Northern Lights in Bodø, Norway: When and Where to See Them
Bodø is cool and seriously underrated. It’s also a great base for northern lights.
Aurora in Bodø harbor — Thank you Joshua Kettle for the photo!
Bodø sits right on Norway's coast above the Arctic Circle, which makes it one of the easier places in the country to catch the aurora. It's also the mainland's usual jumping off point for Lofoten, so plenty of travelers end up chasing the lights in both places on the same trip. Follow our guide to see the northern lights in Bodø!
🛌 Where to stay:
• Radisson Blu Hotel Bodø — our go-to. We've stayed here twice and the staff actually remembered us on the second visit and gave us a free upgrade. Ask for a high-floor sea-view room and you might catch the aurora in your slippers
• Thon Hotel Nordlys — set right on the marina with panoramic windows and a breakfast worth waking up for
• Saltstraumen Hotel — cosy cabins and hot saunas next to the world's strongest tidal current. If you want to be away from the city lights, that's a good option
• Wood Hotel Bodø — sustainable, timber-clad boutique right in the heart of Bodø. Sleek and calm, perfect for couples or anyone who wants design without fuss
🇳🇴 Top experiences:
• Northern lights tour from Bodø — Bodø sits right inside the auroral oval, so this is a real option. A local guide takes the forecast stress out of the equation
• Saltstraumen RIB boat tour — 400 million cubic meters of seawater rushing through a narrow strait every six hours, and you zip right through it.
🚗 Heading to Lofoten? Rent your car in Bodø — it's significantly cheaper than picking one up on the islands, and the ferry crossing with your own wheels opens up the whole archipelago
When to see the northern lights in Bodø
Looking for the northern lights in Bodø’s harbor, in October (Pust sauna in the back!)
The season runs roughly from late September to early April, whenever the sky is dark enough for the aurora to show. You can read our guide to the Northern Lights in Norway for more.
A northern lights forecast for Bodø will give you the KP index, but that number only tells you how active the aurora might be, not whether you'll actually see it. Bodø's coastal position means clouds move through fast, so a clear night can turn cloudy within an hour, and a cloudy one can open up just as quickly. Locals and tour guides pay closer attention to the cloud cover forecast than to the KP index, since a strong display behind clouds is still invisible.
Read our guide: Northern Light for Dummies for more about the infamous KP and everything else!
This is also why renting a car matters so much. If the sky over town is socked in, driving twenty minutes inland or along the coast can put you under clear sky while Bodø itself stays covered.
Best spots to see the northern lights in Bodø and around
We drove to clear skies in Lofoten, and we were rewarded! (Haukland beach)
The town itself has too much light pollution, although strong auroras are frequent, visible from the city center. However, Bodø's real advantage is how quickly you can get away from its lights.
Close to town:
Rønvikfjellet and Keiservarden, a short drive or hike up to a plateau with views over the city and the sea. Wide open sky in every direction. We actually included this viewpoint in our guide to the Things to Do in Bodø.
The north side beaches: Ausvika, Geitvågen, Løpsstranden, and Mjelle. All face the water, away from the town's glow. Ausvika even has a set of Northern Lights Chairs set up for exactly this. What a spot!
Worth the drive:
Kjerringøy, the peninsula about 40 minutes north. It’s a solid aurora base once the sun goes down.
Engeløya, in Steigen. Aurora photographers specifically point to the north side of the island for how little light pollution reaches it.
Sandhornøy and Fleinvær, both further out, both genuinely dark.
If you have more time, Bodø is also where most people catch the ferry or a flight to Lofoten, and the aurora hunting there is its own reward. The weather is certainly a challenge, but such a backdrop must be earned! We saw the lights a few time in Lofoten, moving from spot to spot to stay ahead of the clouds. We wrote up that whole experience in our Lofoten Northern Lights Guide, worth a read if you're planning to combine the two.
Northern lights tours in Bodø
If you'd rather not deal with cloud-chasing yourself, a guided minibus tour takes care of that part for you. Guides track the forecast in real time and drive to wherever the sky is clearest that night, often somewhere you wouldn't have thought to go on your own.
You can compared different aurora tours options with reviews here, and we also recommend this northern lights tour, as the guide goes out of his way to find the lights (literally 25+ spots and tours that can last 7 hours!).
Explore northern lights tours and other activities in Bodø:
Tips for chasing the aurora in Bodø
Dress in layers. You'll be standing still outside for long stretches, and it gets cold fast once you stop moving. Read our guide to What to Wear for a Northern Lights Trip.
Bring a headlamp with a red light setting so you don't wreck your night vision or anyone else's. Also useful to adjust your camera’s settings. You’ll find our best tips in our Northern Lights Photography Guide.
Give yourself more than one night if you can. Clear skies aren't guaranteed on any single evening, and that’s especially true in coastal regions.
Check a cloud cover forecast, not just the aurora forecast. In Bodø, the clouds are usually the deciding factor. You’ll find all the information you need in our Northern Lights Hub.
A car gives you the flexibility to move toward a clear sky instead of waiting it out in one spot.
Did you know?
You’d think Norway would be pricey, but Norwegians live and breathe the outdoors — and some brands are actually cheaper here than in southern Europe.
Grab some cheap outdoor gear at Sport Outlet Bodø for your northern lights chase!
Bonus: a few sports stores have second-hand sections where returned jackets and boots go for a fraction of the price.
Pic: I got this awesome wool sweater for less than 30€ in Bodø!
Northern lights hotels in Bodø
The view from our room at the Radisson Blu Bodø
For general options in town, our Bodø Hotels Guide covers the fullrange, including the Radisson Blu (where we stayed a couple of times) and the Wood Hotel (where we want to stay next!), both worth a look.
A few places further out are even better for the northern lights:
Kjerringøy Rorbusenter, traditional rorbu cabins on the Kjerringøy peninsula, about 40 minutes north. Ocean and mountain views right outside the window.
Kjerringøy Bryggehotell, a waterfront hotel a few minutes from the Rorbusenter on the same peninsula, balconies looking out over the harbor.
Steigen Lodge Sjøhytter, sea cabins on Engeløya, the same low-light-pollution stretch aurora photographers already favor. The listing itself is built around watching the lights from there. It doesn’t get dreamier than this…
Arctic Hideaway, on Fleinvær island. Distinctive standalone cabins built specifically to frame the view, aurora included, from the bed.
Følvika Northern Retreat, on Sandhornøy. Glass domes built for exactly this kind of sky-watching, about 1.5 hours from Bodø
Combining your Bodø stay with the Lofoten? Explore our favorite hotels & rorbuer in the Lofoten Islands.
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FAQ: Northern lights in Bodø
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Bodø? Anytime from early September through early April, on a clear, dark night. Cloud cover matters more than anything else, so check that forecast specifically rather than relying on the KP index alone.
How do I check the northern lights forecast for Bodø? Pair a KP-index tracker with a local cloud cover forecast. The KP index tells you how active the aurora is likely to be, the cloud forecast tells you whether you'll actually see it, and in Bodø the second one matters more.
Do I need a car to see the northern lights in Bodø? Not for the close-in spots like Rønvikfjellet or the north side beaches, those are reachable without one. A car helps most when the sky over town is cloudy and you need to drive toward clearer conditions.
Can I see the northern lights in both Bodø and Lofoten on the same trip? Yes, and a lot of people do exactly that, since Bodø is the usual gateway to Lofoten by ferry or short flight. Read about our own experience chasing them in Lofoten if you're weighing the two.
Bodø, and coastal Norway in general, rewards patience more than luck. The lights show up very often during the season. The real skill is being in a dark, clear spot when they do. Stick close to town if you're short on time, get a car and range further out if you're not, and don't rule out visiting Lofoten while you're already up here. Happy aurora chasing!
Finally, explore all our Norway Travel Guides here, and our best tips to see the northern lights in our Northern Lights Hub.
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