Northern lights tours from Tromsø, side by side

It depends on how you want to spend the night. A big bus is the simplest and usually the cheapest option, with a toilet on board. A minibus chase is more flexible and often drives far inland or across the border to find a clear sky. A premium small group keeps the van to a handful of guests. Boats and camp dinners are shorter and calmer evenings where the lights are a bonus rather than the goal. Our comparison page sets the three chase formats side by side.

No. The aurora is a natural phenomenon and no operator can promise it. What differs is what happens on a night without lights: some tours let you come back for free, one refunds the ticket if the camera captures nothing, some give a discount on a new trip, and many offer nothing at all. Check this rule before booking — it is listed for every chase tour on our comparison page.

A camera collects light for several seconds and sees green where your eyes see a pale grey or whitish glow. On a strong night the colours are clearly visible to the naked eye; on a weak night the aurora may only really show up on the screen. That is normal, not a trick — but it is worth knowing before you judge a tour by its photos.

Chases leave in the evening and last most of the night, so you are usually back in town well after midnight. Tours that drive into Finland or Sweden can return much later, and the listings rarely state a fixed return time. Plan the next morning accordingly.

On chases that may cross into Finland or Sweden, several operators ask you to bring your passport or ID card. Boats and camp dinners stay close to Tromsø; for bus tours, check the listing.

On most minibus chases, yes. Not on every tour, though: the Chasing Lights big bus and the six-seat AdventuresGuide tour do not include them, so you need your own warm winter clothing. The product card of each tour lists what is included.

Most tours here can be cancelled free of charge up to a day before the start. One exception stands out: the Greenlander small-group tour is non-refundable and cannot be changed. The cancellation column in the table shows the rule for each tour.

From early autumn to early spring, when the nights are dark enough. In the weeks of the polar night around the turn of the year the sun does not rise at all, which gives long dark hours — but a clear sky matters far more than the date.