Norway in Winter

Penn,

A slightly different suggestion. Have you considered going to the Ice Hotel in Sweden? I know several people who have been and really enjoyed the experience. They have other activities in the area (e.g. dog sledding, snow mobiling, etc.). You don't have to stay in the ice hotel every night. My friends have spent one night in the ice hotel and the other nights in regular accommodations.

I have not been to Norway in the winter, but I did live in Sweden. You are correct that it is quite dark. In the winter, most of the activities in Scandinavia will be either at the ski resorts or in the cities. If you went to Stockholm, you could take the ferry to Helsinki or Tallinn. However, winter is not really the time to visit the fjords of Norway.

Hi Laura

Thanks for the information. Actually, I had not thought of the ice palace. I need to check out the reviews for it. I'm not terribly keen on going North of the Arctic Circle in winter, but the family keeps insisting and won't let me forget it! I'm just worried that if we go there and the sky is cloudy and we don't get to see any Northern Lights, the family is going to be disappointed and it would be nice if there were other things to do that will keep us occupied.

Penn

This is what I learned in Alaska about seeing the Northern Lights, and the same thing probably applies in Norway- be flexible. The Lights appear on their own schedule, not yours. You can take steps to maximize your chances, but there are no guarantees. You need to be at the right latitude at the right time with the right weather conditions. The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a forecast website that shows the probability of seeing the Lights at a given latitude for the next week, or so. I don't remember if this forecast covers Europe, but there may be a similar website for Scandinavia. On a night with the highest probability, dress warmly and find a place with good views of the horizon and away from the ambient light of cities. Keep you eye on the skies and wait. It may take several attempts before you see them, but they are quite amazing, and in my opinion, worth the effort.

Here's the website I referenced. You can toggle the map to show the forecast for northern Europe:

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

Hi Tom

Thanks for the feedback. My family and I were in Fairbanks in August last year, and the visit to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Museum is what got my family thinking about going to Norway. Thank you for the website address, we'll definitely check it out.

Penn