12 best northern lights cruises for a spectacular adventure (2024)

No photograph or television documentary can prepare you for seeing the northern lights in real life. They are one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena and cruises, which sail beneath the aurora oval, provide some of the best chances of spotting the aurora borealis in all their glory. The best time for sightings is from September through to April in Norway, Greenland and Iceland. You can keep cosy in panoramic observation lounges before going out on deck if the lights make an appearance. Additionally, shore tours seek out the best potential viewing spots based on meteorological forecasts. Here’s our pick of the best northern lights cruises.

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1. Princess Cruises

Choose how you hunt for the northern lights this 13-night trip to and from Southampton on the 3,140-passenger Caribbean Princess. On the overnight in Alta you can head to the Paeskatun centre, set at the top of a slate quarry, with sweeping views over the dark winter sky, Here you can watch a film presentation on the myths, history and science behind the lights and warm up in cosy cottages with hot drinks and cakes. The alternative viewing spot is a longer trip to a camp site to look for Mother Nature’s marvel.

Best suited to six months+
Price ££
Family-friendly Y

2. Ambassador Cruise Line

One of the latest cruise lines to launch sailings to seek out the aurora is Ambassador. It’s the first British cruise line to do so in more than a decade and has convenient, value-for-money, round-trip voyages from Tilbury, Bristol, Newcastle and Dundee. These include a 14-night sailing on its recently launched second ship, the 1,200-passenger Ambition. Highlights include visits to former Viking strongholds Haugesund and Trondheim, and Arctic Circle calls in Alta, Narvik and Bodo.

Best suited to 50+
Price £
Family-friendly N

3. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Create a very personal souvenir as you go in search of the northern lights with an art session on Bolette and Borealis; watercolour classes to help you capture the awe-inspiring night-time display are held aboard both ships in the Olsen Art Studio. You can book a nine-night sailing on Balmoral out of Newcastle — a shorter than typical trip due to the closer proximity of the departure point to Norway. Depending on where you live, there are also convenient sailings with longer voyages from Southampton, Portsmouth and Newcastle.

Best suited to 50+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

4. P&O Cruises

Sailing to and from Southampton, P&O runs dedicated northern lights cruises on its adult-only ship Aurora. During these 12-night sailings you’ll sail along the dramatic coast of Norway to the fringes of the Arctic Circle and also visit the country’s beautiful fjords, including 550m-deep Romsdalsfjord. On a shore tour in Alta you’ll meet a northern lights expert who monitors the skies and aurora borealis forecast beforehand to help pick the best location for the day.

Best suited to 21+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

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5. Cunard

Search for the northern lights in style aboard Cunard’s stylish Queen Anne, the line’s first new ship in 12 years. The 12-night, round-trip Southampton sailing includes several days at sea to explore the 3,000-passenger vessel and indulge in the signature afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters. You’ll visit Narvik, one of the world’s most northerly towns, where a ride on the cable car is the best way to experience breathtaking views over the fjords and Arctic landscape. Sailings from Southampton are also available on Cunard’s ocean liner and flagship Queen Mary 2.

Best suited to 12+
Price £££
Family-friendly Y

6. Hurtigruten

Although sightings of the northern lights can never be 100 per cent guaranteed, Norwegian cruise specialist Hurtigruten is so confident you’ll see them that it has a “Northern Lights Promise” on selected sailings — if the lights don’t put on a show, you’ll enjoy a future Classic Voyage sailing free of charge. Dedicated trips in search of the aurora borealis include a 13-night round-trip expedition cruise from Amsterdam on MS Maud. It features a day on Senja, one of the most ruggedly beautiful and lesser-visited Norwegian islands.

Best suited to 14+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

7. Viking

As well as the chance to view the northern lights, Viking’s sailings offer exciting excursions to experience local culture and traditions. The adult-only line, which has its roots in Norway, has a reputation for creating curated and insightful tours. On the 12-night northern lights itinerary aboard Viking Venus from London Tilbury to Bergen, or in reverse, these include Polar Park, the world’s northernmost wildlife park. Here, you’ll meet wolves on an extraordinary tour led by a wildlife biologist. Other activities include a snowshoe hike above Bergen and learning the winter sport of curling.

Best suited to 21+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

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8. Havila Voyages

The new kid on the block along the Norwegian coast is Havila Voyages, which has a fleet of four eco-friendly ships that launched in 2022. The line has a variety of options to sail part or all of the way along the classic route from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, with the round trip taking 11 nights. Observation lounges have glass roofs and reclining chairs to view the Arctic sky and you can push a button on the cabin telephone to be woken up in the night if the lights appear. It also has a northern lights promise — if the phenomenon doesn’t appear during a 12-day sailing, passengers get a free week-long voyage.

Best suited to 14+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

havilavoyages.com

9. Saga

Cross the Arctic Circle on a 15-night itinerary available on Saga’s two 999-passenger ships, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery. Cruises sail to and from Portsmouth and to increase your odds of seeing the light show there’s an overnight stay in Tromso, where you can visit the Polar Museum or embark on an exhilarating husky or reindeer sledding ride. You’ll be joined by experts from the conservation charity Orca who will be out on deck to host seabird and wildlife spotting sessions.

Best suited to 50+
Price ££
Family-friendly N

10. Quark Expeditions

Explore Iceland and Greenland, two of the last unspoilt wilderness areas on the planet, with Quark Expeditions. Sailing round-trip from Reykjavik on the 128-passenger ice-class ship Ocean Adventurer, the 13-night Under the Northern Lights: Exploring Iceland & East Greenland itinerary takes in Iceland’s mountainous Westfjords and Greenland’s rugged and isolated northeast coast, home to the largest fjord system in the world. The ship sails to Ittoqqortoormiit, the most remote inhabited community in the western hemisphere, where polar bears are frequently sighted and there’s a good chance of seeing the northern lights.

Best suited to 21+
Price £££
Family-friendly N

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11. Aurora Expeditions

Embark on an epic sailing in 2024 aboard the 132-passenger Greg Mortimer, the first expedition cruise vessel to feature a striking inverted bow design for smoother sailing. Aurora Expedition’s 19-night Northern Lights Explorer sailing from Kirkenes to Reykjavik will hug coastlines in the Arctic Circle and explore far-flung islands and villages. Highlights include a visit to Unesco-listed Vega Island, a centre for the production of duck eiderdown, and a planned landing at Jan Mayen where the Beerenberg volcano is the world’s northernmost active volcano, last erupting in 1985.

Best suited to 21+
Price £££
Family-friendly N

12. Ponant

In 2024 luxury line Ponant features its first-ever winter cruise holidays in Norway. On the ten-night Nordic Discoveries & Traditions itinerary you’ll sail to and from Tromso on the elegant 184-passenger Le Bellot or Le Champlain. Timed to coincide with the best chance of viewing the northern lights, the cruise will also have an accent on the region’s cultural traditions, with shore tours to meet the indigenous Sami people, who have been reindeer herders since the 17th century, and the chance to try your hand at dog sledding, ice fishing and snowshoeing.

Best suited to 21+
Price £££
Family-friendly N

• Best northern lights tours: Iceland, Lapland and Canada

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Inspired to book a Northern Lights cruise? Here are the best cruising options with Fred Olsen and Cruise 118.

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