Seeing the northern lights by public transport

By the Viamo editorial team · Editor Terje Moy · Last updated July 2026 · 6 min read

You don't need a hire car to chase the northern lights — Tromsø in Norway, Abisko in Swedish Lapland and Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland are all reachable by public transport, and each has a genuinely realistic case for seeing the aurora without ever getting behind the wheel on an icy Arctic road. What matters more than the mode of transport is getting the season and the basic conditions right, since no form of transport can improve your odds against cloud cover or the wrong time of the lunar cycle.

The season and the basics that matter more than transport

The aurora is visible from around late August through to early April in the far north, when the sky is dark enough for long enough hours; the summer midnight sun period effectively rules it out entirely regardless of solar activity. Within that season, a clear, dark sky matters more than almost anything else — cloud cover ruins the view regardless of how strong the aurora activity is, which is why multi-night stays in an aurora destination improve your odds considerably more than a single overnight stop. A darker sky away from town light pollution also helps noticeably, and a period around the new moon gives a better contrast for fainter displays than a night with a bright full moon washing out the sky. None of this is something transport choice affects, but it shapes how many nights you should realistically plan for.

Tromsø, Norway: reachable by train and bus, or a short flight

Tromsø itself doesn't have a direct rail connection — Norway's northernmost mainline stops considerably further south — so most visitors fly in, but once there, the city and its surroundings are genuinely workable by public transport for aurora viewing. Local buses run out to some of the darker spots away from the city's own light pollution, and organised aurora-chasing minibus tours, which don't require you to drive yourself on unfamiliar icy roads at night, are widely available and a sensible alternative to a self-drive hunt for anyone not confident with winter driving conditions. Tromsø's position well inside the aurora oval, combined with genuinely good transport and tour infrastructure built specifically around aurora season, makes it one of the more accessible northern lights destinations overall despite the lack of a direct train link. If you're continuing north or west along the coast afterwards, our guide to the Hurtigruten coastal voyage and ferries to the Lofoten Islands both cover onward options that don't require a hire car either.

Abisko, Sweden: the train-accessible classic

Abisko is one of the most rail-accessible aurora destinations anywhere in the Arctic, sitting directly on the line linking Stockholm to Kiruna, Sweden's overnight sleeper route north, with Abisko itself just a further short hop beyond Kiruna. The region has a strong reputation for relatively clear skies compared with more coastal Arctic locations, since Abisko sits in something of a rain shadow created by nearby mountains, which gives it genuinely better odds of a clear night than several other well-known aurora spots. The Aurora Sky Station, reached from the village by chairlift, is a well-known local viewing point, and the whole trip can be done without a car from Stockholm by taking the overnight train north. See our Stockholm to Kiruna route guide for the journey itself, and our wider Sweden by train guide for how this route fits into the country's rail network as a whole.

Rovaniemi and Finnish Lapland: overnight train from Helsinki

Rovaniemi is reached from Helsinki by the overnight Santa Claus Express sleeper train, a genuinely comfortable way to cover the long distance north while you sleep, arriving with a full day ahead of you rather than losing a day to travel. From Rovaniemi, local buses and organised tours reach the darker surrounding countryside where aurora viewing away from town lights is considerably better than from the town centre itself. Finnish Lapland's flat, open landscape in many areas gives wide, unobstructed horizons that work well for aurora viewing once you're away from town light. See our Helsinki to Rovaniemi route guide for the sleeper train in detail.

Getting away from town light without a car

In all three destinations, organised minibus or coach aurora tours are the standard way for public-transport travellers to reach genuinely dark sky away from town, typically departing in the evening and returning late at night or in the small hours, with a guide who has some sense of where recent activity and clear patches have been reported. These tours aren't a guarantee of a sighting — nothing is — but they solve the practical problem of reaching a dark, open location safely on winter roads without driving yourself, which is a real consideration in these regions given ice, extreme cold and, in some areas, genuinely long distances between settlements.

Combining destinations without flying between them

Norway, Sweden and Finland's northern regions aren't directly linked by a simple rail route to each other across the top of Scandinavia, so a trip combining more than one of these destinations in one visit generally involves flying between countries or a considerably longer overland connection through the south. For a single-country trip, though, all three work well as a self-contained rail-and-bus itinerary from that country's capital. Our Scandinavia overland guide covers the wider picture of linking the Nordic capitals and the Arctic north by train and ferry if a longer, multi-country trip is the goal.

What to pack and expect

Arctic winter cold at these latitudes is genuinely severe, and standing outside for an hour or more waiting for the aurora requires proper layered clothing, insulated boots and warm accessories well beyond what a milder-climate winter coat provides — this matters more for comfort and safety than almost anything else about the trip. Trains and buses in all three countries run reliably through winter as a matter of course, since this is entirely normal seasonal operation for them, but delays from severe weather do happen occasionally and are worth allowing a little buffer for around any tight onward connection, particularly a flight home.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the northern lights without renting a car?

Yes — Tromsø, Abisko and Rovaniemi are all reachable by public transport, and organised minibus aurora tours handle the trip out to darker viewing spots away from town light, removing the need to drive yourself on winter roads at night.

Which is easier to reach by train, Abisko or Rovaniemi?

Both are reached by overnight sleeper train from their respective capitals — Abisko via the Stockholm–Kiruna line, Rovaniemi via Helsinki's Santa Claus Express — making both genuinely straightforward without flying or driving.

How many nights should I plan for a realistic chance of seeing the aurora?

Three or four nights in a genuine aurora-viewing region gives considerably better odds than a single night, since clear skies and aurora activity both vary night to night and can't be guaranteed on any specific date.

Does the moon phase matter for aurora viewing?

Yes, to an extent — a period around the new moon gives darker skies and better contrast for fainter displays, while a bright full moon can wash out a weaker aurora, though a strong display remains visible regardless of moon phase.