The most popular destinations to see the Northern Lights this year

If you want to see the Northern Lights in action, we have good news for you: 2024 is recognized as one of the best years to do so. With this in mind, the Expedia team has prepared a comprehensive report on the best places to see the magnificent northern lights - and this year they promise that you will be able to see them more often.

However, there is one country that tops the top three - Finland. The Lapland region is on the first place, and the regional capital Rovaniemi is on the third place (with Canada's Churchill in the middle)," writes the Metro website.

While Lapland's holiday appeal may be enough to tempt you to a pre-Christmas or post-Christmas visit, a much more affordable time to travel is October, when average daily hotel rates are almost half of those in December, January and February - according to Expedia.

However, another country dominates the rest of the ranking, and that's Norway, with Narvik in fourth place, Kirkenes in fifth, and Tromso in tenth.

In 2023, the number of searches for Tromso increased by 40% after a notable increase in 2022, and by 360% compared to 2021, indicating a growing interest in this aurora viewing destination. The best time to see the northern lights in Tromso is from late August to mid-April.

So it's perhaps no surprise that April is the best month for a budget vacation, with hotels averaging around £116, a £63 per night drop from January.

However, other new Norwegian destinations include Alta, Narvik and Kirkenes, where prices have increased by more than 60%. Since they are not major players in the Northern Lights world, you can expect significantly lower prices as a result. The ninth position was taken by the Scottish island of Skye.

The best destinations to see the Northern Lights in 2024 according to Expedia

Lapland, Finland

Churchill, Canada

Rovaniemi, Finland

Narvik, Norway

Kirkenes, Norway

Kalfafell, Iceland

Inari, Finland

Abisko, Sweden

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Tromso, Norway

Package offers for tourists

Another way to save money on your trip is to book a package deal. Below, we've rounded up the best ones for the regions mentioned. The best Northern Lights packages and activities deals for booking through Expedia

Tromso, Norway

You can spend a week at The Clarion Hotel The Edge, Tromso for £1,233 including flights from Gatwick between October 14 and 21, 2024. Add to that a husky adventure and dog sledding for £131 per person.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks, which is the main meeting point for the Northern Lights, has seen a 125% increase in hotel bookings.

Book a seven-night package to Chena Hot Springs Resort departing from Heathrow for £3,055. Add to that a visit to the Aurora Ice Museum for £25 per person.

Isle of Skye, United Kingdom

For those hoping to see the northern lights a little closer to home, the Isle of Skye is worth a trip. The number of hotel searchers on the island has increased by 60% compared to last year, and booking flights on Sunday instead of Friday can save an average of 21% on domestic flights.