This guide is built from our own winters in the Arctic and from the live Legendary Adventure tour pages in Tromsø — prices, pickup times and what is included come straight from the operator, never invented.

Before Pickup: The Afternoon Matters

The chase starts earlier than the pickup time. Eat lightly in the afternoon, because the tour includes a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks and you do not want to arrive full. Charge your phone and any camera batteries; cold drains them quickly. Wear your warm base layers under your normal clothes, since the tour provides a winter suit that goes on over them.

It also helps to go in knowing what a chase is. The guides plan the route around the weather forecast and their knowledge of the area, and it can take you inland or along the coast. The aim is to find clear sky, not to stand in one place and hope. That is the main reason a small-group tour beats waiting in town, where light pollution and cloud often beat you.

If you have not yet picked a tour, our do you need a tour for the northern lights guide gives the honest answer.

The Pickup: 19:00 Outside Clarion Hotel The Edge

The Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 meets outside Clarion Hotel The Edge, where you look for a black Mercedes. Pickup is at 19:00, or 18:30 from 25 October, so check your confirmation for the exact time on your date. The hotel is in the centre of Tromsø by the waterfront and is walkable from most central hotels.

Be on the pavement five minutes early. The group is small, two to eight guests, so you will be introduced quickly and the guide will sort your seating. If you want a private evening with your own pickup place, the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at NOK 15,000 per group lets you choose the pickup at checkout.

The Winter Suit and Getting Warm

Early in the evening the guide will hand out winter suits, included in the price. They are thick overalls designed for standing still in the cold, which is the situation that makes people shiver: you are not walking, you are watching the sky. Put the suit on over your clothes, add your own hat, gloves and warm boots, and you are ready.

Do not skip your own layers. The suit is not a replacement for warm socks and gloves. Our what to wear in Tromsø guide gives a layer-by-layer list for the aurora evening.

The Drive: Where the Chase Actually Goes

For the first part of the evening you are in the vehicle, and this is where the experience separates itself from a simple viewpoint trip. The guides watch the weather and decide where to go: inland, towards the coast, or further afield if the sky near Tromsø is cloudy. A premium Mercedes-Benz vehicle makes the drive comfortable, and the guides use the time to share stories about the region, including Sámi folklore and the traditions tied to the lights.

Expect some of the evening to be driving. That is not wasted time: it is what a chase means. Our guide to a cloudy Tromsø chase explains why guides sometimes drive far to find clear sky.

The Stops: Standing, Waiting, Watching

When the guides find a good spot, you step out. This is the waiting part, and it is calmer and quieter than people expect. The lights may appear as a faint grey arc that your eye barely notices and a camera exaggerates, or they may suddenly move and brighten. You cannot know in advance, and nobody honest can promise them.

Plan to spend time standing in the cold, with breaks in the vehicle. The included snacks and hot drinks make the waiting pleasant, and a warm meal is part of the evening. If you want to photograph the sky, our phone and camera settings guide covers what works.

The Meal and the Warm-Up

The tour includes a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks, so you do not need to bring dinner. The meal is usually the moment the whole group settles in, swaps stories and warms up before the next stretch. If you have dietary needs, tell Legendary Adventure when you book rather than on the night.

Bring a small flask of something you like if you want, but the hot drinks are covered. The point of the meal is simple: a chase is a long evening, and eating well keeps your mood up if the lights are slow.

The Ride Home and How Late It Gets

The tour lasts 5 to 8 hours, which is a wide range, and it is wide because it depends on the sky. If the lights are strong early, you may return sooner; if the guides keep searching, you may return late. Plan for a night, not an evening: do not book an early flight the next morning, and try not to schedule a 10:00 tour on the same day if you can avoid it.

If you are weighing how many nights to dedicate to the lights, our one or two tours in two nights piece helps you decide.

Common First-Timer Worries, Answered

First-timers tend to ask the same handful of questions, and it is worth answering them before the night so they do not distract you from the sky. The first is whether the lights will look like the photos. Honestly, usually not quite: cameras gather light over several seconds and show colours that your eye often sees as a pale green or grey. On strong nights the lights move and are vivid to the naked eye, but be prepared for a subtler version.

The second is whether you will be bored while waiting. A chase includes driving, stops, a meal and stories from the guide, so it is a full evening, not a long stare at the sky. The third is the cold. With the winter suit, your own layers and the hot drinks, most guests are comfortable, but bring warm gloves and a hat, because hands and ears are the first to suffer.

The last is whether you will be disappointed if there is nothing. Nobody can promise the lights, so the best frame of mind is to treat the evening as a night out in the Arctic with a chance of something special. People who go in with that attitude enjoy it, whatever the sky does.

Shared Tour or Private? A First-Timer's Decision

First-timers often wonder whether to spend more on a private tour. The shared Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 costs NOK 2,300 per person for groups of 2 to 8 guests, which is already a small group, and it includes the winter suit, a meal, snacks and hot drinks. For most couples and solo travellers it is the sensible choice.

The Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 costs NOK 15,000 per group of up to eight, takes all ages, and lets you choose the pickup location. It makes sense for families with young children, for larger groups who would otherwise be split across vehicles, and for anyone who values a flexible pace. For eight people, it works out at less per person than the shared tour.

If you are still deciding, our couples and honeymoon guide compares the shared and private chase for two. Whatever you pick, book for your second or third night, not the first or last.

How to Book With the Hungrytravelfamily Discount

Open the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 booking page, pick a date, and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field at checkout for 5% off. The discount works when you book on Legendary Adventure’s own booking page. Book for your second or third night in Tromsø so you have a spare evening if the weather turns.

We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a commission; it never changes your price. For the full list of tours, see our Tromsø activities guide.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

A first chase is more about patience than you expect, and the evening is better when you know that going in. Dress warmly, eat lightly, expect some driving and some waiting, and treat the lights as a bonus on top of a good night out in the Arctic.

Book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø northern-lights picks

Tap a tour to see live dates and prices. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field at checkout for 5% off.

Small group · 5-8 HoursNorthern Lights TourFrom NOK 2 300 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Small group · 4 HoursAurora Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 1 500 per personBook with 5% off →Small group · 5-6 HoursSommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord TourFrom NOK 2 100 per personBook with 5% off →

Code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 works on every Legendary Adventure tour booked online. We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission — it never changes your price.