A Scandinavian Travelogue to see the Aurora Borealis

[PeterRS]

I know the Aurora can now be seen in quite a number of countries at certain times of year and certain weather conditions. Back in 2014 it seemed the only guaranteed location was northern Scandinavia, a part of the world I knew little about. So I planned a 10 day trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland in late November, both to see lots of sights but particularly the Aurora.

I started off in the lovely city of Bergen

I was here for just one day before an evening boarding the daily ferry service that runs up and down the Norwegian coast.

I spent 4 days on the ferry visiting a lot of coastal towns and with wonderful scenery in the fjords

But it was cloudy every day and so no Northern Lights. I got off past the Arctic Circle at the lovely town of Tromso. This was my little hotel

Overnight it had snowed and the town was almost obliterated in white

From Tromso I flew in a rather roundabout way to the town of Ivalo beyond the Arctic Circle in Finland. I was staying at a lovely little lodge about 40 kms away and virtually miles from anywhere, although it was close to the Russian border. On my first night there were only two other guests - a couple from Hong Kong! This was the lodge at night

With the sun being so low in the sky, walking around there were wondeful views. And the sunsets were spectacular

 

There for four nights, the cloudy weather continued and there was little chance of seeing any sign of the Aurora, apart from a hint of it on the first night. But on the final day when I had almost given up hope the sun came out into an almost cloudless sky. We were told by the lodge staff we would definitely have a light show that night. Parked on a frozen lake in -25 degrees C tripods at the ready, I waited with a young Irish couple. Then around 10:30pm what we had all come to see started - a spectacular light show that was to last almost two and a half hours. I had read all about having to adjust ASA settings and the time for exposures, but when I looked at the photos on my camera screen they seemed not to work well. So I abandoned the advice and just busked it.

 

I had to return to Bangkok through Stockholm which is a lovely city. If you visit, you have to go to the Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged in 1961 and moved to its permanent Museum in 1988. It's absolutely stunning and has been seen by over 45 million visitors.

And of course you might see a troll or two!

Like my trip to South America, this was purely for sightseeing. I was in too many places to consider checking any of the apps or finding a gay pub. And the staff on the ship all seemed to be almost as old as me!! I thoroughly recommend a similar trip, although I'd probably start from Oslo with what seems to be an amazing train trip to Bergen.

[Screamaloud]

@PeterRS this is a great trip report. 

I'm thinking of doing something similar and in early planning stages. What was the ferry like, in terms of it being for overnight trips etc? I’m wondering what accommodations there are on board, food options etc. 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, Screamaloud said:

@PeterRS this is a great trip report. 

I'm thinking of doing something similar and in early planning stages. What was the ferry like, in terms of it being for overnight trips etc? I’m wondering what accommodations there are on board, food options etc. 

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The ferry accommodation depends on price. I paid for the smallest cabin and that's what i got - 

The bathroom was at the left. For one person it was perfectly fine for 4 nights. Some might find it too cramped. As for food, the ferry fare offered breakfast plus one meal. I don't know why I chose dinner. Were I to do the trip again, I'd choose lunch and then have dinner in the rather nice coffee shop. Reindeer meat was popular which was not really to my taste. But there were options. I should add that there was a great deal of public space and louges on the ferry.

If you are not a good sleeper, be prepared for the ferry to dock sometimes in the middle of the night. It does after all service the entire Norwegian coast. I don't sleep well and used ear plugs to ensure I was not wakened.

Rooms in the cheaper hotels I stayed in, while perfectly good, were also on the small side. One nice thing about the Viking Hotel in Tromso was it served free pancakes mix with various jams in the late afternoon. Free tea and coffee service all day.

I was rather stupid in making my flight arrangements. I had a mileage ticket from BKK to Bergen but could only get one back from Stockholm. I also assumed that I'd have to fly from Helsini to Ivalo since it's an internal destination. I therefore took flights Tromso to Oslo, changed to Stockholm, overnighted at a lovely hotel by the station (walking distance to the Arlanda Express to the airport) and then  on to Helsinki where again I overnighted as i wanted the first of the two daily flights to Ivalo. Had I just been a bit more diligent, I would have found there was a daily flight from Tromso to Ivalo!! On my return I stayed for two more nights at the Stockholm hotel.

The Noregian hotels had small but comfortable and well furnished rooms. The Lodge near Ivalo had very large rooms with lovely log fires and large bathrooms.

It's important before you start working on dates that you check for the most ikely time the Aurora Borealis will be seen. The darkest months from September to April seem the most ideal. To be safe, I'd shorten this to October to February.

Lastly, remember that you are unlikely to get good photos from the ferry. It is in constant motion and you will need some short time exposure on your camera.

[PeterRS]

I should have added that the Lodge at Ivalo did provide three meals daily and organised a number of activities like sled riding with huskies. There were almost no other guests there during my saty - just two on the first night and the two more on the last two nights

[TheBossBabyback]

On 6/10/2025 at 10:25 PM, PeterRS said:

I know the Aurora can now be seen in quite a number of countries at certain times of year and certain weather conditions. Back in 2014 it seemed the only guaranteed location was northern Scandinavia, a part of the world I knew little about. So I planned a 10 day trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland in late November, both to see lots of sights but particularly the Aurora.

I started off in the lovely city of Bergen

I was here for just one day before an evening boarding the daily ferry service that runs up and down the Norwegian coast.

I spent 4 days on the ferry visiting a lot of coastal towns and with wonderful scenery in the fjords

But it was cloudy every day and so no Northern Lights. I got off past the Arctic Circle at the lovely town of Tromso. This was my little hotel

Overnight it had snowed and the town was almost obliterated in white

From Tromso I flew in a rather roundabout way to the town of Ivalo beyond the Arctic Circle in Finland. I was staying at a lovely little lodge about 40 kms away and virtually miles from anywhere, although it was close to the Russian border. On my first night there were only two other guests - a couple from Hong Kong! This was the lodge at night

With the sun being so low in the sky, walking around there were wondeful views. And the sunsets were spectacular

 

There for four nights, the cloudy weather continued and there was little chance of seeing any sign of the Aurora, apart from a hint of it on the first night. But on the final day when I had almost given up hope the sun came out into an almost cloudless sky. We were told by the lodge staff we would definitely have a light show that night. Parked on a frozen lake in -25 degrees C tripods at the ready, I waited with a young Irish couple. Then around 10:30pm what we had all come to see started - a spectacular light show that was to last almost two and a half hours. I had read all about having to adjust ASA settings and the time for exposures, but when I looked at the photos on my camera screen they seemed not to work well. So I abandoned the advice and just busked it.

 

I had to return to Bangkok through Stockholm which is a lovely city. If you visit, you have to go to the Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged in 1961 and moved to its permanent Museum in 1988. It's absolutely stunning and has been seen by over 45 million visitors.

And of course you might see a troll or two!

Like my trip to South America, this was purely for sightseeing. I was in too many places to consider checking any of the apps or finding a gay pub. And the staff on the ship all seemed to be almost as old as me!! I thoroughly recommend a similar trip, although I'd probably start from Oslo with what seems to be an amazing train trip to Bergen.

So in short, no Swedish dick to report back on?

[PeterRS]

In short, no! That is not why I was there. Besides there was really no time with all the flying betwen cities and in any case I am only into Asians. But I am sure you will find many guys in Stockholm's gay bars and on the apps.