Best Northern Lights Tours in Tromsø

Our ship stayed overnight in Tromsø, so we booked the unlimited chase. Clouds over town, so our guide drove us almost to the Finnish border. Worth every mile.

We were on a Northern Lights cruise and had two evenings in port. The first night the captain announced cloud and drizzle, and half the ship gave up. We had booked the small-group minibus anyway, and our guide spent the first hour on his phone checking cloud maps before heading inland. Around eleven the sky opened above a frozen lake and the lights went from a faint grey arch to green curtains moving right over our heads. Hot chocolate, a bonfire, and portraits that look like they were made in a studio. We were back at the Scandic by half past two and walked to the ship in five minutes. Bring proper boots, the suits do not cover your feet.

The reindeer camp was perfect for our timing, the ship sailed at midnight and we were back in town by 10:30 as promised. Feeding the reindeer was a highlight and the stew was delicious. Only four stars because the sky stayed cloudy the whole evening, and the camp cannot go anywhere else. We knew that when we booked.

Twenty minutes in a minibus, a quiet beach on a fjord, and the whole sky went green. My wife cried. I may have too.

We picked the family-run tour because the ship excursion was sold out, and I am glad it was. Our guide grew up just outside Tromsø and told stories about her grandmother hiding from the lights as a child. Homemade cake at midnight, a light meal that warmed us up, and they dropped us right at the taxi rank so we could get back to Breivika. Photos arrived the next morning, before we had even left port.

Three nights in Tromsø between two cruises. We took the big bus on the first night, saw nothing but cloud, and rejoined for free on the third. That night was incredible. For the price, I cannot fault it.

The electric boat suited us because my husband uses a wheelchair and the crew made boarding easy. Warm lounges, a good soup, and when the aurora appeared everyone went out on deck. It was not the strongest show, but seeing the lights over the fjord with Tromsø glowing behind us was special.

Great guide and real effort to find a clear sky. We drove a long way, almost three hours each way, which I did not fully expect. If your ship leaves early the next morning, you will be tired. The lights were worth it, though.

I was worried about the cold, coming from Arizona. The thermal suit plus my own layers kept me warm for nearly two hours outside. The hot dogs by the fire tasted better than any dinner on the ship.

We booked through this site rather than the ship because the ship's aurora coach cost more and took a bigger group. Our ship was in port until 2 am, so we chose the five-hour chase from the Scandic, which is a few steps from where we docked. The guide was honest from the start: patchy cloud, moderate activity, and a plan to head east. We found a clear pocket by a frozen river and had about forty minutes of soft green bands, with one burst of pink that the camera caught far better than our eyes. We were back with an hour to spare. Exactly what we hoped for.

The most-reviewed tour for a reason. Orange jackets outside The Dock, easy to find, new minibus, and a guide who kept us laughing while we waited.

Our cruise had a long evening call in Tromsø, so the reindeer camp was the safe choice. The lavvu with the fire inside, the joik song, the stories about herding, all very moving. And at 9 pm the lights appeared over the camp, faint at first and then quite bright. Lucky us.

Lovely tour and the photos were superb. My only advice: there are no toilets out there, they really mean it. Go before you leave town, especially if you have had a few cups of tea on the ship.

My parents do not speak much English, so we chose the bus with the audio guide in Chinese. They understood everything about how the aurora works, and the toilet on board made the long night much easier for them.

Our second attempt. The night before, on a ship excursion, we saw nothing. This time our guide checked the cameras, crossed into Finland, and we stood under a full corona with the lights spinning straight above us. Bring your passport, nobody checked it, but we were glad to have it.

Small group, warm suits, a guide who loved her job. Not a single dull moment, even in the two hours before the lights showed up.

The boat cruise was comfortable and an easy walk from our ship. We did see the lights, but quite faintly, and the crew said a bus tour inland might have done better that night because of the clouds over the coast. Still a lovely evening with the Arctic Cathedral lit up on the way back.

Booked the unlimited chase on our overnight call and it was the highlight of a two-week cruise. Our guide talked us through camera settings, lent us a tripod, and still took better photos of us than we managed ourselves. Back at the ship around 3 am, frozen, happy and already planning to come back.