Hot tips for Iceland? Or other Northern Lights destinations?

JennyP

cubegame wrote: »

Might not be so bad if you stop mid Atlantic.

Boston is another possible destination.

It's what we did. My missus wanted a special birthday in New York and we worked out we could get a stopover for a week in Iceland for no extra flight cost.

I might look at that as an option and check flight times. Another place I really want to go is Yosemite but we can't because of migraines. Maybe we could if we stopped en route!

Am never going to get this organised am I because I keep looking at different options!

But this has been a great thread. Thank you for all your different ideas!

nwc389

For my 60th Birthday we went to Tromso in February time . We had a hotel overlooking the Sea to the Arctic cathedral, it was beautiful!
You can do a Northern lights chase , we booked a night out with a small party and spent most of the time on a remote beach all wrapped up in Thermal suits watching for the lights . We got help from the guide with photos and also were sent pictures of the evening.
The area is stunning and you can do whale watching at certain times of the year .
On the day of my birthday we spent the day husky dog sledding .
It was a really fabulous trip .

JennyP

nwc389 wrote: »

For my 60th Birthday we went to Tromso in February time . We had a hotel overlooking the Sea to the Arctic cathedral, it was beautiful!
You can do a Northern lights chase , we booked a night out with a small party and spent most of the time on a remote beach all wrapped up in Thermal suits watching for the lights . We got help from the guide with photos and also were sent pictures of the evening.
The area is stunning and you can do whale watching at certain times of the year .
On the day of my birthday we spent the day husky dog sledding .
It was a really fabulous trip .

Sounds idyllic!

I was thinking of starting another thread for Norway! We're also debating a cruise with Hurtigrten but they are pricy!!!

Do you know which hotel you stayed in by any chance and also who the trip was with? Did they provide the thermal suits?

Shimrod

JennyP wrote: »

I might look at that as an option and check flight times. Another place I really want to go is Yosemite but we can't because of migraines. Maybe we could if we stopped en route!

Am never going to get this organised am I because I keep looking at different options!

But this has been a great thread. Thank you for all your different ideas!

We've used Iceland as a stopover a couple of times when travelling to Canada. I can recommend Halifax and Nova Scotia - the flight from Iceland to Halifax is around 4.5 hours. You can do whale watching in Fundy Bay.


With Icelandair they offer a free 7 day stopover on the outward or return journey so it does not add anything to your ticket price. Fly out to Canada late September to take advantage of the tail end of summer, and stopover on the return to Iceland in October, getting advantage of the (slightly) cheaper prices. Be aware that some of the Icelandair flights are seasonal to North America and will stop sometime mid-October.

vintner55

I've been drooling over this trip. I too want to see the Northern lights and I liked the look of this as they provide the clothing and its full board so although it's expensive at least you know the full cost. Also like the sound of all the other included activities that they do.

https://www.exodus.co.uk/finland-holidays/winter/finnish-wilderness-week/cfa#overview

I've been up into the Arctic circle once in Swedish lapland for the Sami winter market in Jokkmokk and stayed in a place with no electricity or running water. It was right out in the wilds and they had reindeer for sleigh rides. At the market there were reindeer races and husky dog sleigh rides. It was stunningly beautiful and unforgettable.
https://www.solberget.com/

I was 55 when I went & I can't ski, it was fine.

nwc389

JennyP wrote: »

Sounds idyllic!

I was thinking of starting another thread for Norway! We're also debating a cruise with Hurtigrten but they are pricy!!!

Do you know which hotel you stayed in by any chance and also who the trip was with? Did they provide the thermal suits?

We stayed at the Clarion collection Hotel With and I upgraded the room for the view across the fjord to the arctic cathedral.
The lights chase company were Arctic Explorers and yes they supplied all the clothing , thermal suits, boots etc . They do small groups in a minibus so it’s a nice relaxing atmosphere.
I booked everything separately rather than a package and it was a really memorable holiday.

JennyP

cubegame wrote: »

Have you ever been to New York? If you fancy going look at how much an Iceland Air flight is with a stopover in Iceland. You may be surprised to find it's not much more than a return to Iceland in September and you'll get an extra destination.

Been looking into this and also looking over my wishlist of places I want to see ..

Yosemite is right up there but because of my migraines, I can't do long haul. But you really made me think - thank you - about combining Iceland and the States.

It's probably something for next year rather than this year - I like planning!

But I checked out on the icelandair website for this September. With my dates, a return to San Francisco with stopover in Iceland was over $1900.

On Skyscanner, booking flights separately - Manchester to Reykjavik return and Reykjavik to San Francisco return - is just over £1000. That's a massive saving.

It's hubby's 60th next year so maybe we should go for it then and do something else for my 50th. I like the Tromso idea or maybe we'll just go back to Poland (hubby's from a Polish family and I adore Poland!) and I'll see the northern lights another time!

Emily_Joy

There is a northern lights research centre in Abisko near Kiruna (Sweden) on the border with Norway. No geysers, but the lights are almost guaranteed in February-March.

It is also a great fun to visit the first ice hotel in the world (in Kiruna, where the airport is located). It is quite expensive, but one can just stop for a drink in the hotel bar. It is rebuild every year and usually sell out really fast.