Last updated on February 5th, 2021
Get to Svalbard
Advance planning is required just to get to Svalbard, because its such an isolated location. Svalbard Airport receives flights from Tromso and Oslo, which are both in Norway. Once you get to Svalbard, you will find no roads connecting its extremely small villages. Snowmobiles are the main method to get around on Svalbard.
A few major cruise companies offer a limited number of trips to Svalbard each year. Your best bet to get to Svalbard is with one of the organized tour companies that regularly visit Svalbard.
Tour Companies – Hurtigruten Svalbard
Hurtigruten Svalbard used to operate as Spitsbergen Travel. Previously Sptitbergen Travel offered cruises, but now it concentrates on land based adventures as part of the parent cruise company called simply Hurtigruten.
Hurtigruten Svalbard offers adventures in the summer or winter. Winter is a great time to see the Northern Lights. You can visit glaciers, caves and abandoned mines by snowmobile, ATV, snowcat, dog sled or even bikes. Hurtigruten Svalbard can also help with air travel and hotels.
Svalbard Tours – G Adventures
G-Adventures has their own ship, the M/S Expedition, that cruises The Realm of the Polar Bear for more than a week. The M/S Expedition carries zodiacs so that they can make landings during their search for polar bears. The M/s Expedition itinerary is not set, so that they have flexibility to respond to weather and to search for wildlife. G Adventures also has other M/S Expedition cruises, including voyages to Iceland, Greenland and the Norwegian Fjords.
Things to See and Do in Longyearbyen
- Look for reindeer at the airport.
- Visit the Svalbard Museum and the Svalbard Church – check your weapons at the door.
- Visit Mine 3, which is no longer an operating mine, but takes visitors.
- Take a walk, if you have a gun for protection from polar bears.
Where to Stay in Svalbard
- Funken Lodge
- Svalbard Hotell | The Vault
- Coal Miners’ Cabins Hostel
Hurtigruten Cruises around Svalbard
Hurtigruten has a number of ships and they cruise all over the world. They are the parent company for Hurtigruten Svalbard land based tours. Hurtgruten is well known for their Norwegian Coast Cruises and for their Svalbard Cruises in search of polar bears.
Try the Hurtigruten In the Realm of the Polar Bear cruise on the MS Fram or the MS Spitsbergen. These Svalbard Cruise excursions include a hotel and tour in Longyearbyen prior to departure. You can also combine voyages to Iceland, Greenland or the coast of Norway with a trip to Svalbard on a Hurtigruten cruise.
Longyearbyen – More Sights
- Take a snowmobile or dog sled excursion.
- Dine on reindeer, grouse and whale Huset Restaurant.
- Galleri Svalbard – the works of Norwegian artist Kåre Tveter with an emphasis on Svalbard.
- Visit Longyear Glacier and its ice grottos.
Visit Svalbard – Other Areas
- Travel to Pyramidna – an abandoned Russian mining town 4 hours by boat trip from Longyearbyen.
- Visit Magdalena Bay on Magdalenefjorden for amazing scenery. This is a standard stop on cruise excursions.
Visit Svalbard – Visa Free Zone
Svalbard is a visa free zone. You’d think that would be a simple matter, but it can cause complications for travelers. Although Svalbard is part of Norway, it does not participate in the Schengen Zone and the Schengen Visa with the rest of Norway. Since most flights reach Svalbard through Norway, most passengers must follow the Schengen Visa requirements of Norway. Ironically, in some circumstances even Svalbard residents might need a Schengen Visa to fly to the mainland of their own country.
Svalbard Weather
Svalbard weather is truly part of the Arctic climate zone. Summer weather has average temperatures that barely exceeding freezing. The average highs in July and August are 48 F (9 C), while lows are 40 F (5 C). From December to March, average highs are around 14 F (-10 C), while lows are Zero F (-17 C). Being north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set during the summer months for nearly 100 days. In winter you can expect 100 days without any direct sunshine.
Visit Svalbard – Background
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago discovered in 1596. Svalbard is roughly equal distances from Norway, Greenland and the North Pole. Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya are the three largest islands. Only about 3,000 people live in Svalbard. Longyearbyen is the largest town and major port. Svalbard’s economy in the past was based on whaling and then mining took over. Recently tourists have been interested in Svalbard’s threatened polar bear population as well as its seabirds, reindeer, glaciers and fjords. Svalbard’s 7 national parks cover a major portion of the islands.
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