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When is the best time to visit Norway and Sweden?

Both countries share the same main seasons, with some differences in dates.

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Short answer

A trip to Norway and Sweden works from June to August for long days and midnight sun, and from September to late March for northern lights. In both countries the midnight sun is limited to the north, and Visit Norway lists Tromsø as 20 May to 22 July.

Best time to visit Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark Illustration of a season wheel with snow, a birch leaf, sun and rain around a red Swedish cottage

Why

  1. According to Visit Norway, the days are long and the nights short in June, July and August, and the nights never get really dark anywhere in Norway from late June to early August.
  2. According to Visit Sweden, summer in Sweden typically spans June to August, and the sun stays visible around the clock in the northern regions.
  3. According to Visit Norway, the northern lights can be seen from late September until late March, with the highest activity statistically in March and April and in September and October.

Details

Visit Norway gives midnight sun dates by place: Bodø from 4 June to 8 July, the Lofoten Islands from 28 May to 14 July, Tromsø from 20 May to 22 July and the North Cape from 14 May to 29 July. According to SMHI, the Swedish midnight sun runs from about 20 May to mid-July at Treriksröset, the northernmost point. Visit Sweden gives September to March as the northern lights season in Arctic Sweden.

Tip

If midnight sun or northern lights are the goal, plan the northern part of the route in the right weeks, because the dates differ by place.

People also ask

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Sources

Information checked on 27 October 2026.

Best time to visit Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark

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