European island named best to see Northern Lights but it's one of world's most dangerous

The Norwegian island of Svalbard is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights, but is also said to be one of the world's most dangerous. It is located roughly half-way between the North Pole and Norway with an estimated population of about 2,500.

Between November and January the island sees the Polar Night phenomenon, where there are 24 hours of darkness, with just an inkling of twilight on the horizon.

It is because of the Polar Night that Svalbard has a reputation for being an ideal place to see the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, a natural phenomenon caused by electrically charged solar particles entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Appearing as flickering, colourful light, the Northern Lights can be seen from Svalbard during the winter months.

While offering magical views of the Aurora Borealis, Svalbard also presents its dangers, with the island and Barents Sea being home to about 3,000 polar bears.

Visitors to Svalbard are warned by the island's tourism authorities to be prepared to encounter a polar bear anywhere on the archipelago.

Visit Svalbard warns travellers that polar bears attack extremely quickly and without warning. It advises people to go accompanied by an armed, local guide when leaving built up areas.

Humans can be seen as potential prey for polar bears, which can weigh as much as 800kg and are an endangered species that roams freely throughout Svalbard.

Besides polar bears, visitors to Svalbard should also be prepared to face the cold, with average winter temperatures of -25C.

According to Swoop Arctic, Svalbard is a year round destination, but the weather, number of daylight hours and amount of snow have a "marked effect" on what you can do there.

Early spring is the best for snowmobiling and dog sledding, June to August is a prime time to take a cruise around the island as the sea ice melts and October to February is the best time to see the Northern Lights, according to the travel website.

Besides Svalbard, Iceland, Alaska, Greenland and Norway proper are prime places to view the Northern Lights.

Catching a glimpse of a polar bear can be a challenge, with Visit Svalbard saying they cover long distances and it is difficult to predict the best places to see them.

It recommends taking an organised tour as guides will have a great knowledge of Svalbard and will know how to keep visitors safe.