The high Arctic three hours from Oslo: glaciers, walrus and polar bear country, reached on a scheduled flight.
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago roughly halfway between the mainland and the North Pole, and the easiest part of the high Arctic to reach. Longyearbyen has an airport, hotels and restaurants; beyond town there are no roads at all.
The year splits into three trips. In summer, small expedition ships circle Spitsbergen in 24-hour daylight. From March to mid-May, dog teams and snowmobiles head out across deep snow. In the polar night the sun does not rise at all.
The honest caveat is polar bears. They can be anywhere outside town, so you never walk beyond the warning signs without an armed guide, and there are no tours that seek bears out. Sightings happen from ships, at a distance, and are never promised.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
A seven to ten night voyage from Longyearbyen is the way to see the archipelago properly. Ships work the west and north coasts, landing by inflatable boat at walrus haul-outs, trappers' huts and bird cliffs. Choose a small ship: fewer people means more landings.
Kennels just outside Longyearbyen take you by sled into Adventdalen, the wide valley east of town. After a short briefing you drive your own team behind a guide. Half a day is plenty, and in late winter the light is long and blue.
In the Sunny Winter season, guided snowmobile trips cross frozen valleys to the glacier fronts of Tempelfjorden, and on long days towards the east coast. A standard car licence lets you drive. It is cold and loud, and covers ground no other trip can.
From mid-November to late January the sun stays below the horizon, and Longyearbyen is so far north that the aurora can appear in the middle of the day. Guides take you out by snowcat or sled to escape the town lights. It suits people who like the idea of darkness.
Isfjord Radio is a former coastal radio station at Kapp Linné, at the mouth of Isfjorden, now a small hotel with a good kitchen. There is no road: you arrive by snowmobile in late winter or by boat in summer. It is open from about mid-February to late September. One or two nights here gives you the silence that Longyearbyen cannot.
In winter and spring, guides lead short trips from Longyearbyen to meltwater caves inside the glaciers above town. You clip on crampons, stoop through the entrance and walk along channels of blue, banded ice. It suits anyone reasonably mobile.
Almost everyone stays in Longyearbyen, where hotels range from the design-led rooms of Funken Lodge to converted miners' barracks. Add a night or two at Isfjord Radio for remoteness. In summer, the expedition ship is your hotel, so choose it by size, ice class and how often it lands.
Oceanwide's 170-guest Polar Class 6 ship, an informal and well-run way to look for polar bears on the Svalbard sea ice.
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
A night in Oslo and one in Longyearbyen, then nine nights on an expedition ship circling Spitsbergen in the midnight sun, looking for polar bears along the pack ice, walrus on the beaches and seabird cliffs in Hinlopen Strait.
Visit Svalbard divides the year into Polar Summer (17 May to 30 September), Northern Lights Winter (October to February) and Sunny Winter (March to mid-May). Summer is for ships and wildlife under a sun that never sets, and cabins sell out a year ahead.
Sunny Winter is our favourite for first-timers who want snow: the light is back, the snow is at its best and sledding and snowmobiling run all day. The polar night is a niche trip, short on daylight activities but good for aurora and the strange blue light at noon.
A summer trip built around a small-ship expedition cruise, with nights in Longyearbyen on either side to settle in and to allow for weather. 10 nights.
Fly via Oslo, arriving in daylight whatever the hour, and walk the town circuit before dinner.
A guided kayak on Adventfjorden or a hike above town, then board your ship as it sails out along Isfjorden.
Glacier cruising in Krossfjorden and Magdalenefjorden, with landings at old whaling sites and a stop at the research settlement of Ny-Ålesund.
Liefdefjorden and the Monacobreen glacier, then north along the pack ice if conditions allow: the best stretch for bears, seen from the ship.
South for walrus haul-outs and bird cliffs, finishing in Hornsund among jagged peaks and tidewater glaciers.
Disembark in the morning, visit the Svalbard Museum and enjoy a long dinner in town.
Fly back via Oslo, allowing a generous connection in case of fog delays in Longyearbyen.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Svalbard (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
There are no flights from the UK. Fly from Heathrow to Oslo, about 2 hours, then take SAS or Norwegian to Longyearbyen, about 3 hours. There are also flights from Tromsø, about 1.5 hours.
Svalbard is part of Norway but sits outside Schengen checks, so your passport is inspected on the way in and out. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Svalbard (opens in a new tab)
Cold is the main risk, with strong glare off snow and water. Bring proper layers and seasickness remedies for open-sea crossings. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page before you go.
The currency is the Norwegian krone. Shops in Longyearbyen prefer cards, and you cannot exchange currency in Svalbard, so arrive with a card that has low foreign fees.
EU-style roaming does not automatically apply in Svalbard, so check your UK plan. An eSIM on the Telenor or Telia networks works well in town; Telenor usually reaches further. Ships have limited satellite wifi.
Tipping is not generally expected in Norway, though people do tip in bars and restaurants for good service. Expedition ships set their own gratuity policies, and we confirm yours before you sail.
Possibly, but nobody can promise it. It is illegal to lure, pursue or disturb polar bears, so there are no bear safaris. The best chance is from a summer expedition ship along the north coast and the pack ice, watching from a safe distance. Treat any sighting as a bonus.
Yes, within the town limits. Polar bear warning signs mark the edge of town on the roads out, and beyond them you need a guide carrying a rifle and scaring devices. The town circuit of about 8 km passes most of the sights and needs no protection.
Late winter, from March to mid-May, is excellent: deep snow, returning light and full days of sledding and snowmobiling. The polar night, from mid-November to late January, is a specialist trip for aurora and atmosphere, with little else to do outdoors.
Svalbard is compact and quick to reach, with scheduled flights and a real town at each end. A voyage through Canada's Northwest Passage covers far more distance and Inuit culture, but needs more time and charter flights. See our [Arctic page](/destinations/polar/the-arctic).
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: March, April and June to August.
Icebergs the size of towns, an ice sheet you can drive to and Inuit communities, four hours from Copenhagen.
The Northwest Passage by expedition ship: Franklin's route through Arctic Canada, narwhal waters and Inuit communities.
Iceland puts glaciers, geysers and black-sand beaches three hours from London, with midnight sun in June and aurora in winter.
The Antarctic Peninsula by small expedition ship from Ushuaia: penguin colonies, blue ice and landings by inflatable boat.
