An Adventure to the Most Northern City in the World.
The Svalbard Islands, also known as Spitsbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole (approx. 1,000km from each region). The main settlement in the islands is Longyearbyen, and is known as the most nothern city in the world, surpassing Qaanaaq (Greenland) and Grise Fiord (Canada).
Tourists travel to Svalbard all year round to experience the untouched natural environment and witness the exceptional wildlife. The archipelago has an arctic climate, meaning from mid-April to mid-August the sun doesn’t set, and sits at the horizon forming the well-known midnight sunset (cover photo).
My friends and I took a 7-day roadtrip in August 2021. Throughout this blog post I’m going to take you through the highlights of my trip and the best moments me and my friends spent in Svalbard, Norway.
Non-Exhaustive List of Equipment Used : iPhone 12 / Digital Camera Fujifilm x100v / Drone DJI Mavic Pro.
Longyearbyen Settlement
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and is the closest town to Svalbard’s international airport. There are two other popular settlements in the islands: Barentsburg and Pyramiden (see details below). The other portion of the islands is mostly covered by glaciers, mountains and fjords.
Longyearbyen is the main city any tourist will probably choose to stay. The city has a large co-op supermarket, bars, restaurants, and tourist adventure agencies.
Here is a short list of places you will come across in Longyearbyen:
- Co-op supermarket: Longyearbyen’s Co-op supermarket is remarkably big compared to size of the town (see photo above). You can find all your typical foods (avocados, chips, yogurt, milk) with slightly higher prices taking in account every item is imported (see prices of groceries below).
- Gift shops: There are many shops around the main road that sell animal fur and typical souvenirs of Svalbard.
- Restaurants: There are ~5 restaurants in the city. I personally got the chance to try Svalbard’s high-end restaurant Polfareren serving reindeer and whale, something I definitely recommend trying.
- Bars: I would recommend 2 bars in particular: Svalbar and Karlsberger. The first bar is a classic pub with a pool table and stays open until 2 am. The second is a more classy cocktail bar which I also highly recommend.
- Polar bear zone: At the extremity of the town, you will find a sign indicating the end of the protected polar bear zone. A great spot to take a souvenir photo.
- Svalbard church: Located slightly in the higher altitudes of the city, Svalbard’s parish church is also nice to visit.
The arctic wildlife
Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and is home to polar bears, reindeer, the arctic fox, and many marine mammals. A total of 19 species of marine mammals are found in Svalbard waters. This includes polar bears, walruses, 5 species of seals and 12 species of whales.
Svalbard counts ~3000 polar bears across the islands, the biggest population of polar bears in the world, exceeding the human population of the settlements. When travelling to Svalbard, visitors have the most chances of seeing polar bears in the summer as they gather on land (on beaches, in the mountains) and on the glaciers. In the winter, polar bears travel across the arctic ocean ice pack all the way to Greenland.
During our trip in the summer, we encountered many whales, wild arctic birds and reindeers (see photos above). Observing the diversity of wild species and arctic mammals was definitely an incredible experience during our trip.
Trip preparation
Reserving your trip to Svalbard can be complicated as you will need to plan out individually your activities. Additionally, finding the right accommodation including all your expected amenities can be tricky. Here are my recommendations for when you will prepare your next trip to Svalbard:
- Don’t reserve all-inclusive stays: I would definitely recommend to plan out your trip by selecting activities individually for many reasons. All inclusive booking sites will on average charge >50% more for the entire trip compared to reserving individually. You can easily book adventures online (I recommend Svalbard Adventures), check out the following list of activities we planned with my friends below.
- Be careful when reserving on Airbnb: Some Airbnbs don’t include running water as part of amenities. Many Airbnbs come with plenty of amenities (water, fast wifi), make sure to check when reserving. Here is our Airbnb we chose during our stay.
Useful items to pack:
- Warm Clothing : You’ll need to prepare worm clothing to come to Svalbard, including a winter coat, scarf, gloves and hat. In the summer, temperatures vary between -5–5°C with occasional cloudy skies and wind, and can feel well colder on boat trips.
- Hiking shoes: Every adventure you will plan Svalbard will require adapted gear, as you will often be on a boat or walking around dirt roads. I recommended bringing adapted hiking shoes for the trip.
- Photography Equipment : Bring along your Reflex/Digital Camera and Drone, there will be NO BETTER OCCASION to capture breathtaking sceneries.
Total Cost of Trip
The total cost of our trip to Svalbard came to a total of ~€1000 for 5 days. Here is a list of our main expenses during our trip:
- Plane ticket from Oslo (through Tromsø): €200
- Airbnb (5 nights): €1120 (€225/pers)
- Visit of the coal mine: €75
- Trip to Pyramiden/Nordenskiöld Glacier Safari: €130
- Isfjord Glacier Safari: €170
- Kayak in Longyearbyen Bay: €100
- Groceries (5 days): €100/pers
- Restaurants/bars: €80
Trip to Pyramiden/Nordenskiöld Glacier Safari
Our first trip in Svalbard was the visit of Pyramiden, a Soviet coal mining settlement built in 1910, abandoned since 1998. Today, Pyramiden is mostly a ghost town, with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place.
We arrived by boat from Longyearbyen on a ride that took us ~45 minutes. On the way to Pyramiden, we spotted many wild birds and whales in the sea, and tried to spot polar bears on the beaches near by. We parked the boat by the port and started walking around the ghost town.
Coming to Pyramiden with a guide is mandatory. Once out of Longyearbyen, tourist groups need to be escorted by a trained guide with an active rifle, as the town isn’t protected and there is a risk of coming across polar bears (see photo below).
We first came across the town’s main sign, surrounded by deserted dorms and warehouses. We passed by dozens of empty buildings, taken over by wild birds. Today, only one building has been restored and rebuilt as a hotel. Guests can come and spend a couple nights in the wild and unprotected town of Pyramiden.
We continued walking towards the town’s central cantine where miners would come and eat during lunch and diner. Further down, we visited the old sport center where miners trained during their time off (see photos below).
After spending time walking around Pyramiden, we took the boat and headed towards the Nordenskiöld Glacier nearby (see photo below).
As we arrived in front of the glacier, a large piece of ice fell and formed a small cloud at the level of the sea. It was quite special to witness the ice melting at the glacier.
Isfjord Glacier Safari
Following our trip to Nordenskiöld, we set of the next day to Isfjord Glacier, another famous glacier spot to visit in Svalbard. The trip was similar, however this time we were travelling on speed boats (see photo below). The trip was longer than getting to Nordenskiöld, taking us ~1h30 to get to the glacier, explaining the need of taking a speed boat.
After completing both glacier trips, we realized one glacier tour was already plenty and didn’t find the second tour as exciting. However, taking a new boat trip was another chance for us to spot polar bears.
Quad bikes along the Longyearbyen Peninsula
Our following journey was a trip around the Longyearbyen peninsula. We booked a tour guide and rented quad bikes for the morning.
We started our journey from Longyearbyen, and headed east following the sea and climbing up the mountain. Along our trip, we passed in front of many inactive and deserted mines on the side on the mountain.
We especially passed in front of Svalbard’s weather forecast station, a famous and historical station giving insights on wind speeds and weather coming from the north heading towards Europe.
Kayak in Longyearbyen Bay
On our last day in Svalbard, we booked a kayak tour of the bay in front of Longyearbyen. We headed out from the seafront of the town towards the mountains facing the settlement.
In the colder season, when whales are densely populating the islands, you may have the chance to kayak alongside the beluga whales in the bay of Longyearbyen.
Arriving on the other side of the bay, we got out of our kayaks and visited the reindeers walking freely on the land. This experience was one of my favorite activities, and definitely one on the most exhausting.
Midnight sunset on the beach
To finish off our trip to Svalbard, we were lucky to observe the midnight sunset on the beach of Longyearbyen. The 25th of August, our last night in Svalbard, is known to be the first sunset of the winter season, until plunging into total darkness in November.
We arrived at the beach at 11pm, and stayed until 1am, to see the entire sunset and rise. We watched the sun sit behind the mountains of Svalbard, before taking off minutes later.
The vibe was amazing. The entire town came and sat along the beach to watch the sunset. You could see and experience a mix of sceneries: We observed the wild birds hunting for their last fish while enjoying the profound silence of the night, only hearing to the sound of the waves.
This final scene was the most spectacular moment I experienced in Svalbard. I had never seen a more powerful sunlight beam in my life. This moment was unforgettable, and I hope to experience it again when I return.
The lifestyle we experienced during this week was unlike any other adventure and made our trip one of the best I had taken yet. We felt free, living the life of an explorer. It felt great. If you decide to visit Svalbard you should definitely try exploring it the way we did.
Subscribe to my page and stay tuned to see the next blog post of our upcoming trip. In the meantime, check out the best hikes in the Dolomites and my experience in the Lofotons for more content on my previous adventures.
