Select your language

Anne Olsen-Ryum


The Northern Lights city of Alta is a great choice for visitors seeking to experience the magic of the Northern Lights. Alta's history as a Northern Lights city goes back to the days when Birkeland built the world's first Northern Lights observatory on the top of Mt. Haldde in 1899. Alta has a stable climate and is therefore one of the best places in the north for seeing the Northern Lights.

Aurora Borealis

Visitors have always been delighted by the Northern Lights, which are also called the Aurora Borealis, and there are many myths associated with them. When visiting Alta you can learn more about what the Northern Lights actually are and the best way of seeing them, and obviously more about the myths and stories associated with them.

Hunt for the Northern Lights

It is not always easy to find the Northern Lights and that is why there are a number of providers of Northern Lights hunting services. Being in the right place at the right time is essential and our local guides are experts at finding them. They will also be able to help you take perfect photos and, not least, explain more about the phenomenon.

Northern Lights Cathedral

The latest addition to the Northern Lights city of Alta is the cathedral. The Northern Lights Cathedral is a modern cathedral in a modern city, as elegant as the Northern Lights themselves. The Link firm of architects in Stavanger designed the cathedral which is shaped like a spiral coiling upwards towards the building's clock tower. The Northern Lights provided one of the sources of inspiration for the design which, when observed from all angles, gives the appearance of cascading waves, just like the Northern Lights. The cathedral was consecrated on 10 February 2013.