For people around the world, seeing the Aurora Borealis – better known as the Northern Lights – is high on many a travel bucket list.
Typically visible in regions near the Earth’s poles, the spectacular phenomenon occurs when electrically charged particles from the Sun reach Earth and interact with its magnetic field and atmosphere, creating vivid ribbons of green, red, blue and purple light across the night sky.
Do you have the Northern Lights on your travel bucket list? Here’s some of the top trips and experiences to book in 2026 and 2027.
Best places and time to see the Northern Lights
While you can see “the world’s greatest light show” in both polar regions, the viewing is “better in the northern hemisphere”, said Bucket List Travels. In the so-called “Aurora Belt”, it appears with the “most intense light and greatest colour variations”.
Top destinations to see the Northern Lights include Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Alaska and the Yukon in Canada.
It’s well known that the Aurora Borealis is an “elusive spectacle” and “sightings can’t be guaranteed”, said Exodus Adventure Travels. However, during prime weather conditions, you are “more likely to catch a glimpse” between the months of September and March when the skies are at their darkest.
Spectacular hotel stays
Hotel Rangá in south Iceland is a popular place to stay for guests seeking to see the Northern Lights or to go stargazing, due to its own advanced on-site observatory and remote location. By turning off the external lights, the hotel provides “optimal conditions to view the night sky” and travellers can also relax in geothermal hot tubs while starbathing.
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, a wilderness retreat in Finland, offers “infinite stars” with guests sleeping under the Northern Lights in its iconic glass igloos.
Another property to offer “sky views from the comfort of your bed” is Aurora Village Ivalo in Finnish Lapland, which has a range of igloo cabins available.
The Santa Claus Express, Finland
Autumn and late winter are the best times to spot the Northern Lights, and if you’re lucky you could combine seeing them during certain journeys on the Santa Claus Express in Finland.
One of the most magical rail journeys in Europe, this Finnish overnight sleeper train takes travellers from Helsinki and Turku all the way north into the Arctic Circle to Rovaniemi, through frozen lakes and snow-dusted woods.
Horse riding on the Northern Lights Trail in Iceland
Horse riding holiday company Saddle Travel has a four-day trip on the “Northern Lights Trail” in Iceland. Starting from £1,179 (€1,375) per person, guests can spend around four hours per day for three days riding Icelandic horses on volcanic mountain slopes, before relaxing in thermal swimming pools and watching snow fall from the outdoor hot tub in a cosy winter wonderland.
Yukon’s Aurora360 experience: Fly through the Northern Lights
One of the world’s rarest Northern Lights experiences is returning to the Yukon, with an exclusive Aurora360 flight taking to the skies in February 2027. It offers travellers the opportunity to witness the Aurora Borealis from 30,000 feet aboard a private Air North charter aircraft.
Unlike traditional Northern Lights holidays, the Aurora360 flight lifts guests above cloud cover, dramatically increasing the chances of witnessing the dancing lights in all their brilliance. With every passenger guaranteed a window seat, the flight provides an unrivalled perspective of the aurora.
Canada As You Like It offers a seven-night Yukon’s Northern Lights Resort & Spa Aurora360 holiday from £7,735 (€9,021) per person, including return international flights, two nights in Vancouver, four nights at Northern Lights Resort & Spa, one night in Whitehorse, and an exclusive Air North Aurora360 flight.
Reykjavík and the Northern Lights, Iceland
Travellers on this five-day trip with Newmarket Holidays can explore Iceland’s capital Reykjavík before heading out of the city to search for the Aurora Borealis. There’s also the option of a dip in the mineral-rich warm waters of the Blue Lagoon, and a Golden Circle tour to see Þingvellir, the dramatic open expanse where Iceland’s ancient assemblies came to set the laws of the land.
Available from October 2026 to March 2028, it costs from £1,056 (€1,231) per person and includes return flights from various airports in the UK.
Havila Voyages’s Northern Lights ‘promise’
Norway-based cruise operator Havila Voyages is so confident that passengers will see the Northern Lights on its sailings that it’s made this promise: “If the lights don’t show up, your next voyage is on us – free of charge.”
For passengers that book on a 12-day round voyage between 1 October and 31 March, Havila Voyages promises that the magical Aurora Borealis will “make an appearance”. However, “if nature plays shy” and the lights “don’t grace the skies”, passengers will receive a complimentary six-or seven-day voyage, Havila Voyages said.
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