Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago (comprised of 9 islands) located in the Arctic Ocean around 800 miles from North Pole ( 78 ̊ north). Spitsbergen is the largest of Svalbard’s islands and Longyearbyen is the main settlement there with an international airport (LYR). There are over 2000 glaciers that cover about 60% of Svalbard’s landmass. The temperature in Svalbard ranges from 59 °F (15 °C) in the summer to −40 °F (−40 °C) in the winter. Svalbard animal life includes polar bears, reindeer, and Arctic foxes, seals, walruses and whales.
Award Booking Flights to Svalbard
Longyearbyen (LYR) has nonstop Norwegian & SAS flights only from Tromso (TOS) or Oslo (OSL).
Airport code “LYR” does not populate in several award search engines. I had to request for the code to be added to the list for PointsYeah and Roame Travel and they both graciously complied with the request.
I used both Aeroplan and Etihad Guest miles to book two one-way trips from TOS to LYR. Since SAS will be officially joining SkyTeam on 1 September 2024, I am curious to see if they will release consistent award space to their partners like Virgin Atlantic or Flying Blue.
Transportation from the airport to the town
Airport Bus: A one-way ticket is 110 NOK for adults and the bus will stop at every single hotel in the town.
Taxi: it costed 230 NOK (190 NOK on the way back) for a 5 minute taxi ride and it made sense for both of us to simply get a taxi directly to/from our hotel.
When to Visit Svalbard?
In Svalbard, the polar summer (24 hours of daylight) lasts from April 19th through to August 23rd and visitors can enjoy the mid-night sun along with several summer activities (hiking, biking, boating, kayaking and ATV tours). Polar winter (total darkness except for a few hours mid-day) lasts from October 26th to February 15th (I recommend not traveling during this time). Sunny winter in Svalbard lasts from March 1st to May 16th which is a great time to enjoy the winter activities (dog sledding, skiing, snowmobile) along with northern light viewing (sometimes during the day time) in Svalbard.
Svalbard Interesting Facts
Immigration Check
Svalbard is not part of Schengen and requires a separate immigration clearance despite having a Schengen visa. You will get your passports stamped when leaving the Schengen Area (e.g., Oslo/Tromso) for Svalbard, and when reentering the Schengen area from Svalbard. There is no other border control once you are inside the Longyearbyen airport and you can simply walk to get a bus or taxi to the hotel.
Our Tromso to Svalbard passport stamping experience
We were surprised to see a long line before the boarding gate at Tromso airport, but they held the SAS plane until everyone boarded. Upon return from Svalbard, there is another immigration clearance at Tromso airport before you get to luggage and customs. You will end up getting two stamps for a 4-day trip and I noticed that citizens of some countries require finger printing (not for US citizens). The immigration stamp says “Tromso” instead of Svalbard (see image below).
True Visa-Free Zone
Svalbard is the only visa-free zone in the world and people from any country have the right to live and work in Svalbard indefinitely regardless of citizenship. Longyearbyen is home to around 2,000 people out of the total 3000 people that live in Svalbard. The ethnic groups that comprise the population include 60% Norwegian and 40% foreign population that consists primarily of Russians, Thais, Swedes, Filipinos, and Ukrainians.
Tax-Free Shopping
Svalbard enjoys year-round tax-free shopping with several sports clothing stores that sell Norwegian brands (Amundsen Sports) and international brands like Arc’teryx.
Take off shoes at the entrance
It is customary to take off shoes inside the hotels & other establishments (e.g., library, coffee shops) and place them in an open locker near the entrance. Svalbard museum has the option to wear disposable covers over shoes. Hotels will provide comfortable slip-on shoes (or you can use your own slippers) to walk around the premises.
Weather
Despite the extreme northern location, Svalbard remains relatively free of ice due to the influence of the warm Gulf Stream. In the summer of 2020, Svalbard recorded its hottest ever temperature of 21.7C (71.1F).
Animal Population
Svalbard has an estimated polar bear population of 3,000, but is very rare to encounter them even during expeditions. According to the the locals, the last time a polar bear entered the town was in 2019.
When traveling outside the town of Longyearbyen, it is a legal requirement to carry a firearm due to the threat posed by polar bears. All tours and hikes must be accompanied by an armed expedition leader.
Cats are banned in Svalbard because they may hunt and kill native birds. Dogs are permitted and there is a dog hotel in Longyearbyen where people who live in apartments can keep their dogs.
Births & Burials in Svalbard
Due to Svalbard’s remote location, people with medical needs (e.g., deliveries and acute illness) are obliged to go to mainland Norway. Dead body burial is not permitted in Svalbard due to permafrost and cremation is not an option.
Global Seed Vault
Longyearbyen was chosen as the main location of Global Seed Vault (aka Doomsday Vault), which holds copies of all the world’s seeds (from 4.5 million crops) to ensure against loss in the event of a global crisis.
Is Longyearbyen a beautiful resort town?
Longyearbyen was a coal miners town and the buildings don’t have any interesting architecture. Once you land in the airport and head to the town, you will see several surrounding large mountains (without snow in summer) and a retreating glacier at one end. Overall, the view is not breathtaking when compared to the Lofoten region in Norway.
There are several clothing stores (tax-free) and restaurants located on a single street in Longyearbyen along with a large COOP grocery/convenience store. You just need a day to explore tax-free shopping and walk from one end of town to the other before you run into polar bear signs. Since you can’t just go on hikes on your own, you must plan all the activities that interest you in Svalbard prior to arrival.
Husky Cafe
The Husky Cafe is an interesting place to sit and relax while drinking hot coffee, chai latte while petting the 3 huskies.
Things to do in Svalbard
Svalbard Museum
The Svalbard museum has a ticket fee of 150NOK and offers a wealth of information and exhibits.
Svalbard Tours
Svalbard offers several hiking, boating and ATV tours to keep one occupied for several days (link). However, most activities (including hikes) cost a minimum of $120-400 per person and can significantly add to the total trip cost and weather plays a big role in the way you enjoy each adventure (even sunny days can be very windy for water-based adventures).
When looking for reviews for a particular activity, you will encounter several negative and positive reviews on TripAdvisor due to both the weather and expectations of seeing wild life (e.g., polar bears and walruses).
When booking activities in Svalbard, I encourage readers to ask themselves the following questions:
- Have you ever done glacier walking, cave exploring, dog sledding (e.g., in Iceland or Alaska)?
- Have you ever seen polar bears during a trip to Churchill, Canada?
- Have you ever seen walruses before (e.g., Antarctica cruise)?
- Have you ever taken a glacier cruise (e.g., Patagonia Grey glacier or Perito Moreno glacier cruise)?
- Have you ever hiked in Norway (e.g., Senja or Lofoten)?
Svalbard Summer activities
Most of these activities provide you with overalls, boots, mittens and glasses; you should deduct 2 hours from the total activity time which is consumed by free hotel pick ups and drop offs along with changing into the cold weather gear.
Fjordcruise towards Billefjorden, the Nordenskiöld Glacier & Pyramiden
- This activity can be booked separately from svalbardcruise.com (link) and is available on Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun.
Tours from Svalbard Adventures (link)
The fjord safari to Nordenskiöld Glacier (on a smaller boat) has a view of Pyramiden from a distance compared to the fjord cruise mentioned above.
Glacier Safari takes you on an open RIB boat for an hour’s drive each way to the glacier where you park the boat to have lunch, hot chocolate and cookies.
Svalbard Winter activities
Winter activities are even more expensive compared to summer activities and require careful planning not to exceed your travel budget.
How are Svalbard glaciers compared to the rest of the world outside polar regions?
Svalbard glaciers have a nice distant view from the boat due to the surrounding unique mountain range. However, the glaciers and icebergs are much smaller compared to Greenland and rapidly retreating (exposing the mountain wall). I encourage readers to first visit the majestic Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina (link) before attempting a trip to Svalbard. The Perito Moreno glacier has an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water, which dwarfs the Svalbard glaciers.
Can you see polar bears in Svalbard?
While Svalbard is home to over 3000 polar bears, the chances of seeing them on expeditions are very slim (even when you see them, they are far away and you need binoculars or zoom lenses). If you want to see polar bears safely from a few feet away, I highly recommend visiting Churchill, Canada (review link) during the months of October and November.
Is Svalbard the best place to see the northern lights?
Svalbard ( 78 ̊ north) is located outside the aurora ring, and the other northern locations (around 68 ̊ north) in Norway, Sweden and Finland have a better chance of visualizing the northern lights. I encourage first time northern light chasers to visit Tromso, Senja, Lofoten or Abisko (review link).
Should you book all activities before arrival?
If you are coming to Svalbard in the peak summer months (July-August), I recommend booking the activities soon after booking the flights since they are likely to sell out. However, if you are arriving in shoulder months, most activities can be booked a week before arrival or after arrival based on the weather.
How long should you stay in Svalbard?
I recommend staying a minimum of 4 nights due to the unpredictable weather pattern here. During our stay we had two sunny days alternating with two cloudy, windy days. We really enjoyed the glacier safari by Svalbard Adventures (link) which was booked on a sunny day.
Longyearbyen Accommodations
Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen (link)
Radisson Blue is the only accommodation in Svalbard that can be booked with Radisson Rewards and rooms can be upgraded based on the guest status. However, it is difficult to find the award-space to book with Radisson Rewards. I was able to find award space two days at a time (not consecutively) and stayed at the Vault on the other days.
Even for cash bookings, I still recommend Radisson Blue Polar Hotel for the following reasons:
- Radisson Blue has the best looking architecture with a nice parking lot compared to the match-box looking hotels in the town.
- It has the largest lobby/lounge area in town.
- The hotel has restaurant Nansen (breakfast & dinner) and a separate Barentz pub (see images below).
- Wi-Fi in the hotel is free and fast without any password; it is nice to walk into the hotel when you are walking in the town to use the bathrooms and sit in the lobby or at the bar.
Other Accommodations in Longyearbyen
There are several other well rated accommodations in Longyearbyen that are available for cash booking (Booking.com link). Some of them are Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg, three different types of Svalbard Lodge, The Svalbard Hotel, The Vault, The Polfareren), Basecamp explorer and Coal Miners’ Cabins. The prices vary from $200-400USD per night depending on the months of travel. If the price appears too low, I recommend making sure your accommodation has a private bathroom.
During our stay, we walked to most of the hotels which all have a smaller lounge area compared to the Radisson Blue. Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is the only establishment which is located far from the shopping street, next to several commercial structures.
Svalbard Hotell | The Vault
Svalbard Hotell | The Vault is one of the best hotels in Longyearbyen due to the following:
- The hotel has a decent lobby space (not as big as Radisson Blue).
- They provide great wool wrapped slip-on shoes with room numbers on them.
- They have a great shoe storage rack at the entrance.
- The Double Room we stayed in has a perfect design with a nice sized, comfortable double bed, bathroom and two chairs and a coffee table with a great view.
- The free breakfast is excellent.
- NUGA Sushi & Noodles is located inside the hotel and serves excellent Japanese dinner.
- The hotel is located on the opposite side of the street with busy shopping/dining.
Basecamp Explorer
Basecamp explorer has a unique wooden architecture inside and we fell in love with the authentic wooden breakfast table and the wall ornaments. The front desk staff was kind enough to show us the hotel and let us take pictures. We would love to spend a few nights here during our next trip.
Longyearbyen Dining
There are several restaurants in Longyearbyen (TripAdvisor link) and we tried both NUGA Sushi & Noodles (located inside the Svalbard Hotell, The Vault) and Saenphet Thai restaurants.
Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup from Nuga
We enjoyed the chicken ramen noodle soup every evening while staying in Longyearbyen.
Conclusion
Svalbard is an expensive place to visit and the trip costs can be significantly reduced by using transferable points to book the flights and possibly the accommodation if you have Radisson Rewards.