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The best northern lights cruises for 2025 and 2026

Simon Calder’s Travel

Seeing the northern lights is a bucket list experience for many travellers and a cruise can be a great way to experience the atmospheric phenomenon.

Famously, orchestrating a glimpse of the elusive celestial ballet requires that a lot of factors fall into place. Clear viewing conditions, a great vantage point and a lot of patience are a must to watch the lights dance at their most visible between September and April.

To maximise your chances of a rare northern lights sighting, you’ll need to head for locations with the latitude to host nature’s best performance, and chances of a successful sighting soar on the remote Arctic region.

Forget shivering on city-side snowscapes as you are ferried to and from by coach, and instead float far from light pollution on a cruise, gliding past giant ice cubes on luxury vessels beneath the dramatic backdrop of the aurora borealis.

There may even be expert astronomers and photographers onboard to help spot and explain the solar-powered magnetic storms and some cruise lines also offer a money-back guarantee if there are no sightings on your sailing.

With cruises bound for Norway, Iceland, Canada and Greenland chasing the cosmic wisps of purple and green, here’s our guide to the sailings primed for illuminated skies.

Saga: Norway and the Northern Lights

Portsmouth – Alesund – Trondheim -Tromso – Honningsvag – Alta- Bergen – Flam – Portsmouth

Spirit of Discovery provides a perfect vantage point to see the northern lights

Spirit of Discovery provides a perfect vantage point to see the northern lights (Saga)

Departing from Portsmouth, this 16-night sailing aboard Saga’s Spirit of Discovery includes overnight stays in Tromso in the Aurora Belt, boosting your chances of seeing the northern lights.

The over-50s holiday brand includes four excursions in its cruise fares when visiting Tromso, Honningsvåg, Alta and Bergen. Cruisers can dine for free in all restaurants onboard, even the specialty ones and can enjoy premium drinks and afternoon tea at no extra cost.

There will also be representatives from conservation charity Orca onboard who will help spot marine life during the sailing.

Departs 24 February 2025. From £4,699 per person.

Read more: The best Disney cruise ships and holiday packages

P&O Cruises: Norway

Southampton – Andalsnes – Romsdalsfjord – Tromso – Alta – Stavanger – Southampton

Aurora is a regular visitor to Stavanger, Norway

Aurora is a regular…

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