8 amazing trips that will make you appreciate winter

14.10.2024 - 22:07 / lonelyplanet.com

Oct 11, 2024 • 9 min read

As soon as the first flakes fall and the northern lights begin to flicker in dark winter skies, the call of the Alps and the Arctic is irresistible. Kit yourself out in warm gear and brace yourself for the thrill – whether it’s to be a shockingly cold float in a frozen river with the aurora blazing overhead in Sweden, a downhill dash on a retro-cool velogemel (part bike, part sled) in Switzerland, a snowmobile expedition into Svalbard’s great white open, or encounters with Sámi reindeer herders in Finnish Lapland.

Read on for our top eight winter trip ideas, each with a one-of-a-kind adventure at its heart.

As the first snow falls on the great rocky sweep of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, polar bear-watching season hits its peak. From mid-October to mid-November, polar bears gather on these frigid shores to wait for the big freeze, often under the glimmer of northern lights. All winter long they will use the Arctic sea ice as a platform for hunting seals. Around 1000 bears hang out here, giving Churchill the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World."

Seeing a polar bear emerge from the deafening silence is a spine-tingling moment you’ll be raving about forever more. Fully grown males are big, reaching up to 3m (10ft) in height when standing on their hind legs and weighing a whopping 680kg (0.75 tons) – the size of a small car. Polar bear tour operators are abundant in Churchill, many offering tundra tours in heated buggies with viewing platforms). But for a real up-close-and-personal experience, go on foot. Churchill Wild dives deep with week-long polar bear photo safaris, based out of Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Hiking along the coast at sunrise, sunset and during the blue hour, gives polar bear sightings added magic. 

Planning tip: Bring binoculars and keep your eyes peeled as it’s not just about the bears – you might well spot wolves, moose, Arctic foxes and hares, too.

As autumn ushers in longer, darker nights, the world’s greatest light show kicks off in the snow-blanketed wilds of the Arctic. You’ll draw breath when suddenly the skies shift and the mind-bending aurora borealis flashes green, pink and purple overhead like a wizard going crazy with a wand up in the heavens. It’s a heart-stopping moment as you lunge for your camera and witness a spectacle that’s truly out of this world.

While there are many places up north where you can get a ringside seat, Iceland is a chart-topper: at around 65° north, it’s right in the sweet spot of aurora oval – the ring wrapping around the earth’s geomagnetic north pole. When solar activity is high and skies are clear, sightings are pretty much guaranteed. And the season runs long, with the lights dancing from September through April.

While you