What to wear on a northern lights tour
Layers for a long night outside, and which tours hand out a thermal suit.
Thermal suit included
Bring your own layers
On a northern lights night you spend long stretches standing still in the snow, often by a fjord or on an open plain, waiting for the sky. That is colder than any winter walk. Most minibus chases hand out thermal suits, but not every tour does, and the suit is a top layer, not a replacement for warm clothes underneath.
Which tours include a thermal suit
“Not stated” means the listing does not mention a thermal suit; assume you need your own warm outer layer. Sorted by number of reviews.
| Photo | Tour | Type | Thermal suit | Duration | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Aurora bus tour with camp Northern Lights Safari Tromso | Big bus | Not stated | About 6 hours | ★ 4.6 (8,567) | €56 per person | Book now |
|
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Minibus chase with pro photos Arctic Breeze AS | Minibus | ✓ Included | About 6 hours | ★ 4.8 (6,892) | €116 per person | Book now |
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Sprinter chase with HD photos NLT Guide Company | Minibus | ✓ Included | About 6 hours | ★ 4.7 (2,768) | €123 per person | Book now |
|
Minibus chase with aurora portrait Amazing Arctic Tours | Minibus | ✓ Included | 6–7 hours | ★ 4.5 (2,327) | €67 per person | Book now |
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Aurora coach tour, free repeats Jeshua As | Big bus | Not stated | About 6 hours | ★ 4.6 (2,172) | €77 per person | Book now |
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Unlimited minibus chase Snow-travels | Minibus | ✓ Included | 5 hours, or 6–8 hours on the unlimited option | ★ 4.9 (1,900) | €168 per person | Book now |
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All-inclusive small-group chase Northern Horizon | Minibus | ✓ Included | About 7 hours | ★ 4.8 (1,775) | €94 per person | Book now |
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Aurora big bus chase Chasing Lights | Big bus | ✕ Not included | ★ 4.9 (1,703) | €114 per person | Book now | |
|
Evening aurora cruise Polar Adventures | Boat | ✓ Included | 3–3.5 hours | ★ 4.4 (1,620) | €111 per person | Book now |
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Minibus chase with campfire Spirit in the sky | Minibus | ✓ Included | About 8 hours | ★ 4.8 (1,580) | €119 per person | Book now |
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4WD small-group adventure Greenlander | Premium small group | Not stated | ★ 5.0 (1,518) | €283 per person | Book now | |
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Minibus chase, warm meal Chasing Lights | Minibus | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (1,409) | €228 per person | Book now | |
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Unlimited chase across borders Arctic GM Experiences AS | Minibus | ✓ Included | 6–10 hours | ★ 4.5 (1,341) | €139 per person | Book now |
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Minibus hunt with soup The Green Adventure | Minibus | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (842) | €180 per person | Book now | |
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Aurora dinner cruise Brim Explorer | Boat | Not stated | About 3 hours | ★ 4.3 (765) | €185 per person | Book now |
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Sprinter chase with homemade cake Arctic Glow AS | Minibus | ✓ Included | About 6 hours | ★ 4.9 (609) | €138 per person | Book now |
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Electric aurora cruise Brim Explorer | Boat | Not stated | 3.5 hours | ★ 4.2 (369) | €120 per person | Book now |
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Sailing yacht with hot tub World Sea Explorers | Boat | Not stated | About 4 hours | ★ 4.8 (137) | €274 per person | Book now |
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Six-seat hunt with photos & video AdventuresGuide | Premium small group | ✕ Not included | About 8 hours | ★ 5.0 (32) | €125 per person | Book now |
Tour prices in this table are per person and update from GetYourGuide and Viator; the booking page shows the final amount for the night you pick.
Dress in layers
Several thin layers keep you warmer than one thick one, and you can take one off in the heated vehicle.
- Base layer: long underwear top and bottom, ideally wool. Avoid cotton next to the skin, because it stays damp and cold.
- Middle layer: a fleece or wool sweater, and warm trousers.
- Outer layer: a windproof, insulated jacket and trousers, or the thermal suit if your tour provides one.
- Feet: warm winter boots with room for thick wool socks. Cold feet are hard to fix once you are standing in the snow.
- Head and hands: a warm hat, a scarf or neck gaiter, and mittens or gloves. Thin liner gloves underneath let you use a phone or camera without freezing your fingers.
Where the thermal suit is not included
On the Chasing Lights big bus and the six-seat AdventuresGuide tour, the listings say there are no thermal suits. Come in full winter clothing there. On boats, the cabin is warm but the aurora is watched from the deck: Polar Adventures includes thermal suits, and on the World Sea Explorers yacht they can be rented. Amazing Arctic Tours lists winter boots, a hat and socks on top of the thermal suit; Northern Horizon includes boots with the suit.
What else to bring
- Snacks and water: long chases do not always stop for food, and not every tour includes a meal.
- A charged phone and a spare battery. Batteries drain much faster in the cold, so keep them in an inside pocket.
- Passport or ID card on any tour that may cross into Finland or Sweden.
- An eye mask or a neck pillow for the late drive back.
- Hand warmers if you get cold easily.
What travellers say about the cold
The practical advice in these reviews matches this page: wrap up warmly, ask for the thermal suit, bring snacks, and expect a late night.
“Spiros was a lovely guide and made multiple stops and made sure to take plenty of photos. We got lucky and saw the lights really quickly! The campfire is a lovely touch. It is a long night so make sure to wrap up warmly (and/ or ask for the thermal suit) and I was glad I brought an eye mask so could sleep on the bus as you may not be back until 3am.”
“Kamil is such an enthusiastic guide … We loved the 5 hour tour because we didn't really have to drive that far and it wasn't so long in the cold, but they do have warm suits in case.”
“We drove the whole night basically, going through 3 countries and he kept checking the weather … But genuinely no toilet breaks, you will have to go in the bushes (Not fun) and no food stops, so bring snacks. We got home at 6am so expect to be home lat[e]”
“The lavvo was exactly as imagined, having to wake up to put wood to keep warm. Fun experience. We managed to see some aurora activity too”
“the car was new and clean. but we did not see the lights so well - maybe for 5 minutes of very weak lights of the entire 7 hour. also no bonfire or hot dog - just some cold bread.”
“I don't get back to my hotel until 4am and found this too long … The fire and hot drinks was nice but the bus was loaded and we had to wait for so long before departure”
Reviews by travellers after their northern lights night, from GetYourGuide.
FAQ
Do northern lights tours in Tromsø provide warm clothes?
Most minibus chases include a thermal suit, some also boots. Not every tour does: the Chasing Lights big bus and the six-seat AdventuresGuide tour do not, and many bus and boat listings do not mention it. Each tour’s listing says whether a suit is included.
What should I wear under a thermal suit?
A wool base layer, a fleece or wool sweater and warm trousers. The thermal suit is the outer layer; it keeps wind and cold out but does not replace warm clothing underneath.
What shoes should I wear?
Warm, waterproof winter boots with room for thick wool socks. You stand in the snow for long periods, and cold feet are hard to warm up again outside.
Is it cold on a northern lights cruise?
The cabin is heated, but you watch the aurora from the open deck, often in wind. Dress as warmly as for a land tour.
Dressed for the night? Choose your tour
Vehicle, group size and cancellation of every tour are in the full comparison.
See the comparison