The beautiful winter city that’s the perfect January holiday destination | World | News
The best cities to visit for each month of the year has been rounded up by The Telegraph for 2025.
The list was compiled by looking at various factors including adventurous touring holidays, culture-filled city breaks, active getaways and tropical beaches offering warm sunshine and the best time of the year to visit for each.
According to the Telegraph list, January’s on the move hotlist includes Narvik in Norway.
Narvik is found beyond the Arctic Circle and is said to be one of the best places to see the Northern Lights.
Narvik offers everything a nature lover could dream of thanks to its natural beauty with the region being a visitors playground all year round but particularly best in January.
Narvik is ideal to explore in January for a host of reasons including having excellent conditions for activities such as skiing and snowshoeing but mostly for having prime viewing opportunities the Northern Lights.
This is because of the long dark hours during this time of year with visitors having the perfect backdrop to the lights from it’s all set against the dramatic sights of the region’s fjords and mountains.
These snowy landscapes become even more beautiful in winter with January falling right in the peak season for seeing the Aurora Borealis.
The long dark nights in Norway provide optimal conditions for viewing the natural light display but Narvik has so much more to offer too.
Explorers brave enough to hike to the top of Mount Stetinden will be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views with the peak being crowned the National mountain of Norway by the Norwegian Broadcasting Company’s radio listeners.
Other adrenaline-inducing activities on offer in Narvik include mountain biking, eagle safari, and dog sledging.
Visiting Narvik isnt difficult and is on a train line that’s connected to Sweden through the Ofoten line which offers one of the most spectacular rail journeys in all of Scandinavia.
If visiting Narvik, it’s strongly advised to dress warm as the region’s average temperature in January for a typical day can dip to as low as -12°C(10°F).
To keep yourself warm there are also plenty of culinary delights including the local and traditional Arctic cuisine of mouth-watering dishes made with reindeer and fish.
One staple of Norwegian cuisine is lamb which is a key ingredient in many dishes, including the national dish of fårikål.
One review on TripAdvisor wrote of Narvik: “We visited to see the northern lights and we were lucky to see them even with a KP of 1.33 just because we had a clear sky.
“The sky was beautifully painted green and it was a once in a lifetime experience for us.”
