Hurtigruten Northern Lights
Norwegian Coastal Voyages offer a wonderful way to experience Norway's northern landscapes in winter, with the added possibility of seeing the Northern Lights from the ship. As you travel north of the Arctic Circle, the long winter nights create more opportunities to look skyward for the aurora, while the ship takes you through snow-covered mountains, fjords, islands and remote coastal communities.
Hurtigruten has sailed Norway's coast since 1893, and the Coastal Express continues to operate year-round. Winter brings a very different atmosphere to the journey, with the landscape often covered in snow and the northern sky providing a spectacular backdrop.
Seeing the Northern Lights is never guaranteed, but travelling along the Norwegian coast gives you many opportunities to look for them. Away from the artificial lights of larger towns, the ship can provide excellent conditions for watching the night sky, particularly when sailing through northern Norway.
Photo: Hurtigruten, Stian Klo
Hurtigruten's Northern Lights Promise
Hurtigruten offers a Northern Lights Promise on qualifying voyages. If the Northern Lights do not occur within sight of the ship during a qualifying voyage of 11 days or more, Hurtigruten will invite eligible guests back on a complimentary six-day voyage.
The current promise applies to qualifying departures between 20 September and 31 March, subject to Hurtigruten's terms and conditions.
A Northern Lights occurrence is defined by Hurtigruten as a sighting from the ship that is recorded by the ship's deck officers and announced to passengers on board. The decision as to whether a Northern Lights occurrence has taken place rests with Hurtigruten.
The promise is designed to give travellers additional confidence when planning a winter voyage, but the Northern Lights remain a natural phenomenon and their appearance, strength and duration cannot be predicted.
Why winter is a great time for the Norwegian coast
Winter transforms the Norwegian coastline. Snow-covered mountains rise above dark fjords, fishing villages glow against the Arctic night and the shorter days create an atmospheric backdrop for exploring northern Norway.
The further north you travel, the more time you have under dark skies. Tromsø, Honningsvåg and Kirkenes are all located well within the Arctic region, and the Coastal Express travels beyond the Arctic Circle on its journey north.
Winter also brings opportunities to experience Norway beyond the Northern Lights. Depending on your itinerary and the excursions available, you can try activities such as dog sledding, snowshoeing, winter hiking and other Arctic experiences.
For more inspiration, explore our Northern Lights Voyages, including journeys that combine coastal sailing with carefully selected experiences on land.
Special Astronomy Voyages
For travellers who want to learn more about the night sky as well as search for the aurora, Hurtigruten's and Havila's respective Astronomy Voyages offer a particularly immersive experience.
The current 12-day Astronomy Voyage travels from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, with an Astronomer accompanying the voyage. The programme includes a special lecture series, guided tours of the night sky from the ship's deck and an exclusive visit to the Northern Lights Planetarium in Tromsø.
The Astronomy Voyage currently operates between September and March and includes 11 nights on the Coastal Express, full-board dining, the Astronomer-led programme and the Northern Lights Planetarium visit.
The voyage is particularly suited to travellers who are fascinated by astronomy and want to understand more about the aurora while travelling through the landscapes where it can appear.
Northern Lights experiences along the coast
A Coastal Express voyage gives you the freedom to spend time looking for the Northern Lights from the ship while also exploring the destinations along the route.
The current excursion programme changes according to season and voyage. Winter options can include outdoor adventures such as dog sledding and other Arctic activities, while cultural excursions provide opportunities to explore the communities and landscapes along the coast.
Hurtigruten currently offers more than 70 optional excursions across the Coastal Express programme, with activities varying by season and destination.
The most important part of planning a Northern Lights voyage is allowing yourself enough time. Weather and cloud cover can change quickly, and there is no way to know in advance which night will produce the best display.
Northern Lights from the ship
One of the pleasures of travelling by ship is that you can continue looking for the aurora while you travel.
On clear nights, head outside to one of the ship's decks or observation areas. Wrap up warmly, take a hot drink and give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. The ship's Expedition Team can also provide information and guiding throughout the voyage.
The Northern Lights may appear for only a few minutes or can remain visible for much longer. They can be faint or spectacularly bright, and sometimes they may be visible to the naked eye but difficult to photograph.
For photography enthusiasts, a tripod and camera with manual settings can help you capture the aurora. A smartphone can also produce surprisingly good results with the right settings and a steady hand.
Combine your coastal voyage with a Norwegian holiday
Your coastal voyage doesn't have to be the whole of your Norwegian holiday. We can combine time on the ship with stays in Bergen, Oslo, Tromsø, Lofoten and other destinations, along with scenic rail journeys and carefully selected experiences.
Our Norwegian Coastal Voyages combined with land packages make it easy to experience more of Norway before or after your time at sea.
For Northern Lights travellers, combining a coastal voyage with several nights on land can also give you more opportunities to experience the Arctic. Our Destination Specialists can help you decide how much time to spend on the coast and where to add land-based experiences.
When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights season in northern Norway generally runs from autumn through to spring, when the hours of darkness provide the conditions needed to see the aurora.
Hurtigruten's current Northern Lights Promise covers qualifying departures from 20 September to 31 March. Outside those dates, you may still experience spectacular autumn or spring landscapes, but there are fewer hours of darkness in which to see the aurora.
Winter is particularly appealing because the combination of snow-covered landscapes, Arctic darkness and the possibility of the Northern Lights creates an experience that is distinctly northern Norway.
Explore our Northern Lights Voyages for more ideas, or talk to our Destination Specialists about choosing the right season and voyage.
For more travel inspiration and advice, read our Norwegian Coastal Voyages articles.