Highlights
Longyearbyen
Svalbard's main settlement and the base for nearly every visit, with colourful wooden houses, the Svalbard Museum on Arctic history and wildlife, old coal-mining cableways on the hillsides and a university centre for Arctic research.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
A seed bank tunnelled into a mountainside near the airport, storing duplicate crop seeds from around the world. The vault itself is closed to the public, but its striking entrance can be seen from outside.
Glacier and fjord boat trips
In summer, boats from Longyearbyen cross Isfjorden to calving glacier fronts such as Nordenskiöldbreen, often with sightings of seals, walrus, seabirds and occasionally whales.
Pyramiden
A Soviet coal-mining town abandoned in 1998 and preserved by the cold, with a bust of Lenin, a culture house and a hotel. It is reached by boat in summer or by snowmobile in winter.
Barentsburg
Svalbard's second-largest settlement, a Russian coal-mining community with Soviet-era buildings and murals. It is visited on guided boat or snowmobile trips from Longyearbyen.
Dog-sledding and snowmobiling
From late winter into spring, guided trips by dog sled or snowmobile cross frozen valleys and reach the east coast. Some trips include nights in remote cabins.
Northern lights and polar night
From roughly late October to February the sun does not rise above the horizon, and on clear, dark days the aurora can be visible even around midday. Twilight colours the snow blue during the darker months.
Jan Mayen
A remote volcanic island in the Norwegian Sea dominated by Beerenberg, an ice-capped volcano. It has no permanent residents, only personnel at a weather and military station, and very few people visit apart from occasional expedition cruises.
Interesting facts about Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, Norway has sovereignty over the archipelago, but citizens of the treaty's signatory countries have the right to live and work there.
- Outside the settlements, people are expected to carry suitable means of protection against polar bears, so most visitors go out only with an armed, qualified guide.
- Longyearbyen's cemetery stopped taking burials decades ago because bodies do not decompose in the permafrost, so people who are seriously ill are usually moved to the mainland.
- Ny-Ålesund, a research station on Svalbard's west coast, is one of the northernmost permanently inhabited places in the world.
- Beerenberg on Jan Mayen is often described as the world's northernmost active volcano above sea level.
Best time to visit
Svalbard has two main seasons. From roughly March to May, daylight returns, snow is still deep and the weather is often clear, which makes it the best time for dog-sledding, snowmobiling and skiing. From June to August there is midnight sun, the fjords are ice-free for boat trips and the tundra flowers. The midnight sun lasts from about mid-April to late August in Longyearbyen. The polar night, from about late October to mid-February, is cold and dark but suits aurora watching. Weather can change fast at any time of year.
Practical information
| Capital | Longyearbyen (administrative centre of Svalbard) |
|---|---|
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) |
| Languages | Norwegian, Russian (in Barentsburg) |
| Plugs | Type C, F |
| Voltage | 230 V, 50 Hz |
| Emergency | 112 police, 113 ambulance, 110 fire |
| Driving | On the right |
| Tipping | Not expected; service is included, although rounding up for good service is fine. |
Getting around
There are no roads between settlements. Longyearbyen has a few kilometres of road, an airport bus and taxis, and the town centre is walkable. Everything beyond is reached by guided boat trips in summer and by snowmobile or dog sled in winter and spring. Expedition cruises sail around the archipelago in summer. Walking outside the settlement without polar bear protection is not allowed in practice, so join a guided tour. Jan Mayen has no public transport or visitor facilities, and access requires permission from the Norwegian authorities.
Staying connected in Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Longyearbyen has good 4G coverage, and the town is connected to the mainland by undersea fibre cable, so internet in hotels and cafés is fast. Barentsburg and parts of Isfjorden have some coverage. Beyond that, coverage across the archipelago is minimal or non-existent: on boat trips, snowmobile tours and expedition cruises you should expect to be offline, with guides relying on satellite phones. Jan Mayen has no public mobile network. Svalbard is outside the EEA agreement, so check whether your home plan covers it. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land in Longyearbyen.
See Svalbard and Jan Mayen eSIM plans · How to install an eSIM
Useful apps for Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Yr: Weather forecasts from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, essential for planning trips on Svalbard.
- Google Maps: Download the Longyearbyen area offline; there is little to navigate beyond the town.
- XE Currency: Converting Norwegian kroner, which are used in all settlements, including Barentsburg.