1.Iceland
Even without the northern lights, Iceland is an otherworldly place to visit, with glaciers, geysers, massive waterfalls, and volcanoes. Both the latitude and longitude of the country favor aurora viewing, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. However, a good coastline road around the country lets you chase clear skies.
2.Fairbanks, Alaska
Located just two degrees below the Arctic near international airport and close to the impressive Denali National Park, Fairbanks is the best place in the U.S. to take in the northern lights. It even has its own forecast system and offers tours to take visitors far from city lights.
3.Yellowknife, Canada
This Northwest Territories capital on the shores of Great Slave Lake boasts its own Aurora Village and special activities for northern lights tourism.
Canada is an aurora viewing paradise, thanks to its northern latitude and low light pollution; elsewhere in the country, Wood Buffalo and Jasper National Park are popular viewing spots.
4.Tromsø, Norway
The largest urban area in northern Norway is 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle, but thanks to the Gulf Stream the coastline has surprisingly moderate temperatures. It also has beautiful scenery, magnificent fjords, and the Lyngen Alps.
5.Northern Sweden and Finland
Sweden’s northernmost town of Kiruna is a gateway for nearby attractions. There is the ICEHOTEL, mountainous Abisko National Park, the local Sami culture, and plentiful reindeer. A short drive from the town takes you to a good spot for aurora viewing. The weather here is much more stable than the Norwegian coast, but it’s colder too.
6.Greenland
t’s possible to be too far north to see the northern lights—such is the case in northern Greenland. But head farther south for beautiful auroras and attractions like Qaleraliq Glacier, which has small floating icebergs even in summer.
7.Tasmania and New Zealand
You hear about northern lights more often than southern lights (aurora australis) because there are fewer locations to see auroras from the Southern Hemisphere. Your best chance is on the southern tip of both Tasmania (Australia) and New Zealand, where a dark sky will help you see any active auroras over the southern horizon. These are the closest accessible places to the south magnetic pole, outside of Antarctica.
