Updated on October 5, 2026
The short version
Prices below are Civitatis "from" prices per person, checked 5 October 2026, unless we name another source. Scores are out of 10 with the number of reviews in brackets. A low score from a handful of reviews is weak evidence, and so is a high one.
| Format | Typical group | Hours | Can it move away from cloud? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big coach | 40 to 55 | 3 to 10 | Yes, on main roads |
| Minibus chase | 8 to 17 | 4 to 8 | Yes, the most flexible |
| Boat | 50 where stated | 2 to 4 | No |
| Photo tour | 8 where stated | 4 | Yes |
| Snowmobile or snowshoe outing | not stated | 2.5 to 5 | No |
| Private | your party | 4 to 9 | Yes |
| Lodge or base camp | varies | 4 to 11 | No |
| Combo day trip | coach or minibus | 9 to 17 | Barely |
Big coach
The cheapest seat. In Reykjavík the coach tour is short: 240 minutes on the Civitatis listing, from EUR 73.58, score 7.6 (211). In Rovaniemi the bus tour runs 180 minutes from EUR 79, score 7.6 (885), and includes a snowsuit and boots. In Tromsø, big-bus chases listed on Visit Tromsø take 40 to 55 people for 6 to 10 hours at about 1,100 to 1,300 NOK.
A coach suits you if price matters most and you have spare nights for a retry.
Minibus chase
Fewer people, longer hours, more freedom to change direction. Tromsø operators on Visit Tromsø list groups of 8 to 17 for 4 to 8 hours at about 1,750 to 2,400 NOK. On Civitatis, the Rovaniemi VIP tour caps the group at 8, lasts 480 minutes and starts from EUR 139, score 8.5 (67). The Abisko minibus tour starts from EUR 88.03 for 210 minutes, and the Yellowknife trip from EUR 74.82 for 240 minutes. Their scores, 9.3 (3) and 8.3 (6), rest on very few reviews.
Two of the newer minibus listings state a free repeat if nothing shows: the Whitehorse tour (EUR 110.68, 240 minutes, score 9.6 from 11 reviews) and the Akureyri tour (EUR 142.13, 150 minutes, score 6 from 2). The Kiruna chase (EUR 167.88, 240 minutes, 9.3 from 12) and the Luleå tour (EUR 114.28, 180 minutes, 8.2 from 21) state no policy.
Check the group size yourself. The Tromsø tour on Civitatis, from EUR 146.84 for 480 minutes and scored 9.3 (487), lists minibus transport and a maximum group of 47.
This is the format we would pick in Tromsø, where cloud is the main obstacle and distance is the answer. Our guide to when a tour is worth it has the numbers behind that.
Boat or cruise
A boat gets you away from street lights. It cannot drive away from cloud. If the fjord or the bay is overcast, you spend the evening under it.
The two cruises we list are the Tromsø cruise with dinner (EUR 183.78, 240 minutes, maximum 50, score 5.7 from 13 reviews) and the Reykjavík cruise (EUR 105.64, 120 minutes, score 6.3 from 6 reviews). Neither listing states what happens on a night without aurora. Book a cruise because you want the cruise.
Photo tours
A guide who is also a photographer, and usually pictures of you to take home. The Rovaniemi photo tour with barbecue starts from EUR 110 for 240 minutes, score 7.9 (239), and includes digital photos and outer clothing. The Abisko photo tour starts from EUR 141.12 for 240 minutes with a maximum of 8, and had no reviews when we checked.
Snowmobile and snowshoe outings
Nine listings are an activity first and an aurora watch second: snowmobile rides in Rovaniemi, Kiruna, Levi and Saariselkä, snowshoe walks in Levi, Saariselkä and Luleå, and the Aurora Colosseum trip in Kiruna. They last 150 to 300 minutes and start from EUR 101 for a snowshoe walk near Levi, up to EUR 182 for a snowmobile tour in the same area. The Kiruna snowmobile ride (EUR 176.74, 300 minutes) is the best reviewed, at 9.4 from 54 reviews.
You go where the trail goes, so this format does not chase clear sky, and none of the nine listings states what happens on a night without aurora. Book one for the ride.
Private tours
The Tromsø private tour is listed from EUR 2,207.30 for 540 minutes, with thermal jackets and photos included. Its score of 10 comes from a single review. The Akureyri private tour is listed from EUR 984 for 180 minutes, also with one review. In Yellowknife, a private SUV for up to 4 people was listed by a local operator from about CAD 600 per vehicle for about 4 hours.
It makes sense for a family or a group that fills the vehicle, and for anyone who cannot manage a long night on a shared schedule.
Lodge or base camp
You are driven to a fixed site and you wait there. The Fairbanks viewing lodge is listed from EUR 177.66 for 300 minutes, score 8.3 (7). Abisko's Aurora Sky Station takes 40 people a night up a chairlift to about 900 metres, with night visits listed from 1,295 SEK.
A base camp cannot outrun cloud either. That matters less where the sky is often clear: in Fairbanks, 57% to 61% of nights in December and January had a usable sky (two dark hours in a row with half the sky or more free of cloud). It suits people who put comfort ahead of range.
Combo day trips
These attach an aurora stop to a full day out: the Golden Circle (EUR 154.44, 540 minutes, score 6.6 from 166 reviews) or the Blue Lagoon (EUR 250.61, 600 minutes, 6.1 from 39) in Reykjavík, and Chena Hot Springs (EUR 244.29, 1,020 minutes) or the Arctic Circle (EUR 322.46, 900 minutes) from Fairbanks.
The itinerary is fixed, so the aurora part happens wherever the bus is. Buy them for the daytime programme. The Reykjavík combos score lower than the plain coach tour, on a fair number of reviews.
Before you choose
Read what each listing says about a night without aurora, covered in our guide to no-show policies, and check the forecast on the Tonight page before a last-minute booking. If you have not chosen a place yet, the twelve places compared will matter more than the vehicle.