Svalbard. An Arctic playground where there are more polar bears than people, filled with glaciers, the Northern Lights, the midnight sun, and frozen tundra. It may look barren from a distance, but it is filled with arctic wildlife like reindeer, walrus, and polar bears. If you like the idea of exploring the great outdoors, your options are almost endless, winter or summer.
In this guide, we’ll help you plan an epic trip to Svalbard: the best things to do, how to get there and get around, and a full day-by-day itinerary based on our own five days on the ground.
Our Svalbard Experience: We spent 5 days in Svalbard, kayaking Adventfjord, summiting Hiorthfjellet, glacier kayaking, and cruising to Pyramiden, all based out of Longyearbyen. Every recommendation here, from hotels to excursions, comes from what we actually did.
The Essentials
DAYS NEEDED | 5 days (3 minimum)
BEST TIME TO VISIT | Mid-May to September (polar summer)
HOW TO GET THERE | Fly via Oslo or Tromsø to Longyearbyen
WHERE TO STAY | Longyearbyen — Svalbard’s only real home base
CURRENCY | Norwegian Krone (NOK)
PASSPORT | Required — Svalbard is outside the Schengen Zone
Why Go to Svalbard?
If you look at Svalbard on globe, it looks like it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from the North Pole. Longyearbyen, located at 78° north, is the world’s northernmost community.
This is the kind of place where the locals take their kayak, their rifle, their tent, and their dog, and spend days exploring the icy landscapes. These people are badass.
In Svalbard, many adventures await. You can go on “soft” adventures like short hikes or boat cruises. You can step it up a notch by kayaking past glaciers or exploring the snowy landscapes by snowmobile. Or you can be a badass too and go on multi-day snowmobile or sled dog expeditions. If you have lots of time and money to spend, take a one-week cruise around Svalbard in search of polar bears.
Tim and Tyler kayaking in front of Svea Glacier
Honestly, part of why we booked this trip is that it just sounded cool. Journeying that far north, into the Arctic Circle and somewhere genuinely off the beaten path. We weren’t sure going in whether we’d like it as much as we hoped, but all four of us loved it even more than expected.
Svalbard gave us a string of firsts: our first time seeing the midnight sun (which made it surprisingly hard to fall asleep), our first time summiting a mountain during a snowstorm (in summer!), our first time kayaking past glaciers, and the first, and only, time we’ve needed a guide carrying a rifle just to go on a hike.
Svalbard stole my heart, and I was completely unprepared for that. I’m not someone who’s naturally drawn to the cold, or treeless landscapes, or the kind of barrenness you find here. That’s exactly why it got me. It’s beautiful in a way that has nothing to do with tropical beaches or forest-covered mountains. We’ve only been once, but we’re dreaming about going back.
Svalbard Geography 101
Before we dive into what to do and where to go, it helps to get a quick geography lesson.
Svalbard Map
Svalbard
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago that is located in the Arctic Ocean. The name Svalbard refers to this entire group of islands.
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest island in Svalbard. This island takes up more than half of Svalbard and it is where you will find almost all of the towns and settlements, with the exception of a few meteorological outposts.
Before the signing of the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, the entire archipelago was known as Spitsbergen. In the 1920’s, Norway renamed the archipelago Svalbard, but even today, you can still sometimes see this landmass referred to as Spitsbergen.
The smaller islands go by the names Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya.
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement in Svalbard. It is also the world’s northernmost city. This is a town where the streets have no names, reindeer wander through town, and there are more snowmobiles than people. If you have plans to visit Svalbard, Longyearbyen is where you will eat, sleep, and fill your time in between arctic adventures.
Learn more about Longyearbyen, including what to do in town in between excursions, in our article Best Things to Do in Longyearbyen.
Pyramiden
Pyramiden is an abandoned Russian mining town near Longyearbyen, once one of the most popular excursions in Svalbard. According to National Geographic, it’s one of the top ten best ghost towns to visit in the world. Tour availability has been inconsistent since 2022. See our itinerary section below for current details.
Learn more on how to plan a visit here in our article about Pyramiden.
Barentsburg
Barentsburg is the only Russian settlement remaining since Pyramiden was abandoned. It’s primarily a mining town, though there’s a hotel and a few shops for visitors arriving from Longyearbyen. A day cruise combining Barentsburg and Pyramiden used to be a popular option, though, like Pyramiden, availability has been inconsistent since 2022.
Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund is a settlement that is primarily a research facility. This town is owned and operated by Kings Bay, which provides the facilities for the research institutes.
Best Time to Visit Svalbard
We visited Svalbard at the end of June, right in the heart of polar summer. Temperatures hovered around 45°F (7°C), with the sun never really setting. This is peak season, so expect the biggest crowds of the year. Even so, Longyearbyen felt almost empty compared to pretty much anywhere else in Europe in summer.
Svalbard can be visited year-round, and the season you choose will completely shape what you can do. There are three main seasons here.
The summer months, from mid-May through the end of September, bring relatively warm temperatures and the midnight sun. If you haven’t experienced the sun shining at 1 am, it’s wild. This is the best window for hiking and kayaking, though without snow on the ground, snowmobiling is out.
During the winter months, from October through February, Svalbard gets dark and cold. The upside is having a very good shot at seeing the Northern Lights.
Spring, from March through mid-May, brings the sun back, along with enough snow for snowmobiling and dog sledding.
On a return visit, we’d like to return in the spring, sometime around mid-April into May, to see Svalbard with more snow, and have at least a few hours of darkness in the evening.
Svalbard in June
Svalbard’s Seasons at a Glance
- Sunny Winter (March–mid-May): Returning daylight, snowmobiling and sled dog expeditions
- Polar Summer (mid-May–Sept): Midnight sun, warmest temps, best for hiking and glacier kayaking
- Northern Lights Winter (Oct–Feb): 24-hour darkness, prime aurora viewing, dog sledding
The graphs below depict the average monthly temperatures and precipitation for the town of Longyearbyen, which will help you plan your trip to Svalbard.
Hiorthfjellet | Hiking to the top of this mountain was one of our favorite things to do in Svalbard
5-Day Svalbard Itinerary
How many days do you need in Svalbard? The minimum is two full days and three nights, which is enough time for two excursions. We spent 5 days and felt that was close to ideal: enough time for three full-day excursions plus two mornings to explore Longyearbyen on our own, without feeling rushed between adventures.
Here is our itinerary.
✈️ Day 1: Arrive in Svalbard
We flew from New York → Oslo, then on to Longyearbyen, arriving at 9 pm. Passport control happens in Oslo, not Longyearbyen. Svalbard sits outside the Schengen Zone, but since you connect through mainland Norway, that’s where immigration is handled.
We took the airport shuttle bus into town, and checked into our hotel, the Basecamp Hotel. Thanks to the midnight sun, it was still bright daylight at 9 pm in late June, so even after two flights and a layover we managed a walk through Longyearbyen before an early dinner and bed.
Booking tip: We booked our excursions, the Arctic Challenge, the Pyramiden cruise, and glacier kayaking, in February for our late-June trip. Svalbard’s excursion operators run limited daily capacity and popular trips can sell out, so book as soon as your dates are set rather than waiting until you arrive.
🥾 Day 2: Arctic Challenge Excursion (Kayaking & Hiking)
We ate breakfast at our hotel, then took a short walk to meet our guide and the kayaks.
This was the Arctic Challenge, which consisted of kayaking across Adventfjord and hiking to the summit of Hiorthfjellet, and it took up most of the day. On the way back, our guide drove us out to the famous “Polar Bear” road sign for photos. We ate dinner in Longyearbyen Polfareren.
This was our favorite day in Svalbard. The combination of kayaking and a mountain summit in one outing is hard to beat.
🛳️ Day 3: Cruise to Pyramiden, Nordenskiöld Glacier, or Isfjorden
We had a free morning in Longyearbyen which we spent souvenir shopping. We picked up T-shirts, laptop stickers, and a stuffed polar bear, all easy to find along the main street.
From noon to 7 pm, we cruised to Pyramiden. Seeing a glacier that massive for the first time was the highlight of the day. We ate dinner at Kroa.
Currently: Tours to Pyramiden have been inconsistent since 2022, when Svalbard’s tourism council recommended its members stop doing business with Russian state-owned operators (Pyramiden is run by the Arktikugol Trust). Some independent operators still run the route, more reliably later in the season, but a landing isn’t guaranteed. If Pyramiden isn’t available for your dates, a fjord cruise toward the Nordenskiöld Glacier is a great substitute. HTG, Svalbard Adventures, and Brim Explorer all run full-day trips into Isfjorden and Billefjorden with similar glacier and wildlife viewing.
🚣♀️ Day 4: Glacier Kayaking Excursion
On this full day excursion, we road out to the glacier by RIB boat, then into the kayaks for a full day of glacier kayaking with Better Moments. This was our first time glacier kayaking (we’ve since done it again in Iceland and Alaska), and getting that close to an active glacier was yet another unforgettable moment. We ate dinner at Kroa.
✈️ Day 5: Morning in Longyearbyen, Afternoon Flight
We spent our final morning in Longyearbyen visiting the North Pole Museum and the Svalbard Museum, before lunch at Fruene Kaffe and a 2 pm flight to Tromsø.
We felt like this was a nice amount of time for our first visit to Svalbard. If we had one more day, it would have been perfect. During the planning process, we weren’t sure if we were going to like Svalbard, which sounds crazy, because now it’s one of our favorite spots in the world.
Kayaking across Adventfjord
Best Things to Do in Svalbard
Svalbard’s activities shift with the seasons: hiking and glacier kayaking in summer, dog sledding and snowmobiling once the snow returns, and the northern lights overhead through the dark winter months.
Summer (mid-May–September): Hiking, glacier kayaking, boat cruises, walrus safaris, ATV tours, dog sledding on wheels.
Winter (October–February): Northern lights expeditions, ice cave tours, snowmobile trips, dog sledding.
Spring (March–mid-May): Hiking, snowmobile excursions, boat cruises, walrus expeditions, ski expeditions, and (through March) more northern lights.
For our full list of favorite Svalbard experiences, including what to do in town between excursions, see The Best Things to Do in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
For our own firsthand excursions:
For a full list of the activities and excursions in Svalbard, visit the official Visit Svalbard website. It can be a little overwhelming, but by using the filters of time of year, activity, and duration, you can narrow down your choices.
Nordenskiold Glacier (we took this photo on the cruise to Pyramiden)
How to Get to Svalbard
You can reach Svalbard by airplane or, less commonly, by cruise ship.
SAS and Norwegian both fly to Longyearbyen from Oslo, with SAS flights sometimes routing through Tromsø along the way. Flights run most frequently in summer and thin out considerably in winter.
Hurtigruten offers cruises to and from Svalbard. For a full list of their options, click here.
Svalbard is located outside of the Schengen zone. You will need to bring your passport.
How to Get around Longyearbyen
An airport shuttle bus meets every incoming flight and stops at most hotels in town. A taxi will cost more. See the bus timetable here.
Longyearbyen itself is small and easy to walk everywhere. For any excursions you book, transportation to and from is usually included in the cost.
Where to Stay in Longyearbyen
Basecamp Hotel. Warm, cozy, and rustic, this is just what you would imagine an arctic hotel to look like. The hotel offers lots of different excursions, the included breakfast is awesome, and the hotel has a fantastic location right in the center of town.
Basecamp Hotel
We spent two nights here, staying in the family room. We had two bedrooms, a loft, a bathroom, and a small living area. We loved it here.
Radisson Blu Polar Hotel. The Radisson Blu is the largest hotel in Longyearbyen and recently renovated. This had a totally different vibe than the Basecamp Explorer. This seemed to be where all of the tour groups stayed. It did not have that quiet, cozy, rustic feel like Basecamp Explorer but our room was amazing.
We stayed in the Ulf Prytz suite. This place was huge and our view across Adventfjord to Hiorthfjellet was spectacular. Tyler and Kara slept on pull out sofas in the living room and Tim and I slept in the bedroom. Breakfast was also included.
We disliked the crowded, touristy feel of this hotel. If it weren’t for our awesome suite and its amazing view, I think we would have disliked it here. Our hotel room was located in a separate building so we only had to join the crowds when we ate breakfast.
Svalbard Hotell. This modern hotel is located in the center of Longyearbyen. The rooms are beautifully decorated and complimentary breakfast is provided. This hotel is also home to Polfareren, a gourmet restaurant we loved.
Coal Miner’s Cabins. If you are looking for a decent budget accommodation, this is a great choice. Many rooms have a shared bathroom, although there are a few rooms where you can pay more for a private bathroom. This hotel is located outside of the city center so expect a 20-minute walk to get down into town.
Gjestehuset 102. This hostel is another good budget option. It’s located very close to the Coal Miner’s Cabins. All rooms have a shared bathroom.
Funken Lodge. This newly refurbished hotel is one of the most expensive options on this list. Rooms are large and modern and there is a French restaurant attached to the property. Funken Lodge is located a short walk outside of the heart of Longyearbyen.
Mary-Ann’s Polarigg. This quirky hotel has turned the old, wooden barracks of the miners into hotel rooms. Prices vary widely, from cheaper rooms with a shared bathroom to very expensive suites.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: If you will be visiting Svalbard during the summer months, make sure you pack a sleep mask. Not all hotels provide blackout curtains and having a sleep mask could help you catch those zzz’s you need.
Our Recommendations
If you are looking for a small, rustic hotel, pick the Basecamp Explorer.
If you want a modern hotel that gets rave reviews and is located in the center of town, stay at the Svalbard Hotell.
If you don’t want to spend a fortune, take your pick from the Coal Miner’s Cabins or Gjestehuset 102.
Finally, if you want a room with a view, try booking the Ulf Prytz Suite at the Radisson Blu.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: Book your hotels and your excursions as soon as you know the dates for your trip. We booked our hotels at the beginning of February for our trip at the end of June. We were unable to get four consecutive nights at one hotel for our dates, which is why we stayed in two different hotels.
Looking back at Longyearbyen during our hike up Hiorthfjellet | Best Things to Do in Svalbard
Where to Eat
Kroa. This restaurant was recommended to us by Nanna, our guide on the Arctic Challenge. It was so good we ate here twice! It’s warm and cozy inside, with a rustic décor and animal skins on the walls. The moose burgers are awesome and so is the chocolate fondant cake. If you’re vegetarian, I ate the lentil stew, which was also very good.
Svalbar. This is a great place to go for burgers and beer.
Polfareren. If you want a gourmet meal that doesn’t totally blow the budget, we recommend this restaurant. Everything we ate was amazing.
Fruene Kaffe Og Vinbar. This bakery serves pastries and sandwiches and soups. It’s a great place if you are looking for good, budget friendly food.
Gruvelageret. This is the closest you can get to a Michelin starred restaurant in Svalbard. Located in an old mining hut, you dine on a four course set menu of white bean soup, reindeer, halibut, and profiteroles.
Huset Svalbard. This is Longyearbyen’s premier dining experience. Come here for a gourmet dinner or for a wine tasting. The 20,000 bottle wine cellar is the northernmost wine cellar in the world and receives multiple awards from Wine Spectator.
Funktionærmessen. Located inside Funken Lodge, this restaurant was just named to National Geographic’s 2026 Culinary Collection. We haven’t eaten here ourselves, but that’s recent enough recognition to be worth a look if you’re staying at Funken Lodge or want a splurge dinner.
Nansen. The signature restaurant at the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, where we stayed. It serves an Arctic-Asian menu with views over Adventfjorden and Hiorthfjellet, and comes recommended enough to be worth including here.
Café Huskies. This cafe opened after our visit and has become one of Longyearbyen’s most talked-about newer spots. A handful of retired sled dogs roam around while you get coffee and cake. We haven’t been, but it’s a fun, low-key stop between excursions.
What’s the Best Way to See a Polar Bear?
It’s estimated that 3,000 polar bears call Svalbard home. It may sound like a lot, but even so, you have to be very lucky in order to spot one of these guys.
There are no “official” polar bear expeditions. You just have to hope that you are lucky enough to spot a polar bear while out on another expedition.
Your best chances of spotting a polar bear is by going on a multi-day cruise around Svalbard, usually during the summer months. Even then, there is no guarantee.
How Much Does It Cost to Visit Svalbard?
Svalbard is expensive. This is not a budget destination. There are ways to cut costs, such as staying in a hostel and buying your food at the grocery store rather than dining in restaurants. But if you’re going to fly all of the way to Svalbard, you have to be prepared to fork over some serious money to really experience the island.
We have detailed article of how much we spent in Svalbard, with a full cost breakdown of flights, activities, accommodations, and meals ↓
Our Svalbard Budget: How Much Does it Cost to Visit Svalbard?
Svalbard is an expensive place to visit. Here’s what to expect.Packing List for Svalbard
For a detailed list of what to pack for the summer months, read our Svalbard Packing Guide ↓
Svalbard Packing List: What to Pack for the Summer Months
If you will be visiting Svalbard in the summer, here is what you should pack (plus one thing we really wish we had!).Frequently Asked Questions about Svalbard
Is Svalbard worth it?
Yes, for travelers looking for a genuinely unique destination. With Arctic landscapes and excursions built around kayaking, glacier cruises, wildlife cruises, and hiking, Svalbard is unlike anywhere else in Europe, or most of the world. It is expensive, though, so it’s not for everyone. It’s only worth the cost if you plan to do at least one or two excursions. Flying there, staying there, and eating there all add up, and you need to get beyond Longyearbyen itself to make the trip worth it.
How many days do you need in Svalbard?
Plan on a minimum of two full days and three nights, which is enough time for two excursions. We spent 5 days and felt that was close to ideal, with time for three full-day excursions and two free mornings in Longyearbyen. If you can swing 6 days, take it.
Why do you need a rifle outside of town in Svalbard?
Polar bears roam freely across the archipelago, and Svalbard’s regulations require anyone leaving the settled areas around Longyearbyen to carry a rifle, or travel with an armed guide. Around 3,000 polar bears call Svalbard home, and while encounters are rare, they’re a real possibility.
What currency is used in Svalbard?
Svalbard uses the Norwegian Krone (NOK), the same currency as mainland Norway. Credit cards are widely accepted.
Is Svalbard expensive to visit?
Yes. Svalbard is not a budget destination. Flights, accommodations, and guided excursions all come at a premium given the remote location. You can cut costs with a hostel-style stay and self-catering some meals, but excursions especially will take a significant chunk of your budget.
Plan Your Trip to Svalbard
- Want the full picture before you go? → Our Svalbard Travel Guide hub page covers top experiences, when to visit, and links to every article we’ve written about Svalbard.
- Want more things to do beyond our day-by-day? → Our Best Things to Do in Longyearbyen guide rounds up museums, shopping, and more excursion options in town.
- Have more time and want to extend your trip? → Our 10-Day Northern Norway Itinerary guide picks up right where Svalbard leaves off. It’s exactly what we did immediately after this trip, from Tromsø to the Lofoten Islands.
- Planning the rest of your Norway trip? → Our Norway Travel Guide covers every region, from the fjords to Svalbard, with links to every article we’ve written.
- Deciding what else to see in Norway? → Our 20 Best Things to Do in Norway guide covers the fjords, Lofoten Islands, and Svalbard highlights all in one place.
Do you have any questions about how to plan a trip to Svalbard? Comment below if you have any questions!
Explore More of Norway
How to Plan a Trip to Svalbard, Norway
Travel information and advice for Svalbard, Norway. Best things to do in Svalbard, how to plan your Svalbard itinerary, what to pack, and more.
Best Things to Do in the Lofoten Islands: 16 Epic Experiences
Pinterest Facebook Flipboard We arrived in the Lofoten Islands after driving down from the Vesterålen Islands, and on our very first day, we climbed Svolvaergeita and hiked Svolvaer Fløya. It was a long, exhausting, unforgettable day, and somehow, it set exactly the right tone for everything that followed. By the time we left four days […]
10 Days in Norway: How to Combine the Fjords and the Lofoten Islands
After two trips to Norway, one through the fjord region, one through the far north, we started getting the same question over and over in our comments: Can we combine both into one trip? How do we do the fjords AND the Lofoten Islands in 10 days? That’s exactly what this post is for. We’ve […]
Best Hikes in Norway: 14 Epic Trails for Every Level
For hikers, few places in Europe can match Norway. The hikes in Norway are endlessly varied and genuinely world-class, from the fjords of southern Norway, the jagged peaks of the Lofoten Islands, and the remote coastline of Vesterålen and Senja. Alongside the Dolomites and the Swiss Alps, this is one of our absolute favorite places […]
Where to Stay in the Lofoten Islands: Rorbuer, Hotels & More
If you’re trying to figure out where to stay in the Lofoten Islands, the first thing you need to know is this: the islands have their own iconic accommodation type, and it’s unlike anything else in the world. Rorbuer, traditional Norwegian fishermen’s cabins, typically perched on stilts over the water, are the reason so many […]
Hiking to Måtind on the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail, Vesteralen, Norway
Norway has a way of exceeding every expectation, and the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail on Vesteralen’s Andøya island is a perfect example. We hiked to Måtind in early July as part of a road trip from Tromsø to the Lofoten Islands, squeezing it in after a morning ferry crossing from Senja, and it turned out to […]
Hiking Ryten: Kvalvika Beach Views & Lofoten’s Mini-Trolltunga
The hike to Ryten has all of the ingredients of a perfect Lofoten Islands hike: sweeping vistas across the mountains and fjords, a fun but slightly strenuous hike to a mountain peak, and a breathtaking view of a white, sandy beach. The icing on the cake is a “mini Trolltunga,” an outcropping of rock where […]
How to Hike Trolltunga: Everything You Need to Know
Trolltunga was the third hike on our first Norway trip, and by then we had a pretty good read on what Tyler and Kara could handle. They’d already done Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten, two hikes that would have been on most adults’ bucket lists, and they hadn’t complained once. Tyler was 10. Kara was 8. […]
Lofoten Islands Itinerary: 4 to 5 Days in Norway’s Most Spectacular Islands
There are places that stop you in your tracks the moment you arrive. The Lofoten Islands are one of them. We pulled over constantly, not because we planned to, but because we couldn’t drive past another mountain plunging straight into the fjord, another stretch of white sand beach backed by jagged cliffs, or another cluster […]
Kjeragbolten: Our Favorite Hike in Norway
Kjeragbolten is one of Norway’s most iconic and nerve-wracking hikes: a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord, reached by a strenuous 12 km trail from the Stavanger area. When Tim and I first researched Norway as a travel destination, we repeatedly saw photos of what looked to be crazy people standing on a boulder with […]
Complete Guide to Climbing Svolvaergeita in the Lofoten Islands
Svolvaergeita, also called “The Goat,” is a pinnacle of rock that is a popular rock climbing spot in the Lofoten Islands. It is named The Goat because of the two horns of rock that sit atop the rock. Those with a sense of adventure can climb to the top of Svolvaergeita and those who are […]
10 Day Norway Itinerary: The Ultimate Fjords and Hiking Road Trip
This 10-day itinerary through Norway’s fjord region features Stavanger, Bergen, Geirangerfjord, and Ålesund, with four bucket-list hikes — Pulpit Rock, Kjeragbolten, Trolltunga, and Romsdalseggen Ridge — plus hotel recommendations and practical planning advice based on our own road trip through Norway. This was the first road trip we ever did in Europe, but this is […]
Comments 20