Northern lights: boat or bus

Is it better to see the northern lights by boat or by bus?

By boat for comfort and scenery, by bus for range. A boat stays in the fjords; a minibus can drive further when cloud sits on the coast.

On a cruise, the boat is your shelter. You sit in a warm lounge and step out when the guide calls, and the fjord and the mountains frame every photo. On a chase, the bus is only the ride. You spend most of the night outside, in a thermal suit, at a spot your guide has picked from the forecast.

Our view: if the forecast for the Tromsø fjords looks reasonable, take the boat. If cloud is stuck over the coast for days, the bus earns its extra hours.

What is a northern lights cruise like?

A calm evening on a heated boat, 2 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours, with a guide watching the sky and an open deck for when the lights show.

You meet at a quay in the centre, board, and sail out of the town glow towards the fjord with the best forecast. The guide talks about the aurora while you wait, inside with a coffee. When the green lady appears, everyone heads to the deck. Afterwards you warm up, look through your photos and are back in town around midnight.

The second chance cruise adds a free retry if you see nothing. The evening cruise keeps the deck open for 3 hours 30 minutes and offers a discounted second tour.

A warm catamaran lounge, a guide who calls you out on deck, and a free second cruise if the sky stays cloudy.

★ 4.3 · 2 hours 30 minutes · from $127

Explore the northern lights cruise with a free second chance → Tour details

What is a northern lights minibus chase like?

A 6-hour night out by road. Your guide reads the forecasts, drives to the clearest sky, lights a bonfire and takes your portrait under the lights.

The minibus chase starts outside The Dock Hotel at Skansegata 7 with an honest briefing on the night's conditions. Then the guide drives wherever the weather looks best. You get a thermal suit, hot chocolate by the fire, professional photos and portraits, and a drop-off at your hotel. The operator says the tour runs even in bad weather, for guests who only have one night.

It is rated 4.8 from more than 7,000 reviews, the most of anything we list. It does not suit children under 10, and the length depends on how far the lights make you drive.

Which is warmer, a boat or a bus tour?

The boat. You wait in a heated lounge and only go outside when there is something to see. On a chase you spend most of the night outdoors.

Coastal Northern Norway usually sits between plus 5 C and minus 5 C in winter, Visit Norway says, and the wind makes it feel much colder. On a boat that wind is real, so dress for the deck. The difference is that you can walk back inside whenever you like.

On a chase, a thermal suit and a fire do the work. It suits people who like being out in the snow for hours. For families with small children, a cruise is the easier night.

What about the northern lights train from Narvik?

It is a rail trip, not a cruise: 3 hours on the Ofoten Railway to Katterat, a mountain station with no road, for a campfire and hot drinks under a very dark sky.

The Narvik northern lights train leaves Narvik station and climbs the line that runs from the port towards the Swedish border. Katterat sits 373 m above sea level, with no road access, so there is almost no artificial light. You gather around a campfire with a lavvu for shelter, your host serves hot drinks and a snack, and tells the story of the railway.

Thermal suits are not included, so dress for standing still in the snow. It does not suit children under 7 or wheelchair users. With 120 reviews it is a smaller listing, and a lovely one if you are based in Narvik.

The Ofoten Railway to a mountain station with no road, a campfire, a lavvu and hot drinks under one of the darkest skies around Narvik.

★ 4.2 · 3 hours · from $168

Explore the Narvik northern lights train → Tour details

What if it is cloudy on the night of my tour?

Clouds hide the lights, which happen above them. Boats move to clearer fjords, buses drive further, and some cruises give you a second try.

• Second chance cruise: a free second trip on the next available chase.
• Evening cruise: a discounted second tour on a night with free places; on hopeless nights the crew ask you to move your date.
• Yacht cruise: dinner and the hot tub happen either way.
• Minibus chase: runs in bad weather and drives to the best gap it can find.

Every option cancels free up to 24 hours before. Check yr.no for cloud and the NOAA aurora forecast on the day, then keep or move your booking.

Can you do both a cruise and a chase?

Yes, and with three nights or more it is our favourite plan: a cruise on the first good evening, a chase if the coast clouds over.

A cruise and a chase feel nothing alike. One is the fjord at night from a warm boat, with the lights over the water. The other is snow, a fire and a portrait in a thermal suit. Doing both doubles your chances and gives you two different memories.

Book the cruise first, because the second chance offer works best with spare evenings after it. Leave a night free, then add the chase when you see the forecast. Days are good for whales: the whale watching cruise sails from Tromsø in the winter daylight.

Frequently asked questions