Switch on and chill out in Norway

Norway may be hugely expensive for visitors, but the astonishing Northern Lights and Western fjords are worth every penny.

I’d love if there were a big switch to turn on the Northern Lights. Just think how much easier winter sightseeing would be. We’d book our flights, whisk ourselves off up inside the Arctic Circle, kick back in our winter woollies and, on cue, watch the latest showing of the aurora borealis streak across the sky.

Alas, the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon; they cannot be turned on or off on a whim. Sure, they’re more likely to occur in winter, on crisp, clear nights and at northerly latitudes — but similar to humpback whales off the Waterford coast, or leopards in the Serengeti, sightings can never be guaranteed.