! Worst case, there are other places to go along the road

The Breivikeidet valley

A really beautiful valley ringed by really beautiful mountains, a wide plain, a road with absolutely nobody on it and a bitter cold 😀 I spend lovely evenings there watching the lights above the mountains. If you push on to the little harbour, there’s a bit too much light. But you can turn off to the right before that and come out in another plain where there’s a husky farm.

• Upsides for seeing the northern lights there

The weather is generally much better than in Tromsø and yet it’s not far, because it’s colder in the valley.
The mountains are really photogenic, you can head off past the golf course, there’s room there, but a bus can turn up now and then, because it’s an easy place to reach.

• Downsides

Along the valley road there are very few nice places to pull over in the middle of winter because the turn-offs aren’t cleared of snow. So you have to get inventive or stay by the roadside.
Except the road gets a fair bit of traffic, which is annoying.
It can get properly freezing round here.

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Sommarøy

So Sommarøy is a lovely little archipelago that’s becoming ze place to be. Paradise beaches (and water at 2°), great views, but above all a superb road. On the island you can find spots, but since it’s got very bright, I prefer a bit before it.

Sandvika beach, for example, 10 minutes before, really nice, really handy, the path just needs to be clear. Or a bit before the bridge for a different view.

• Upsides for seeing the northern lights there

This part of Sommarøy has plenty of places to stop right by the beach, which is handy.
Since there’s a fair bit of wind, the weather there is very changeable, for better or for worse!
It’s not especially far from Tromsø

• Downsides

It’s popular with the agencies that don’t want to go to any trouble.
Lots and lots of wind

The Kattfjordvatnet valley

The simplest and handiest option if the goal is simply to see the northern lights.

A great spot, close to Tromsø with a clear view, on the road to Sommarøy. Once you leave Kattfjord, you come into the valley where lake Kattfjordvatnet sits. What’s really good is that there are loads of stopping points, little car parks for watching the lights, so you can get a bit away from the road and not be packed in with everyone else. In winter you can go straight out onto the frozen lake.

• Why it’s good for seeing the northern lights

You’re 20 minutes from Tromsø, so it’s handy.
There are really, really a lot of pull-in spots, they’re not all as good as each other but there’s plenty of room

• Drawbacks

Even when you’re not right by the roadside, there’s a lot of traffic and car headlights bounce off the mountains, which is annoying for photos.
Because it’s easy and close by, this is where you get the most people, coaches especially, since there are big car parks. So being on your own isn’t exactly straightforward.

The heights above Skulsfjord

This one’s lovely. On the road to Skulsfjord, just before the tunnel, take the car park road on the left and carry on a bit. Then don’t hesitate to walk forward for an even better view over the north of Kvaløya, with the island of Vengsøya. It faces the right way, north/west, and it’s high up. So you can watch the northern lights arrive, and the setting is lovely.

• Why it’s good for seeing the northern lights

The orientation is good, the view is open and very pretty. So it’s really worth it
Plus it’s not far from Tromsø

• Drawbacks

the wind, good grief, the wind. But that can turn into an advantage, since people aren’t as hardy as you and will head off before you because of the wind.
Because yes, if the road is clear there can be a crowd

The Signaldalen mountain

The Signaldalen mountain is rather the opposite. It has to be said it’s fairly far from town, more than an hour’s drive. But the mountain and its iconic shape are worth the trip, by day as much as by night. And what’s great is that in this little valley, along the river, you won’t be short of places to settle in, a new view every 300m, the chance to go down to the riverbank in several spots, to head a bit further into the forest… As for orientation, you’ve got north, north/west, more or less open depending on where you set up.

• Why it’s good for seeing the northern lights

The mountain is genuinely beautiful and iconic, and it’s in the right direction too
If the weather is good in Tromsø, then there’s nobody here because it’s too far.

• Drawbacks

When the weather is good out this way and clouded over in Tromsø, there are a lot of people. But the locals have had about enough of it, so they’ve blocked off sites where we used to set up. There’s still room, thankfully.

4 northern lights agencies in Tromsø

The northern lights at Kilpisjärvi

Right, OK, we’re not really in the Tromsø area any more. We’re actually in Finland, a good 3 hours’ drive away. This is generally where the guides head when the weather is clouded over on the Norwegian side.

You’re in Finnish Lapland, meaning trees, frozen lakes everywhere, bitter cold, but a lovely setting. If you can, don’t stay by the roadside, though finding a spot is tricky around here. A single road heading south, a few parking areas but only every X km, so the spaces are at a premium! First come, first served, otherwise you end up really far away (or you have to be clever and know the little hidden spots).

• Why it’s good for seeing the northern lights

The weather is generally better than in Tromsø, it’s really the spare wheel.
The orientation is good and the view is open, because Lapland means flat, and so far fewer mountains.

• The drawbacks

The distance. You are in Finland after all, more than 3h away. But you can get some lovely photos and there aren’t many people. Only set off if the weather allows, otherwise you risk an accident (and there are plenty on that road)
The temperatures. It’s Lapland, so it can get seriously cold! Really.
The scenery is less fun. It’s flat, the trees aren’t very photogenic. So you go there to see the northern lights, not for insane landscapes. But it’s still lovely!

The spot that looks brilliant but actually isn’t: Ersfjordbotn

This is probably the best-known fjord around here. It’s hugely photogenic, and pretty touristy too! But if you go out onto the peninsula, you end up alone and a bit away from the lights. Unlike the main spot, at the top of the road where everyone stops.

I’m putting it in the ranking for the setting. Because on top of being extremely bright, it faces west, which isn’t ideal. You need big northern lights for it to look good, otherwise you’ll barely see a thing

So you can go if you don’t want to travel far and you want a pretty view, but it really isn’t optimal.

Which agency for seeing the northern lights

If you want to maximise your chances of seeing the northern lights, you can go through an agency. I explain in this article how to pick a good one, but to make things easier, I’ve picked out 4 excellent agencies in Tromsø, at different price points. For me, these are the best in their price bracket. Small groups, good guides, really solid.

• Northbound (€220)
• Arctic Breeze (€160)
• Wandering Owl (€190)
• Greenlander (€250)

To sum up

The region has loooooads of great spots. The ones here are easy to get to, more or less far out, but well oriented, in a lovely setting. Because what really counts is the setting — it makes the northern lights even more magical.
If you’ve never seen the northern lights, then I’d point you towards the places with the most open view, and obviously check the weather beforehand so you know where to head. Because the cloud changes depending on where you are. Move twenty kilometres and you won’t have the same sky at all. So weather, wind direction, and off you go 🙂 And above all, make sure you go during the right season!

More resources on Tromsø

I’ve written quite a lot about Tromsø. The articles below should be useful to you, or at least I hope so!

• How to plan your trip to Tromsø: I give you all the essential information for planning your trip to Tromsø, with the places you really shouldn’t skip and plenty more.
• A one-week itinerary in Tromsø: a ready-made trip to see the finest spots and do the best activities
• Sleeping in Tromsø without blowing your budget: to steer you towards where to stay during your trip, at every price point
• The best things to do in Tromsø in winter: because there’s a lot going on, I point you to the best activities, the ones not to miss and the good operators
• The best places to see the northern lights in Tromsø: in it I show you the best places to go under your own steam, in and around Tromsø
• The best northern lights operators in Tromsø: there’s so much choice that you can’t afford to get it wrong. I point you to the best ones so you avoid the traps
• The best map of Tromsø: on a single map I put all the places to see, the practical information and the places to stay
• When to go to Tromsø: you’ll find an infographic showing you which activities work month by month, with the pros and cons
• How much a holiday in Tromsø costs: here I give you the prices of every expense, plus a simulator to give you an idea of what your trip will cost
• How to go dog sledding in Tromsø: as there are quite a few, I list them all, with prices, locations and some advice
• The best snowmobile operators in Tromsø: here I give you the essential information for booking your snowmobile trip with complete peace of mind
• The operators for seeing whales and orcas in Tromsø: here’s all the information, the seasons and the different boats for seeing the whales
• Visiting the island of Kvaløya: this gorgeous island next to Tromsø deserves a good chunk of your time, to get to Tromvik or Sommarøy in particular
• Tips for driving on snow in Tromsø: because it isn’t that simple, here’s the guide to winter driving
• Should you hire a car in Tromsø: it isn’t necessary but it is useful, and I explain why.
• Tromsø outside northern lights season – time for the midnight sun and long days