Where to base yourself
Central Longyearbyen. The pedestrian street with the supermarket, shops, cafés and several hotels. The most convenient base, with tours picking up at the door.
Haugen and the upper town. A ten-minute walk uphill, with the historic Funken Lodge and views down the valley. Quieter, and a little further from the shops.
Nybyen. Former miners’ barracks at the top of the valley, about 2.5 km from the centre, now simple guesthouses. Cheaper, but a long, dark walk in winter.
Wilderness lodges and ships. A few remote lodges and radio stations are reached by boat or snowmobile on guided packages; expedition ships serve as floating hotels for the outer coasts.
Food & drink
Longyearbyen eats far better than a town of its size should, from waffle cafés and a pub lined with whisky bottles to tasting menus with one of Scandinavia’s larger wine cellars. Menus feature Arctic char, cod, reindeer and seal, alongside burgers and pizza. Everything is shipped or flown in, so restaurant prices are high even by Norwegian standards, but alcohol in the shop is tax-free and cheap — visitors need to show a boarding card to buy it. Reserve dinner tables in the main seasons.
Money-saving and safety tips
- Polar bears are a real danger. Stay inside the marked safe zone unless you are with an armed guide, and never approach a bear to photograph it.
- Budget for excursions first: most day trips cost a good deal more than the hotel night. Shoulder weeks in May, early June and September are cheaper.
- Dress in layers: wool next to the skin, an insulating mid-layer and a windproof shell, with a warm hat, mittens and proper winter boots outside summer.
- Take your shoes off at the door of hotels, museums and some restaurants — a custom from the mining days. Bring indoor shoes or thick socks.
- Do not pick flowers, disturb birds or take anything from cultural remains: everything older than 1946 is protected by law.
- Travel insurance that covers search, rescue and medical evacuation is strongly advised; the hospital is small and serious cases are flown to Tromsø.
Sample plans
Three days in summer
- Arrive, walk the town and visit the Svalbard Museum
- Full-day boat trip across Isfjorden to a glacier front
- Guided hike or kayak in the morning, wildlife drive in Adventdalen in the evening light
Four days in the snow season
- Arrive and take a short Seed Vault and viewpoint tour
- Full-day snowmobile trip towards the east coast or Tempelfjorden
- Dog sledding in Adventdalen and an ice-cave visit
- A spare day for weather, museums and the brewery
Polar-night weekend
- Northern-lights trip by car or snowcat
- Mine tour or museum by day, in the blue twilight
- Dinner in town and a second aurora attempt
Svalbard: where to stay
Almost every bed in Svalbard is in Longyearbyen, and there are not many of them: reserve well ahead for March–April and July–August. All of these are within walking distance of the centre or served by the airport bus.
