Northern Lights Cruises

The highlight of winter voyages to Norway is the incredible Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis.

Departing between October and March, our itineraries offer the best chance to experience the colourful, ghostly swirls of light in the dark sky. Although sightings of the extraordinary Aurora Borealis cannot be guaranteed, there are more occurrences in Arctic Norway than anywhere else in the world!

Ports visited on one of these once-in-a-lifetime voyages include the Art Nouveau town of Alesund, the former Norwegian capital of Trondheim with its impressive 14th-century cathedral, and the beautiful Lofoten Islands, dotted with traditional fishing villages.

Optional excursions are the perfect way to enhance your experience, from a thrilling husky dog sledge ride over frozen landscapes to a special midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso. Honningsvag is the starting point for excursions to the dramatic North Cape, while Andalsnes is the gateway to the picturesque Romsdal Alps and winding Troll Path Road.

The extraordinary beauty of the Aurora Borealis, the natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights, has mesmerised all who witness them.

‘The Northern Lights are caused when electrically-charged particles spiral down Earth’s magnetic field lines into our upper atmosphere at high speed and cause the rarefied gases there to glow with a green, red or purplish light. They are most commonly seen around the Arctic Circle in the autumn and winter months; hence the need to travel to North Norway at that time of year.’
Dr John Mason MBE, South Downs - Planetarium

For the best chance to see this beautiful light show, experts recommend spending as much time as possible above the Arctic Circle, far away from towns and other sources of artificial light.

From your Hurtigruten ship you will see houses on the shore glowing in the dark, becoming tiny harbours as you call to pick up passengers. The snow-clad mountains reflect the polar twilight, with shades of gold, pink and blue, and also the elusive dancing light of the Aurora Borealis itself.

You can never tell when the Northern Lights will appear and disappear but sailing with Hurtigruten above the Arctic Circle between November and March on our exciting range of Northern Lights voyages gives you a very good chance. Not only that, but if requested, passengers on board can be alerted should the Northern Lights appear at any time of day or night!