Each destination on this site has its own detailed travel guide. This page covers what they have in common: the practical realities of travelling in a cold, remote, expensive and fragile part of the world, where Indigenous peoples have lived for thousands of years and where a little preparation makes the difference between a hard trip and a wonderful one.
Documents
Carry a passport everywhere, including on flights from mainland Norway to Svalbard. Check visa and electronic-authorisation rules for every country on your route, including transit points and the start and end ports of any cruise; our getting there page summarises them. Keep digital and paper copies of your passport, insurance policy and bookings, because connectivity is patchy.
Money
You will use Norwegian kroner in Norway and Svalbard, Icelandic krónur, Danish kroner in Greenland, and Canadian and US dollars. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Norway, Svalbard and Iceland, to the point that cash is hardly needed. In Greenland’s settlements, northern Canada and rural Alaska carry some cash for crafts, taxis and small shops. Tipping is not expected in the Nordic countries or Greenland; in Canada and the United States, 15–20 per cent is customary for guides and restaurant staff.
What it costs
As a rough guide, a mid-range land-based trip in northern Norway or Iceland costs about what Scandinavia does generally, with day tours the largest item — typically somewhere between US$100 and US$350 each. Svalbard runs higher, mainly because of excursions. Greenland, Nunavut and the Alaskan North Slope are higher again: flights, simple hotels and guided days can each cost several hundred dollars. Expedition cruises usually start at several thousand dollars per person for a week and rise steeply for remote itineraries.
To save money, travel in shoulder weeks, book flights and beds early, choose apartments with kitchens, drink tap water, and pick two or three tours that matter rather than one every day.
What to pack
Dress in layers. Next to the skin, wool or synthetic thermals — never cotton. Over that an insulating fleece or wool mid-layer, then a down or synthetic jacket, and on top a windproof, waterproof shell. Add a warm hat that covers the ears, a neck gaiter or balaclava, thin liner gloves under thick mittens, wool socks and insulated, roomy boots. In summer the same system applies with lighter pieces: it is rarely above 10°C on the water.
Other essentials: sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen (snow and water double the glare), an eye mask for the midnight sun, a headlamp for the dark season, shoe spikes for icy pavements, a dry bag, spare camera batteries kept warm in an inside pocket, a refillable bottle and flask, swimwear for hot pools and saunas, binoculars, seasickness tablets and, in July, insect repellent and a head net for the tundra. Tour operators normally provide thermal suits, boots and helmets for snowmobile, boat and dog-sled trips.
Cold and weather
The real danger is wind. A calm minus 15°C is pleasant in the right clothes; the same temperature in a strong wind can freeze exposed skin in minutes. Watch companions for white patches on the nose and cheeks, keep moving your fingers and toes, eat and drink regularly, and go inside to warm up before you feel you must. Wet clothing loses its warmth: stay dry and change damp layers.
Conditions change fast and forecasts are short-range. Accept cancellations with good grace — the operators who cancel are the ones you want to travel with — and never set out on your own across sea ice, glaciers or unfamiliar mountains.
Polar bear safety
Polar bears live throughout Svalbard, Greenland’s north and east, the Canadian Arctic and northern Alaska, and they regard people as potential prey. In Svalbard, anyone travelling outside the settlements must have the means to scare off and, as a last resort, shoot a bear; for visitors that means going with an armed guide. The marked safe zone in Longyearbyen ends at signs showing a bear. Similar common sense applies in Greenland, Nunavut and around Utqiaġvik: do not walk beyond the community alone, especially along the shore.
On guided trips, stay with the group, follow instructions at once, and never approach a bear for a photograph. In Svalbard it is illegal to disturb, lure or pursue bears, and visitors must keep at least 300 metres away — 500 metres from 1 March to 30 June.
Health and insurance
No special vaccinations are needed. Medical care is good in northern Norway and Iceland, limited in Svalbard, Greenland and northern Canada, and absent on ships and in the wilderness beyond first aid. Serious cases are evacuated by air, at enormous cost. Buy insurance that explicitly covers the activities you plan — snowmobiling and expedition cruising are sometimes excluded — as well as search and rescue and medical evacuation. Bring enough prescription medicine for the whole trip plus several days.
Light, darkness and sleep
Twenty-four-hour daylight is exhilarating and exhausting. Use an eye mask, keep to mealtimes and decide in advance when you will stop for the day. In the polar night, make the most of the midday twilight for anything scenic, and expect to feel sleepier than usual. Either way, the clock matters less than the weather: go when it is clear.
Phones and internet
Mobile coverage is excellent in Norwegian and Icelandic towns and along main roads, good in Longyearbyen, limited to settlements in Greenland and northern Canada, and absent along most of the Dempster and Dalton highways. European Union roaming rules cover Norway and Iceland but not Svalbard for every operator, and not Greenland; check before you use data. Ships sell satellite internet that is slow and expensive. Download maps and documents before you go.
Food and drink
Expect excellent fish and seafood everywhere, and local meats such as reindeer, lamb and musk ox. Fresh produce is flown or shipped in and costs accordingly. In Indigenous communities, traditional foods — seal, whale, caribou, dried fish — are central to culture and nutrition and come from regulated subsistence hunting; you may be offered a taste and are free to accept or decline politely.
Alcohol is heavily taxed in Norway and Iceland and sold in state shops. Many communities in Nunavut and northern Alaska restrict or prohibit it altogether, and some Greenlandic towns limit sales hours. Never bring alcohol into a community without checking its rules.
Indigenous communities and etiquette
The Arctic is a homeland — of Sami in northern Scandinavia, Inuit in Greenland and Canada, Iñupiat in Alaska and many peoples across northern Russia. A few courtesies go a long way. Ask before photographing people, children, homes, sled dogs or hunting; do not walk into camps or between houses as if they were exhibits; use the names communities use for themselves and their places; and book locally owned guides, lodging and craft shops where you can.
Hunting and fishing here are livelihoods and are legally managed. You do not have to share the values behind them, but a visit is not the moment to argue. When a cruise lands a hundred visitors in a village of three hundred people, behave as a guest: follow the community’s guidelines, keep groups small and spend some money.
Protecting the environment
Arctic ecosystems recover slowly: a footprint on tundra can last for years. Stay on paths and durable ground, take all rubbish out with you, leave plants, stones, bones and historic remains exactly where they are, and clean boots and clothing of seeds and soil before landings. Do not fly drones near wildlife or in protected areas, where they are usually banned. Choose operators who follow recognised codes of conduct — in the cruise sector, members of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators — and who keep groups small.
Travel itself has a footprint, and the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. Fewer, longer trips, direct routes, and land-based stays rather than fuel-hungry voyages all reduce it. See our wildlife guide for the rules on watching animals.
Souvenirs and customs rules
Products made from polar bear, walrus ivory, narwhal tusk, whale and some seals are sold legally in parts of the Arctic but cannot be imported into many countries, including the European Union and the United States in most cases. Ask for the export certificate where one is required and check your own customs rules before buying. Wool, carvings in stone or reindeer antler, prints and jewellery travel without difficulty.
Families and accessibility
Northern Norway and Iceland are easy with children, and many tours accept them from about six or eight years old; snowmobile drivers must hold a licence. Older travellers and those with limited mobility will find modern hotels, museums and the coastal ships accessible, but boats, sleds, snow and uneven ground are part of most excursions, and expedition cruises require passengers to board small inflatable boats. Ask operators specific questions before booking.
Practical FAQs
How cold does it get?
On the Norwegian coast and in Iceland, winter days are typically between minus 5 and plus 2°C, thanks to warm Atlantic water. Inland Finnmark, Svalbard, Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska are far colder — minus 15 to minus 30°C is normal in midwinter. Each destination’s When to go page has a monthly table.
Do I need special clothing?
You need good layers, boots, mittens and a hat. The heavy outer suits for snowmobiling, boat trips and dog sledding are supplied by tour operators.
Is the Arctic safe?
Crime is very low. The risks are natural — cold, weather, sea, ice and, in some regions, polar bears — and they are managed by going with qualified guides and following their rules.
Can I use my phone and bank card?
In towns in Norway, Svalbard and Iceland, almost without exception. Carry some cash and expect limited coverage in Greenland’s settlements, northern Canada and rural Alaska.
Can I drink the tap water?
Yes, throughout Norway, Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland’s towns it is safe and very good. In small communities in Canada and Alaska, ask locally.
Is it ethical to visit Indigenous communities?
Yes, when you are invited or using locally run services, behave as a guest and follow community guidelines. Many communities welcome visitors and the income they bring; none wants to be treated as a backdrop.
