Hurtigruten is a daily passenger and freight shipping service that runs year-round along Norway’s western and northern coast between Bergen and Kirkenes. Its six-day “In Search of the Northern Lights” cruise (Bergen to Tromso or Tromso to Bergen) focuses on helping passengers find, photograph, and learn about the northern lights. Excursions such as a husky dog sled adventure or a nighttime snowmobile trip offer good opportunities to see the aurora borealis, but so does just standing on deck in the dark, late at night.

This 12-day “Norway & Northern Lights” cruise leaves from Southampton, England, and heads to Norway — north of the Arctic Circle — in search of the mystical lights. Ports include Stavanger, Tromso, three nights in Alta (home to the world’s first northern lights observatory), and one night in Flaam. You then cruise through Sognefjord, the longest navigable fjord in the world, and back to England. Several excursions focus on spotting the lights.

Fred. Olsen offers northern lights cruises leaving from Southampton, Liverpool, or Tilbury, England, that cruise the coast of Norway on the way to the Arctic Circle. Several itineraries are available: One heads to Tromso, the gateway to the Arctic, then to Bergen, Alesund, and Alta. Another trip takes you past the Torghatten mountain range and the Seven Sisters mountains, with stops in Bergen, Stavanger, and Alta. Plenty of excursions are specific to witnessing the lights, but there are also city sights and local attractions to explore at each stop.