The polar night in Narvik

5 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Narvik lies at 68.4 degrees north, far enough inside the Arctic Circle for the sun to stay below the horizon for a month each winter. For a visitor that means short blue days, long evenings and plenty of hours in which the aurora could appear.

Dates for 2026/27

The US Naval Observatory's figures for Narvik show the last sunrise of the year on 5 December 2026. The sun appears at 11:39 and sets again at 11:42, three minutes later. From 6 December to 6 January it does not rise at all, 32 days in total. On 7 January 2027 it is back from 11:45 to 12:09, and by 1 February it is up for about five hours and 40 minutes.

These are values for a flat horizon. Narvik is surrounded by mountains, and they block the low winter sun for longer. In the town itself you lose direct sunlight before 6 December and see it again later than 7 January.

The weeks before and after

The change is fast on both sides of the polar night. On 1 November the sun is up from 08:05 to 15:02, almost seven hours. By 1 December that has shrunk to 10:44 to 12:34, under two hours. After the first short sunrise on 7 January the days grow quickly: about five hours and 40 minutes of sun on 1 February and close to ten hours by 1 March. If you want darkness for the aurora and some daylight for the fjords, late November and the second half of January give you both.

What the light looks like

The polar night is not total darkness. Even on 21 December, the shortest day, civil twilight lasts from about 09:16 to 14:21. On 1 January it runs from about 09:14 to 14:34. Plan outdoor sightseeing for late morning and early afternoon; after about 14:30 it is dark.

A good indoor option on a dark afternoon is the photo show of Michael Ulriksen in the Seamen's Church in the town centre. In 25 minutes it follows a year of light around Narvik, from the polar night and the return of the sun to the midnight sun. Shows are at 09:00 and 18:00, at weekends at 13:00, a coffee is included and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

Aurora in the dark season

The long nights give you many hours in which the northern lights could appear, but darkness alone is not enough. Visit Narvik writes that cloud, weather and the activity in the sky decide what you see, and that the aurora can never be guaranteed. Its advice is that the Narvik region has short drives from town to darker places with open views of fjord and mountains.

The aurora tours use exactly that. The private drive with a second-night offer collects you at your hotel and goes where the sky is clearest, sometimes into Sweden. The photographer-led trip of Arctic Moments leaves Dronningensgate at 19:00 for groups of up to 12, and the minibus hunt of Arctic Loop adjusts its departure times to the hours of darkness through the season. Our northern lights page compares them in detail.

What is open

Husky Isogaisa begins its sledding season on 1 December if there is snow, with tours at 09:00 and 14:00, so part of the trip happens in twilight. The war museum opens daily from 10:00 to 16:00, and its website lists any changes over the holidays. On Narvikfjellet the Slingsby restaurant opens in December 2026, but the gondola stays closed until the new one starts in January 2027, and the ski season begins on 3 January.

At Evenes airport, the nearest weather station with long-term averages, January averages about −3.5 °C. Wear warm layers and add a reflector to your jacket for walks along unlit roads; the what to wear page has a packing list. From mid January the days lengthen quickly, and the best time to visit page shows the light month by month.