Do you really need a car to see the northern lights?

The basics for seeing the northern lights

Before I tell you “yes, you need a car” or “no, you can get by without one”, I first need to set the scene a bit: what awaits you up in the far north, how a northern lights chase works and what the weather demands. I talk about this quite a bit in the following article on good aurora hunters, but just by sticking around here you’ll also get everything you need.

First of all, to see the northern lights you need… a clear sky. Let’s say that’s the absolute basics. The basics, yes, but not that simple! And darkness: in the following article you can find out the best times to see the northern lights

To get a sky that’s right for the northern lights, you need to:

• avoid clouds. So you need to know, using weather apps, where the clear sky is. Because clouds mean no aurora (unless they’re very high clouds or there’s wind that will push them away)
• avoid light pollution from towns and roads with streetlights. In town it’s a pain: you can see the lights, yes, but really not as well. You’ll have the city lights right in your face, which is far from ideal

The lights can show up pretty much any time once night has fallen. At 5pm (rare but it happens), 7pm (happens regularly), 10pm (very often), and you can even get nothing until 1am and then bam! You can also spend the night under a gorgeous starry sky and… come back empty-handed.

To see the northern lights, it’s best to have an open view. Due north, plus east or west. If activity is strong, then having the south is really interesting too. So you can see you shouldn’t shut yourself away somewhere, or your visibility will be really limited. Especially if it’s your first outing, get the widest, most open view you can!

Can you see the northern lights without a car

If you don’t have a car, here’s what’s going to happen:

• if you’re somewhere with light pollution, like in the centre of Tromso or Rovaniemi, then the light is going to be a real pain
• you won’t be able to move around depending on the clouds, because there’s no public transport in the evening
• but you might get lucky and hit a spell of good weather! (from experience, the weather in town is often cloudier because it’s a few degrees warmer there than outside)
• but you might be staying somewhere far from town, out in the middle of Lapland, and there it’s more common to see the lights without going anywhere. That’s the dream, I know!

So this one’s up to you. Either you trust your lucky star, or you’ll have to go through tour companies. But I have to admit I regularly get emails from people at the end of their trip who haven’t managed to see the lights and ask me for a hand to see them before they leave.

Anyway, all this to say that without a car you’re limited when it comes to the weather, and that’s the most important factor.

But also, and I insist, if you’re spending a week in a lovely cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no lights around, a guide isn’t necessarily essential. Take Finnish Lapland: the weather there is often very good in the evening (and very chilly), so you can see the lights from where you’re staying!

So it’ll come down to how motivated you are to see the lights for sure, to stack the odds in your favour, to be willing to move around

The different places to see the lights and whether you need a car

For each place that’s good for the northern lights, I’ll tell you whether you need a car, why, and how to get by without one.

Tromso, the perfect place to see the northern lights — because everything is set up for it. Lots of quality tour companies, superb landscapes, the chance to get away from the clouds.

• a car is really handy for escaping the light pollution and the weather in town, you can easily end up on your own in lovely spots around Tromso to watch the lights
• the car hire budget is hefty but varies enormously
• without a car you can absolutely go with a tour company
• but with no tour company and no car, it’s hard to see the lights because of the weather and the light in town

The big towns of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Levi, Kiruna…)

• in the same way, it’s easy to find tour companies to see the northern lights
• a car is on the expensive side but can be reasonable
• without a car, you can get away from the town lights fairly easily
• the weather is generally good in Lapland, but you need a way of getting around to escape the clouds

The island of Senja

• easy: there are no northern lights guides and no transport
• so you need a car to get around and see the lights, it’s essential

The Lofoten Islands

• There are a few northern lights tour companies in Svolvaer, so if you don’t have a car you can go with them
• But the weather is quite a tease in Lofoten, so having a car to get around is a good idea, especially as the cloudy areas are usually fairly large
• public transport in the evening won’t get you anywhere
• Quite a bit of light pollution, but there are some stunning places to stay in isolated spots

Reykjavik and Iceland

• lots of tour companies are based in Reykjavik, and only there
• so you can rely on them, bearing in mind it’s not especially expensive
• watch out for cancellations because of the weather, which is really something else!
• it’s hard to see the northern lights in Reykjavik if you stay in town, and there’s no transport
• outside Reykjavik there’s almost no light pollution, which is great
• so outside Reykjavik, you need a car to escape the clouds

And if you’re torn between the two, which you can absolutely visit without a car, then I recommend my Tromso vs Rovaniemi comparison!

Why hire a car to see the northern lights (in Tromso or elsewhere)

So yes, I’m a big fan of hiring a car to see the northern lights (there’s a big “but” coming later, I’d rather warn you), because:

• you can easily move around depending on the weather to escape the clouds
• you’re independent and in a small group
• car hire is cheaper than tour companies

So for flexibility, for being able to go wherever you want and having peace of mind, I prefer hiring a car.

Whether it’s in Tromso, Reykjavik or Finnish Lapland, having a car lets you get further out, you can easily drive 2/3h to find a clear sky and a nice little spot.

Having a car lets you make the most of the region, not just at night!

Hiring a car: be careful driving in winter

Right, I told you car hire was handy. Yes, but here comes the “but”. In recent years, with the huge rise in tourism in Nordic destinations, I’ve seen a growing number of accidents, some more serious than others.

You should know that driving on snow, on ice, in the middle of a storm, isn’t that easy. So you need to be confident, but above all stick to a few basic rules:

• braking distances are much longer, so keep a big safety distance
• don’t drive too fast
• don’t make any sudden moves or you’ll skid
• Clear ALL the snow off your car, because it will block your visibility and you’ll end up off the road (seen it several times)
• NEVER pull over to the side where the red poles are, they’re there to mark the edge of the road. Beyond the red pole, the ground is dug out to let meltwater/rain drain away. So you’ll end up in the ditch.
• Always check the weather and the alerts. If there’s a storm, don’t go out! An aurora isn’t worth putting yourself in danger, or putting other groups of people in danger.

That said, driving gently and carefully works just fine. The tyres are studded, the cars are stable, so there’s a very good chance it’ll all go well.

The alternative: going with northern lights guides

It’s a (very) fast-growing demand. Guides are your safe bet for seeing the northern lights. There are loads of advantages to going with them, but I’ll admit there are downsides too. It really comes down to personal taste: it’s super handy, but with one small catch.

Advantages of going with a northern lights tour company

• it’s super handy, you don’t have to deal with anything!
• the company picks you up, knows where to go depending on the weather, and brings you back
• you can pick up loads of information for the rest of your stay if you then go and see them on your own
• they’re used to driving in lousy conditions (heavy snow, storms…)
• some small tour companies have no set end time and can really stay out very late if needed

Downsides of tour companies

• it comes at a cost, and that cost goes up every year
• the lack of flexibility: when the company says “we’re leaving”, well, you leave. Even if you want to see more, most tour companies have a schedule to stick to
• you don’t choose who you end up with: a noisy group, children… but there are small groups that are handy, though more expensive

But in very concrete terms, if you don’t have a car, go with a tour company. You’re here to see the northern lights, stack the odds in your favour! Once (though I think this person was genuinely jinxed), I came across a girl who was on her 5th trip to see the northern lights. The previous 4 hadn’t worked out because she wasn’t going about it the right way. But at least this last time it worked! (and on top of that we saw some great dancing lights).

4 northern lights tour companies in Tromso

A few tour company recommendations

Right, this isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially as I don’t know where you want to go (then again, there aren’t a million destinations), but here are a few tour company recommendations for seeing the northern lights.

First of all, you need to watch out for the following:

• the price: if it’s too low, it’s either a poor, inexperienced guide (basically just a taxi driver) or a bus
• if it’s by bus, then it’s a big group (40 people), noisy, lots of light, but it’s cheaper
• check the tour companies’ reviews, how many there are and how detailed they are. If the bad rating is “because there were no northern lights”, well, let’s say that’s not the guide’s fault
• if the company uses AI-generated photos in its listing, something’s fishy. There are enough aurora nights that nobody needs to ask ChatGPT to churn out a fake image.

Recommendations in Tromso: 

• Northern Horizon
• Wandering Owl
• Northbound
• In the following article, discover the best northern lights tour companies in Tromso

Recommendations in Rovaniemi:

• Lapin Taivas Arctic Expeditions
• Arctic GM Experiences
• Lapland Explorers
• Find all the northern lights tour companies in Rovaniemi
• In the following article, discover the best northern lights tour companies in Rovaniemi

Recommendations in Levi / Kittilä:

• Soma Adventures
• Arctic GM Experience
• Lazy Santa Safari

Recommendations in Reykjavik:

• Reykjavik Out Luxury Tour
• Ultimate Iceland Aurora Experts
• Iceland Everywhere Tour
• In the following article, discover the best northern lights guides in Iceland

Recap: pros and cons of hiring a car

Advantages of having a car to see the northern lights: 

• you can escape the clouds and the light pollution
• flexibility: you go when you want and where you want
• you can go out every night, the budget stays the same
• hiring a car costs less than one evening with a guide

Downsides of hiring a car and seeing the northern lights on your own

• you need to study the weather to know where to go, where the clouds and the clear areas will be
• basically you’re doing the guide’s job. OK, there are worse jobs
• you have to drive at night in conditions that are sometimes really not great
• car hire can be expensive, especially in peak season

Advantage of going with a guide to see the northern lights

• you don’t have to deal with anything!
• you don’t drive
• you have a very high success rate

Downsides of going with a guide

• it comes at a cost
• not much flexibility
• you never know what group you’ll end up with

Downsides of having NEITHER a car NOR a guide

• you’re completely dependent on the weather, and hoping to find a spot with no light pollution if you’re in town
• you’re not stacking all the odds in your favour, but it also depends on whether you want to see them once or several times
• so it really depends on your lucky star 😀

In conclusion, do you really need a car?

In concrete terms, you can get by without a car, yes. But it’s not the most practical option because you have to deal with the weather.

You have two alternatives:

• your lucky star
• tour companies to see the northern lights

In all honesty, from my experience, guides work a bit better than a lucky star.

If you’re in a big town (Tromso, Rovaniemi, Levi, Reykjavik…) and your goal is to see the northern lights, really stack all the odds in your favour. A car and/or guides.

Yes, hiring a car is getting more and more expensive and you have to be careful on the road. Yes, going with a guide costs an arm and a leg. But a guide or a hire car costs less than having to come back because you drew a blank on your first trip.

So all this to tell you that:

• for flexibility and a sense of adventure, if you’re confident, hire a car
• for comfort, go with tour companies

Don’t forget the other articles on the northern lights! Especially these ones:

• Everything you need to know about the northern lights — an article with absolutely all the information on how to see the northern lights
• How to hunt the northern lights properly — because, as you know, there are good hunters and bad hunters
• The steps to see the northern lights — once you’re there, how to manage to see the lights in good conditions and have no regrets!
• What are the best places to see the northern lights — Finland, Norway, Sweden… discover my favourite destinations and above all why!
• Tromso, the northern lights capital of the world — maybe the best place, and above all the most practical one, to see the northern lights!