Dark-sky tourism is having a moment. As travellers increasingly seek experiences away from crowded destinations and constant connectivity, the appeal of escaping somewhere with genuinely dark skies is growing, and the timing is particularly good.
Heightened solar activity is driving one of the most active periods for aurora viewing in years, while clearer, darker nights are encouraging travellers to seek out destinations where stargazing is more than an afterthought. The result is a new kind of night-time travel: one where the main attraction doesn't close at sunset, but only really begins once it gets dark.
At Kitten & Shark, we're seeing this wider appetite for travel that reconnects people with the natural world, whether that means watching the Northern Lights from the Arctic, spotting constellations from a Welsh mountainside or simply stepping outside a cosy countryside cabin after dark.
And while you don't necessarily need to travel to the Arctic to experience spectacular night skies, getting away from urban light pollution makes a remarkable difference. From the mountains of Snowdonia to the Italian Dolomites and the wilderness of the Nordic north, these are four places to put stargazing at the centre of your next escape.
Plas Weunydd, Snowdonia: For Mountain Skies
Plas Weunydd sits in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, surrounded by rugged mountains, open wilderness and remarkably little urban glow.
It's the kind of landscape that feels impressive enough by day, but becomes something else entirely after dark. With elevated vantage points and expansive mountain horizons, the setting offers excellent opportunities for taking in the night sky above the dramatic North Wales landscape.
There's something particularly appealing about the combination of adventure by day and astronomy by night. Spend daylight hours exploring the mountains before returning to the comfort of the hotel or glamping accommodation, then step outside once the sun has disappeared to see the landscape transformed beneath a sky full of stars.
For travellers who like their stargazing with a side of mountain adventure, it's difficult to imagine a more atmospheric setting.
The Nest Glamping, Lincolnshire: For Stargazing Without Leaving Comfort Behind
You don't necessarily need mountains or wilderness to find a great dark-sky experience. At The Nest Glamping, the wide-open countryside around its private lake creates the perfect conditions for slowing down and looking up.
Set among the rolling Lincolnshire countryside, the three luxury safari lodges offer plenty of reasons to spend the evening outdoors, from firepit dinners to lakeside views and hot tubs. But once the sun goes down, the surrounding fields and lack of city lights create an altogether different atmosphere.
It's easy to imagine the perfect autumn evening here: a day spent walking through the countryside, followed by a fire, something warming to drink and an unhurried hour spent picking out constellations overhead.
Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort, Italian Dolomites: For High-Altitude Stargazing
For a more elevated take on dark-sky travel, Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort combines five-star alpine comfort with an impressive natural setting in South Tyrol's UNESCO-listed Dolomites.
The resort's mountain location, clean alpine air and panoramic views provide an extraordinary backdrop for watching the night sky, with the dramatic Rosengarten massif adding a suitably cinematic foreground.
After a day hiking through the mountains or skiing in winter, the idea of simply stepping outside and watching the stars emerge feels like the perfect antidote to a busy itinerary. From terraces and balconies, guests can take in the surrounding peaks by day before watching the landscape disappear into darkness at night.
It's a reminder that dark-sky tourism doesn't necessarily have to mean sacrificing luxury or comfort. Sometimes, the best place to watch the stars is from somewhere with a very good bed waiting inside.
Off The Map Travel: For Going Properly Off Grid
Then there are the destinations where darkness is very much part of the experience.
Off The Map Travel specialises in tailor-made journeys into some of the world's most remote wilderness regions, including Finnish and Swedish Lapland, Iceland and Northern Norway.
These high-latitude destinations offer exceptionally dark nights and minimal light pollution, creating ideal conditions for both stargazing and natural phenomena such as the Northern Lights.
But the appeal goes beyond simply ticking the aurora off a bucket list. Staying in a remote Arctic cabin or wilderness lodge, surrounded by snowy forests and vast open landscapes, offers the chance to experience darkness as part of the destination itself.
And with solar activity currently making aurora viewing particularly exciting, the Nordic north is having something of a moment. Off The Map's bespoke itineraries can be built around the conditions, giving travellers the flexibility to venture further from artificial light and maximise their chances of experiencing the night sky at its most spectacular.
Why Dark Skies Are Becoming the New Travel Attraction
There's something wonderfully simple about dark-sky tourism. No reservations, queues or opening hours. Just find somewhere sufficiently remote, wait for the sun to disappear and look up.
Perhaps that simplicity is exactly why it feels so appealing now. At a time when travel can often be about doing more, dark-sky escapes offer a reason to do less. To stay outside a little longer. To put the phone away. To sit around a fire or on a mountain terrace and watch something that has been happening above us for thousands of years.
Whether that means heading north in search of the Northern Lights, escaping to the Welsh mountains or simply finding a countryside stay far enough from the city glow, the message is the same: sometimes the best travel experience starts when the sun goes down.