The Northern Lights: cruises sailing in 2026, 2027 and 2028

What causes the Northern Lights

The aurora borealis, a stunning natural phenomenon, results from charged particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere, inspiring awe and curiosity about this celestial display.

Three things help your chances: darkness, distance from light pollution and clear skies. A small ship gives you all three, particularly when you can sail out to a quiet anchorage well away from any town.

Where to sail and who with

AE Expeditions

AE Expeditions, formerly Aurora Expeditions, runs two Arctic itineraries built around the aurora, both with 2027 departures.

• The Northern Lights Explorer is a 17-night voyage on Sylvia Earle in September 2026 or Douglas Mawson departing late August 2027, taking in Bear Island, the Lofoten Islands, Jan Mayen (home to the world's northernmost active volcano), and Iceland's remote Westfjords, with guided excursions and opportunities for naturalist-led aurora viewing.
• Iceland & East Greenland - Under the Northern Lights is an 11-day voyage on Douglas Mawson, focused on Scoresby Sund, Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord and the Dynjandi waterfall in Iceland's Westfjords.

AE's expedition programme is all about destination. The ships are comfortable, but the focus is firmly on getting ashore, with naturalists, historians and a strong citizen science programme on board.

Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd are running three new expedition voyages on the now bilingual HANSEATIC nature from Hamburg in early 2027.

• Winter Adventure Lapland (20 January to 4 February 2027, 15 days) sails into the Bothnian Sea and Bay, with flexible expedition days subject to ice, alongside snowshoe hikes, snowmobile safaris and dog sledge rides. The route also visits Stockholm and Copenhagen and includes time with the Sami.
• Northern Lights Adventure Norway: Igniting the Skies (4 to 19 February 2027, 15 days) heads to Norway's fjord coast and the Lofoten Islands, with deck-side aurora viewing and good chances of whale sightings in the Norwegian Sea.
• A third voyage, sailing 21 March to 5 April 2027 runs a Baltic premiere through Scandinavia and Latvia, with a first-time call at Ventspils and Zodiac landings at the wild island of Gotska Sandön. It is not strictly a Northern Lights itinerary, but it is a small-ship spring expedition into a region rarely visited at that time of year.

HX Expeditions

HX, formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions, run Ultimate Norway - Arctic Expedition under the Northern Lights on MS Spitsbergen. It is an eight-day round-trip from Tromsø, with 31 departures between November 2026 and March 2028.

The route covers the Lyngen Alps, Senja, the Lofoten Islands and Vesterålen, with three signature on-shore experiences: Day to Dusk, Flames and Flavours, a beachside bonfire with hot drinks and Norwegian food cooked by the onboard chefs; Nordic Sauna and Polar Plunge in Svolvær; and Into the Night, Dinner at the Museum, a private dinner aboard the retired MS Finnmarken at the Hurtigruten Museum in Stokmarknes.

HX also offers a Northern Lights Promise: if the aurora does not appear during your voyage, you receive a credit toward another cruise. This policy provides reassurance for travellers concerned that unpredictable weather could affect their chances of seeing the aurora.

Of the operators on this page, HX run the most accessible Norway Northern Lights cruise for first-timers: eight days, Tromsø round-trip, no long sea crossings and the Promise as backup.

Ponant

Ponant has three Le Commandant Charcot voyages in autumn 2026.

• Polar Nights: From the North Cape to Spitsbergen (14 to 24 October 2026, 11 days) sails Tromsø round-trip through the long dusk that precedes Svalbard's polar night, with chances to see polar bears, cetaceans and the aurora itself.
• Polar Lights: From North Cape to the Lofoten Islands (24 October to 1 November 2026, 9 days) runs Tromsø to Narvik via the Lofoten archipelago, with included excursions to Henningsvær fishing village, the Lofotr Viking Museum and Tromsø's Arctic Cathedral.
• Autumn Splendours: From Lofoten to the Norwegian Fjords (1 to 14 November 2026, 14 days) continues south from Narvik to Bergen, taking in Geirangerfjord, Sognefjord, the Flåm scenic railway and Bergen's Hanseatic district.

After autumn 2026, Le Commandant Charcot moves to Antarctica for the 2027/28 southern summer and is not expected to return to the Arctic in winter until at least 2028/29. If you want to sail with Ponant in the interim, Nordic Sea Treasures (21 February to 4 March 2027, 12 days) on the smaller Le Champlain runs Brest to Tromsø via the North Sea and Norwegian coast. It is not built around the aurora, but it does cross the Arctic Circle, with calls at Stavanger, Bergen, Ålesund, and the Lofoten Islands.

Quark Expeditions

Quark has a 2027 itinerary that pushes farther north than almost anything else on the market. West Greenland: Exploring the Far North is a 16-day voyage on Ocean Explorer, departing from Reykjavik on a charter flight to Nuuk, in September 2027.

The route reaches 78° north at Kap Alexander and Smith Sound, where Greenland and Canada are visible from the same deck on a clear day. Stops include Sisimiut, Upernavik, Qaanaaq (Greenland's northernmost community at just under 700 people), the Eqip Sermia glacier, Ilulissat and the tiny settlement of Itilleq, where a friendly football match with locals is a long-standing tradition. The combination of high latitude and September darkness offers a strong chance of viewing the aurora.

Silversea

Silversea has two new Greenland Northern Lights cruises.

Reykjavik to Reykjavik on Silver Endeavour (8 to 23 September 2026, 15 days) covers Scoresby Sund, Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord, King Oscar Fjord and Iceland's Westfjords. September gives the balance of darkness and milder weather that many travellers prefer to deep winter.

Nuuk to Nuuk on Silver Wind (11 to 17 September 2027, 6 days) is a shorter Greenland-focused option, with stops at Qeqertarsuaq, Evighedsfjord, the Eqip Sermia glacier, Ilulissat and Sisimiut. The West Coast in September often delivers strong aurora conditions.

Silversea brings luxury cruise polish to expedition routes. Butler service in every suite, fine dining and a high crew-to-guest ratio on ships built to handle ice, a strong option if you want the comfort to match the destination.