Europe Travel: Best Places To See The Northern Lights

Everyone would have heard of the elusive Northern Lights that lit up the sky during winter nights in the Arctic regions. Well, if you know then you really don’t want to miss the sight of the mysterious natural wonder. It has attracted the attention of the humans across the globe for more than a thousand years and still, people go out to see these mysterious lights on the move. It has never been easy to chase these lights. Even after advancing in travel and technology, it is quite difficult to chase the Northern Lights.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are also known as Aurora Borealis. These lights occur when the solar particles collide with Earth’s atmospheric gases and the magnetic line wrapped around the Earth. When these solar waves or particles collide with earth, it produces a neon light that sometimes lasts for a few minutes or for a few days.

These lights can be seen on both the hemisphere of the Earth. These are visible on both Northern and Southern hemisphere as the collision takes place both sides. In the northern hemisphere, they’re known as “Aurora Borealis” or “Northern Lights”. In the southern hemisphere, they are “Aurora Australia” or “Southern Lights”.

This natural phenomenon only occurs in some region of the Northern Hemisphere.

Best Places To See The Northern Lights-

The best time is during the winters. It is cold and dark outside so the lights shine much brighter than usual. If you go out when there is clear sky then you will see lights with an amazing view but if the sky is not clear then the clouds will become an obstruction in the view and you won’t be able to see the lights clearly. So in the nights during winter, there are pretty good chances that you can see Aurora yourself.

Tips for Aurora Spotting –

• Don’t wait for Aurora in the city as the pollution and buildings may obstruct the view. Go to the forest or mountains where you can get natural and pollution free environment to see the Aurora without anything in your way.
• To see Aurora or Northern Lights, you must go to the Northern Hemisphere during winters and clear nights.
• Photographing the Aurora can be a little bit tricky so to avoid any kind of misleading, do a research before and check out A Globe Well Traveller’s guide as well.

Where can you find the Northern Lights?

Here are the best places to see the Northern Lights around the world.

• Alaska, USA

The cold weather, clear skies and dark night will give you a great experience for watching Aurora. You can also gaze to the Northern Lights just by sitting into the hot springs without going into the wildlife.

• Northern Canada

Northern Canada often observes the Aurora regularly at its northernmost territories.

• Iceland

Iceland has so many natural wonders such as volcanic landscapes, geothermal hot springs, and majestic waterfalls. From here you can easily witness the Northern Lights in a scenic view.

• Norway

Norway is known for its fishing villages, gaping fjords, and expansive nature. It is a hotspot for tourists and there you can comfortably watch the Aurora.

• Finland

A place in Finland is known for the Northern Lights. Lapland is a place in the Northern province of Finland where you can easily find Aurora over the snowy terrain.

• Russia

Well, a large are of Russia falls under the Arctic Circle and in that region, there are regular witnesses of Aurora. So, Russia is a gold mine for Aurora spotting.

• Sweden

Other regions like Canada and Russia are pretty cold for observing Aurora but in Sweden, the temperature is moderate so you can watch the Northern Lights freely without getting any cold.

• Greenland

Here you can find both the Aurora and the icebergs. You can see both the natural wonders everywhere.