Is seeing the Northern Lights in September a good idea?

WHAT'S THE MOST TIME EFFECTIVE AND AFFORDABLE WAY TO TRAVEL FROM BARCELONA TO BUDAPEST IN SEPTEMBER? CAN WE JOIN A CRUISE IN BERGEN TO ICELAND TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS AND IS LATE SEPTEMBER/EARLY OCTOBER A GOOD TIME? IF ICELAND IS NOT AN OPTION, WHAT ABOUT ROVANIEMI? S. LEVAME, ENMORE NSW

Fly from Barcelona to Budapest, you can do it non-stop in under three hours, otherwise you're in for a long train journey with several changes. I can't find any cruises that will get you from Bergen to Iceland in late September. If your intention is to see Iceland, you'd be better off taking a flight, and you can fly non-stop from Oslo to Reykjavik with Icelandair. You could also fly from Copenhagen to Reykjavik and then to Oslo and this would probably make more sense. If seeing the Northern Lights is a high priority there is no real need to go to Iceland. While Rovaniemi in northern Finland is one of the best places to experience this phenomenon, Norway is also an excellent platform. According to Tietse Stelma of 50 Degrees North, au.fiftydegreesnorth.com, which has an office in Melbourne: "Northern parts of Norway are all within the main Aurora zone. Staying in the countryside, away from artificial light is a good idea, as you can often just walk out on the front porch for viewing. Late September and early October are nice with autumn colours. Viewing can never be guaranteed, so be sure to pack your trip with other fun activities to make it worthwhile even if you miss the lights."