Move over, midnight sun. Unpredictable, elusive and yet ever-so-enchanting, the Northern Lights — or Norðurljós, as they were known to the Vikings — have long surprised and delighted viewers with dazzling displays of green, purple, blue and occasionally scarlet across dark skies. Part of the allure is that you’re never guaranteed to spot them, but visiting in the midst of, and the year after, a ‘solar maximum’ — the peak of the sun’s cycle when the lights are visible from further away (occurring this winter and throughout 2025) — greatly increases your chances of a sighting. Solar cycles last for just over a decade, so, in non-scientific terms, aurora-chasers should make for Norway without delay to catch the solar activity at its strongest.
In preparation for the hunt, I downloaded several aurora-forecasting apps and set various alarms to wake me up should the lights appear during my long-weekend stay in Ålesund, part of a wider two-week trip around Norway. I soon learnt that venturing into the snowy surrounds between twilight and midnight to check the skies at regular intervals is a far better bet than relying on my phone’s predictions. As a bonus, reducing screen time before bed isn’t just great for calming a busy brain, it also allows your eyes to adjust to the dark, and in doing so become sharper aurora sentinels. Admittedly, I’m not a natural night owl, and the beds at Hotel Brosundet are so cloud-like that I’m worried I’ll be too comfortably swaddled in Scandi linens — especially when I can also hear the soporific sound of Norwegian Sea waves gently lapping at the coast — to arise when needed.
Staying in one of the waterfront suites in these cleverly converted fish-packing warehouses puts you in the heart of Ålesund’s harbour, right at the entrance to the spectacular Geirangerfjord. The multi-talented Flakk family who own Hotel Brosundet, and my next home-from-home here, Storfjord Hotel, are also behind 62° Nord — expert curators of experiential, emission-free adventures in Norway. Among the eco-friendly, fjord-focused tours, more intrepid Northern Lights hunters can join an expedition to Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago drifting between mainland Norway and the North Pole, where polar bears and reindeer roam the frozen tundra, the aurora are abundantly ablaze above kilometre-thick glaciers, and you’ll be sheltered from the elements in an outpost so remote it’s only accessible by snowmobile or dog-sled.
Despite the dwindling daylight hours, there are plenty of ways to pass the time while waiting for the lights to appear at both Hotel Brosundet and Storfjord. I reserve one of Brosundet’s two outdoor bath tubs for an impressively bubbly afternoon soak, followed by bracing dips in the storm-whipped sea from the hotel’s pontoon as a bemused group of Norwegians look on from the fjord-facing sauna. Apparently, bathing during an amber weather warning means that I must be descended from Vikings. Storfjord’s hot tubs are cradled within the jagged Sunnmøre Alps and snow-dusted pine forests, with a glass-fronted relaxation room where I watch the snow fall and intricate ice crystals slowly decorate the window. These quiet moments feel all the more cocooning after fully embracing friluftsliv, the Norwegian concept of spending time outdoors to boost your spiritual wellbeing, on a solo hike up Haugtua (the mountain overlooked by my adorably named ‘hedgehog’ suite at Storfjord).
The cold not only drains my camera batteries (aurora photographers, be warned), but also gives me the appetite of a pre-hibernating bear. Beside Storfjord’s roaring fire, I am plied with birch-infused G&Ts, homemade honeybread, cured reindeer from Jotunheimen and caramel-apple cakes topped with almond ice-cream. At Sjøbua, Brosundet’s candlelit seafood restaurant, my waterfront table welcomes elegant plates of Arctic char, the catch-of-the-day accompanied by buttery potatoes, and aquavit-marinated cloudberries encased within wafer-thin krumkake (Norwegian waffle-cookies). From Brosundet’s locally fished surf to the freshly foraged turf produced by Storfjord’s farming friends, seasonal ingredients are cherished and championed at each dining experience.
I spend a slow, final morning at Storfjord unwinding from the comfort of my four-poster bed beside a glowing in-suite fireplace, gazing out across the snow-blanketed treeline. The stormy skies over the last few days sadly meant that aurora-chasing wasn’t on the cards — clear nights are a key ingredient in the pursuit of Northern Lights, after all. Suddenly, a flash of red against the all-white backdrop catches my eye. Quickly layering up and scrambling for my snowboots (aurora hunters would also be well advised to keep warm clothing within easy reach), I follow what appear to be fox tracks around the back of the wooden cabins until they vanish into the forest. Another disappearing act, I thought, as I trudged back towards the flickering firelight in my room. But any disappointment at not witnessing the Northern Lights this weekend — or the fox, for that matter — soon disappears at the sight of the hotel’s twinkling, towering Christmas tree, which is clothed in a fresh coat of powdery snow.
I leave Storfjord satisfied with my early white Christmas, and a week later I’m on the plane home, reading a local handbook on the Northern Lights, having since been treated to several green and purple sightings in the Lofoten Islands (the aurora oval lies directly above this remote archipelago). They appeared just after sunset, quite unexpectedly, above my red rorbu, the traditional fisherman’s cabin I called home for a few nights, and again the next evening on a midnight drive into the mountains to chase green ribbons and violet streaks over snow-capped peaks. One of the Sámi legends about the lights tells of a magical fox running across the Arctic fells, sending sparks flying into the sky as its tail sweeps over the snow. I can’t help but wonder if my Storfjord fox was leading me further north towards them — but with or without an animal spirit guide, there’s no time like the present to follow the aurora trail to Norway.
Ready to go off-grid? See more of our remote camps, cabins and lodges all over the world
Images provided by author Chloe Frost-Smith