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These are the most popular destinations to see the Northern Lights this year

Travel agency Expedia has launched a ‘Northern Lights Insider Guide’, full of tips on where to watch the dazzling display

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Contributing Writer
Northern Lights in Finland
Photograph: Shutterstock
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The Northern Lights are certainly one of the most magical displays our planet has to offer, but the phenomenon is notoriously elusive. 

However, thanks to Expedia, catching a glimpse of the aurora borealis could get a whole lot easier. The online travel agency has launched a ‘Northern Lights Insider Guide’ with a load of tips and tricks on how, where and when is best to watch the display. 

It includes information about the most affordable time of year to visit the Northern Lights (apparently April and November) as well as tips from award-winning photographer Tor-Ivar Næss on how best to capture them on camera. 

Expedia also looked into the destinations seeing an uptick of aurora-hunting travellers to find out the most popular destinations to see the Northern Lights right now. Finnish Lapland came first on their list – it might be famous for being home to Santa, but Lapland is an overall fantastic winter travel destination, with some of the most vibrant aurora borealis displays on earth.

In second place, it’s Churchill in Canada, which saw a massive 140 percent increase in hotel searches in 2023, and Finland also claims third place with Lapland’s capital, Rovaniemi. Finnish Lapland actually claims three spots in the top 10 Northern Lights destinations, tying with Norway

These are the top Northern Lights destinations for 2024, according to Expedia

  1. Lapland, Finland
  2. Churchill, Canada
  3. Rovaniemi, Finland
  4. Narvik, Norway
  5. Kirkenes, Norway
  6. Kálfafell, Iceland
  7. Inari, Finland
  8. Abisko, Sweden
  9. Isle of Skye, Scotland
  10. Tromsø, Norway

We covered the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2023 awards, so you can browse the most amazing snaps right here. Plus, if you’re keen to soak up some more magical displays from the sky, we actually have our very own guide on the best places to go stargazing right here

Did you see that Germany has extended its mega-cheap rail pass?

Plus: you’ll soon have to pay a fee to hike Mount Fuji

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