The 13 Best Winter Activities Worldwide

1.Tromso Aurora Hunt with Bonfire, Soup, Winter Gear & Transfers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,290 reviews · 5 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $226Our pick

Review of Tromso’s Northern Lights hunt with bonfire, soup, thermal gear, photos, expert guides, and transfers to remote viewing spots.

“Great experience with great guides but be prepared to wait for hours for the lights to make an appearance as they are a natural phenomenon and notoriously unpredictable. We were very lucky and had a great show at a breathtaking spot. Thermal suits and boots are definitely recommended and soup was delicious 👍🤩”

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2.Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Anchorage to Fairbanks One Way

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 57 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $259

Review of Alaska Railroad’s winter Anchorage to Fairbanks ride, with snowy scenery, wildlife, dining, timing, value, and practical tips.

“Constant beautiful views and the whole team on board were super friendly. Andy and Laura were lovely and kind and provided funny and informative commentary of the landscape around.”

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3.Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Fairbanks to Anchorage One Way

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 38 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $259

Review of the Alaska Railroad winter journey from Fairbanks to Anchorage, with Denali views, wildlife, costs, timing, food, and booking advice.

“Worst experience even. We had wait almost an hour for the engineers to fix one of the cart of the train. Sure, no problem. When we finally boarded, we thought it was smooth sailing from there. They started to ask people to sign up for breakfast at the sit down restaurant. The serve you according to your cart. A goes first and C goes last. So our breakfast started around noon. Lunch was at 4pm, and dinner was at 7:30pm. When we were there, you could tell the wait staff was miserable. They hated their jobs. One of the server even said that to another server. Breakfast was good and…”

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4.Yellowknife Winter 5 Days 4 Nights: Aurora and Day Activities

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $960

Review of Yellowknife’s 5-day winter package with aurora tours, ice fishing, snowmobile rides, dog sledding, transfers, and warm gear.

“The tour guides were very knowledgeable and fun to talk to! I had fun in the 4 days that they have set up, from the day activities to the aurora viewing at night!”

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5.Saariselkä: Northern Lights Hunting Snowshoe Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 26 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $111

Snowshoe through Saariselkä’s silent winter forest, learn local skills, sip hot chocolate, and hunt for auroras with warm gear included.

“It was an exciting experience. Unfortunately because of clouds we couldn't see the northern lights, nevertheless the tour was absolutely great.”

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6.Winter Whale Watching and Northern Lights Cruise from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $198

Pair whale watching with a Northern Lights cruise from Reykjavik, including warm overalls, live English commentary, and a free return guarantee.

“We did the combo whale watching and northern lights cruise. Both were amazing. They provide warm coveralls so that you’re comfortable throughout the entirety of the trip. We saw one green streak of the northern lights, and even though we did have a sighting, they still offered a free return. As for the whale tour, we saw humpbacks and minke whales. Well worth the time to go on a tour.”

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7.Snowshoe Trek with Aurora Hunt and Warm Beverage

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · 3 hours · from $143

Review of Kiruna’s 3-hour snowshoe and Northern Lights tour, with warm gear, fire-side drinks, snacks, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Everything on this tour. Ronja is an excellent and most motivated guide. She knows a lot about culture, about the survival in the wilderness, about nature and so many things more. It was a very pleasant trip and we enjoyed every minute of it! Mother nature was on our side and we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the nothern light! Thank you for leading us so well 😍👏🏼”

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8.Aurora Snowshoe Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 4 hours · from $183

Review of Tromsø’s Aurora Snowshoe Hike, with a small group, Arctic night scenery, hot drink, guide tips, and Northern Lights chances.

“Truls was great! We did an amazing hike, learned a bunch, and saw some fabulous auroras. He took some great photos and taught us how to take decent ones on our phones as well. 6 stars all around!!”

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9.Rovaniemi Winter Activities & Northern Lights!

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 7 reviews · 1 day · from $45Best value

Review of Rovaniemi Northern Lights Park with reindeer, snowshoes, kick-sleds, tepee cooking, and icy Palojärvi Lake.

“This is definitely a MUST! It's a wonderful experience, one that does not feel rushed or over touristic. we where greeted by Mer, she is lovely, we had a nice warm drink, after we went out so the children could play in the snow with kick sledges .we had time to meet the reindeers and listen to their stories while learning. It was then time to see the northen lights!!! and we did!!! it's was wonderful. after we went to the teepee tent to cook some sausages and marshmallows. we also walked on the iced lake and the kids had plenty of time to play in the snow!. Mer and…”

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10.Sälen: Northern Lights Snowshoe Adventure with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 5 reviews · 3 hours · from $165

Review of Sälen’s 3-hour Northern Lights snowshoe tour, with hotel pickup, a small group, warm food, guides, and practical tips.

“Hyggelig tur med mulighed for at se nordlys. Husk at moder natur ikke kan udstikke en garanti for at man kan se det. Det er KOLDT, så klæd dig godt på. Vores guide, Johanna, var enormt god, og da hun er fotograf til hverdag, kunne hun også hjælpe lidt med fotografering. Vi fik ikke rigtigt set nordlyset, men det er ikke hverken guiden eller selskabets skyld. Det er et sats man må tage. Det var rigtigt hyggeligt omkring bålet med varm kakao, kanelbullar og ristede skumfiduser.”

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11.Lake Mývatn & Northern Lights – Winter Special

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 2 days · from $350

Review of Akureyri’s two-day Lake Mývatn, Nature Baths, and Northern Lights tour, with itinerary, costs, tips, and practical advice.

“Excellent in all aspects. Pick up easy and straightforward. Northern lights evening and Myvatn trips lead by Sigi who kept us informed and entertained. Great lights show and the lake trip was excellent with lots of interesting stops never feeling rushed and plenty of time to explore. The baths were closed for refurbishment so drive 45 mins for an alternative we opted to not do this as been in the forest lagoon the evening prior, but sigi dropped us in a local town to explore whilst others visited the baths.”

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12.Northern Lights Snowshoe Hike in Levi with Latvian Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 3 hours · from $116

Review of Levi’s 3-hour Northern Lights snowshoe hike with a Latvian guide, hot tea, snacks, small groups, and honest practical advice.

“We had a great time in the woods at a freezing night out to search for the northern lights (which luckily appeared on a starry night sky with an almost full moon) with Mikus who is a fantastic guide and brought hot tea and brownies with selfmade honey! He also did great photographs of us once the lights where out.”

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13.Northern Lights Electric Snow-Scooter Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $158

Ride an electric snow-scooter through Lapland, meet reindeer, and watch for northern lights from a cozy forest cabin near Rovaniemi.

“Great experience! Very very good guidance and service. Thank you so much.”

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