Here at Best Served Scandinavia we our passionate on everything Scandinavia. We have expertise in Scandinavian Northern Lights holidays through our industry experience and our blend of Scandinavian travel consultants.
All our Scandinavia Northern Lights holidays can be tailored to deliver the precise mix of destinations and experiences required. So have a look at the below Scandinavia Northern Lights holiday offers and itineraries for a starting point then contact us and tell us what you want to do, so we can start to design that Northern Lights experience for you.
There are a multitude of great vantage points to watch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in Scandinavia. Lake Myvatn, Kangerlussuaq, Reykjavik, Vatnajökull,Alta, Tromso and many more. Whatever your choice we will offer the best advice to ensure you get a chance to view one of most beautiful spectacle in the world. Remember as well as viewing this spectacle you can always package it up with snowmobiling, archipelago tours, super jeep safaris, cross country skiing, sightseeing and city breaks
Scandinavia Northern Lights – The stories behind the Northern Lights
The same extreme reaches of northern Europe that provide endless days of sunshine in summer promise something completely different in the winter months: the Aurora Borealis (‘dawning of the north‘) or Northern Lights – shimmering dancing lights that sweep their way across the skies.
The Sami people believed the Northern Lights was a celestial god, and to this day, many a local will not dare to attract them by waving or whistling. Nordic fishermen believed them to be caused by sunlight reflecting off large shoals of herring and saw them as a symbol of a good catch. To the Inuit of the lower Yukon River, they were dancing souls in the endless flickering sky. The Vikings saw them as reflections from the armour of the Valkyries, maidens who took dead warriors to Valhalla (Heaven). More tragically perhaps, many of Greenland‘s Inuits viewed the lights as children who had died at birth.
Scandinavia Northern Lights – The facts
The scientific facts are impressive: during storms and flares on the surface of the sun, huge quantities of particles are thrown deep into space. We know them as solar winds. When the particles collide with the gasses in the earth‘s atmosphere, they glow, producing a fantastic array of dancing colours. Subsquently the dancing eggects is caused by the interaction of the earth‘s magnetic field with these encroaching solar winds.
Scandinavia Northern Lights – The display
Auroras are predominantly a green, but if conditions are right, occurrences can light up the skies with displays of red, blue, yellow and violet, with occasional tinges of pink or white. The different elements of the Northern Lights produce different colours, blue for nitrogen, for example, and yellow-green for oxygen.
Viewing the Northern Lights
For many, the principal reason for heading north in winter is to see the Northern Lights. Their appearance, however, can neither be predicted nor guaranteed, though you can improve your chances. Generally speaking, The Northern Lights the further north you go, the more likely you are to see them, with trips inside the Arctic Circle giving you the best odds. The swirling apparitions are at their most frequent between November and March, with the optimum time of day being between 6 pm and 2 am. Even then, you best hope for a clear night, as clouds can also obscure your view.
Our best advice is to try and be patient and to stay in a known Aurora area for as long as possible. To get the most from the show, also try and avoid the full moon (we have a lunar calendar to assist you) or areas with artificial light. City lights, for example, can lessen the intensity of the spectacle, though that hasn‘t stopped revellers in Norway‘s Tromsø from gazing up in awe as they make their way between the city‘s bars and restaurants.
Northern Lights Video (all rights go to National Geographic)
Greenland Northern Lights Holidays
Our top Greenland Northern Lights Holidays
The below itineraries show a sample of Greenland Northern Lights Holidays. If nothing takes your fancy then please call one of Scandinavian experts on 020 7838 5956
Greenland Northern Lights Holidays from £1630.00 per person
Tour destination: Greenland
6 nights
The location approx 160 kilometres from the coast makes Kangerlussuaq one of the most weather stable destinations in Greenland - and with around 300 days a year under clear skies makes Kangerlussuaq one of the best destinations in the world to experience the Northern Lights. A visit to Kangerlussuaq is almost like a travel in time - the visitor finds himself surround..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays
Our top Iceland Northern Lights Holidays
The below itineraries show a sample of Iceland Northern Lights Holidays. If nothing takes your fancy then please call one of Scandinavian experts on 020 7838 5956
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £925.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
4 nights
Lake Myvatn is one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). It is also an area of outstanding natural beauty where you can discover the wonders of the Icelandic winter landscape.
During this break you can relax and watch some of the natural wonders or spend a few days enjoying activities such a..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £620.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
3 nights
Escape to Iceland for a romantic getaway! Stay in a luxurious countryside hotel and sip champagne in a hot tub (hopefully) under the Northern Lights.
Iceland has the perfect setting for a romantic break; log cabin hotels in the countryside, hot tubs, Northern Lights and natural wonders. On arrival to the airport you’ll pick u..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £785.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
3 nights
Celebrate New Year in Reykjavik, Iceland’s cool capital!
On New Year’s Eve in Reykjavik, Iceland sees what is probably one of the biggest firework displays in the whole world. Every family buys lots of fireworks and the whole evening becomes one big display lighting up the Iceland sky. You will also enjoy a sumptuous Ga..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £455.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
3 nights
Reykjavik skyline is a colorful mix of red and green rooftop houses which nestle along the fjord with a backdrop of majestic mountains.
The Viking Arnason founded the capital in AD874 and named it Reykjavik, meaning ’Smoky Bay’ after seeing the steam rising from the hot springs. Reykjavik is home to more than a dozen mu..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £870.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
4 nights
The Northern Lights are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and beautiful of nature’s phenomena. And what better place to view these eerie, silent displays of dancing electrons than on Europe’s largest ice cap, the mesmerising Vatnajökull Glacier in southeast Iceland? Your holiday starts with a night in Reykjavik before you fly to Höfn, a picturesque ..
Iceland Northern Lights Holidays from £805.00 per person
Tour destination: Iceland
4 nights
If sitting in a geothermal hot tub watching the Northern Lights sounds like a heavenly way to kick off your honeymoon or romantic getaway then you should check yourself in to the Hotel Glymur, a wonderfully tranquil boutique hotel set high on a hill above Hvalfjordur (Icelandic for ‘whale fjord’). Though just 45 minutes from Reykjavik, it’s glorious..
Norway Northern Lights Holidays
Our top Norway Northern Lights Holidays
The below itineraries show a sample of Norway Northern Lights Holidays. If nothing takes your fancy then please call one of Scandinavian experts on 020 7838 5956
Norwegian Lapland – or Finnmark as it is also known, is the home to Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, formerly known as Alta Igloo Hotel. Every year the fantastic hotel is built from a scratch with impressive design and exquisite work of ice art offering visitors a truly memorable experience. This year will be its 11th winter.
Alta – the town of the Northern Lights – is a natural destination to see this spectacular sight and perfect starting point for an arctic adventure. Alta earned its name as a town of the Northern Lights after the world’s first observatory was built there at the end of the 19th century. Today Alta has lost none of its appeal as a ‘Northern Light..
Tromso is situated right in the centre of the Northern Lights zone and is, therefore, among the best places on earth to observe this natural phenomenon. In order to see the lights, it must be dark and clear which is the main reason that we do not see them between May and August. The best time to look for them is between 6pm and 2am. Some visitors prefer to see the pe..
Experience the unspoilt wilderness and stunning scenery of the Arctic in Kirkenes. Catch king crabs, drive your own husky team, take a snowmobile safari on the top of the fells and finish off the Arctic Experience in a cool and exotic way: staying in Kirkenes Snow Hotel!
Kirkenes is located in Northern Norway close to the Finnish a..
Experience the unspoilt wilderness and stunning scenery of the Arctic in Kirkenes. Catch king crabs, drive your own husky team, take a snowmobile safari on the top of the fells and finish off the holiday in a cool and exotic way: staying in Kirkenes Snow Hotel!
Kirkenes is located in Northern Norway close to the Finnish and Russian..
Hurtigruten ships have been an integral part of Norwegian coastal life for more than 100 years, delivering freight, post and passengers to remote communities between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north. They’re informal, adventurous journeys, calling at ports inaccessible to other cruise ships. This Arctic adventure begins at the same latitude as Sibe..
Special Departure - 17 and 23 February 2013 for 5 days/4 nights
In her hit programme Joanna Lumley first saw the northern lights in the Lofoten Islands and National Geographic rated them in the top 3 of ‘most appealing islands in the world’. This special trip focuses on the northern lights, culture, history and nature ..
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Here at Best Served Scandinavia we our passionate on everything Scandinavia. We have expertise in Scandinavian Northern Lights holidays through our industry experience and our blend of Scandinavian travel consultants.
