In the Northern Hemisphere, the auroral zone runs along the northern coast of Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the southern tip of Greenland and northern Canada and Alaska. Auroras are visible south of the zone, but they are less likely to occur the farther away you go.

Despite being located some 300 km north of the Arctic Circle, the Gulf Stream makes Tromsø in Norway a relatively warm setting to watch the Northern Lights. You’ll still need to layer up as you explore this stunning part of the world.

Go on a polar fjord cruise during the day and catch your own lunch. By night, venture out of the city, take a sled ride, and cuddle with huskies while waiting for the Northern Lights to show.

It’s almost unfair how beautiful Iceland is!

How can anyone compete with glaciers, waterfalls, and the Northern Lights? And of course, Iceland’s many thermal pools – this is life! Whether you prefer to relax or go on an adventure around the Golden Circle, your day is guaranteed to be memorable.

One of the best ways to watch the Aurora in Iceland is to hop on a boat and set sail from Reykjavik harbor. If you’d rather stay on dry land, head to the black sand beach of Vík and watch the night sky light up.

Sweden is made for those who are chasing the Northern Lights around Europe. Abisko National Park, in Swedish Lapland, offers some of the best conditions in the world for northern lights watching (amongst wild reindeer!). The unique climate of the area means the skies are almost completely clear, and the light pollution is next to nothing. Here you will find the Aurora Sky Station nestled in the Kiruna Mountains where you have a very high likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights dance in green over your head (even without traveling far away from your hotel). And if you’re lucky you will get to witness them take on colours ranging through purple, blue, yellow or even red.

When you’re not watching Aurora, head south and take part in traditional winter activities near Stockholm, including skating on frozen rivers, nordic skiing, and snowshoeing.

There’s hardly anywhere as remote as Greenland, and the lack of light pollution means the Aurora really dances across the sky here. Greenland is widely considered one of the best destinations in the world to see the northern lights – in part because it has one of the longest possible windows to see the aurora!

When in Greenland, travel to Ilulissat, home to a UNESCO World Heritage ice fjord and catch the Northern Lights in a truly spectacular setting. Even in Nuuk, Greenland’s tiny capital, you can watch the Aurora in the city center. Not even the street lamps can drown out the magic here.

When you aren’t chasing the Lights, take a boat trip into the Nuuk Fjords, visit the local Inuit Goddess (a brass statue of Sedna, the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology), and of course try traditional Greenlandic food.