Want to visit the neighbor at midnight? A fishing trip at 2 am? A bonfire on the seaside at 3 am? Or just lean back in the hammock and fall asleep to the screams of seagulls on the outside of Senja, and not have to think about being surprised by the dark and having to pack for the headlamp.
Everything is possible during what is a relatively short and hectic summer for people and animals in the north of the country. If the weather is good, you should definitely not sleep away the summer night. In any case, the northerners don't, who can think of painting the house, going for a hike or taking a (refreshing) bath in the middle of the night?
In the north, at least 76 days of bright nights and a sun above the horizon await in the period between May and July. The further north you go, the longer the period of midnight sun lasts. In the summer months, you can experience up to 24 hours of sunlight north of the Arctic Circle, but in some places, the mountains will shade the sun just around midnight. Look for a place with a clear view to the north and west, and you will find it again. Among other things, the Hillesøytoppen at Sommarøy is recommended here, it's just an absolutely fantastic view. If you want to challenge yourself a little extra and have more time, the traditional DNT route "Senja på langs" is a trip we can highly recommend over a few days at the end of July.
The light and the midnight sun have also made a special impression on several Norwegian artists and writers throughout history. Here is an excerpt from Knut Hamsun's Pan (1894): "It began to be no night, the sun barely dipped its disc into the sea and then came up again, red renewed, as if it had been down and drinking. How I could go wonderfully at night; no man believes it”… (loosely translated from Norwegian).
From around 20 May, the sun stays above the horizon all day at 69 degrees north - the latitude of Tromsø. This continues until the end of July when the days get shorter again, and little by little we have to start the proper preparations for a new season with "the green lady" from around 10 September.
Dates when the sun stay over the horizon 24/7:
Arctic Circle: 12. juni - 1. juli Bodø: 4. juni - 8. juli Svolvær: 28. mai - 14. juli Harstad: 25. mai - 18. juli Bardufoss: 23. mai - 19. juli Andenes: 22. mai - 21. juli Tromsø: 20. mai - 22. juli Alta: 19. mai - 24. juli Vardø: 17. mai - 26. juli Hammerfest: 16. mai - 27. juli Berlevåg: 15. mai - 28. juli Nordkapp: 14. mai - 29. juli Longyearbyen (Svalbard/Spitsbergen) : 20. april - 22. august