Where is svalbard norway

Seasons and climate. Travel tips A-Z. Green travel. Getting here. Getting around. Travelling with disabilities. Typically Norwegian.

Scandic Hotels — in all major cities from north to south. Nordic Choice Hotels — a different hotel company. Thon Hotels — with fantastic breakfast. Radisson Blu Hotels — discover your favourite destinations. Citybox — modern and affordable hotels in a central location. AutoEurope — always a smooth car rental experience.

Vy express — travel with bus throughout Norway. Rent-A-Wreck — the smart car rental alternative. Vy — it should be easy to travel green. Cabin Campers — your cottage on four wheels. Authentic Scandinavia — exciting Norway tours. Up Norway — tailored journeys. Discover Norway — skiing, biking and hiking tours in Norway. Norwegian Holidays — low-price package holidays with Norwegian.

Flight, hotel and rental car. Secret Atlas — Svalbard and Northern Norway. Small Ship with 12 guests. Stromma — sightseeing, excursions and experiences with bus, boat and train.

DanCenter — your specialist in holiday homes in Norway. Norgesbooking — book your perfect cabin stay in Norway. Scroll down for inspiration, or plan your trip now. Silent and vast underneath the northern lights — so close to the North Pole …. Longyearbyen is a cosmopolitan city with modern hotels, a brewery and more than 15 different restaurants. Dine on locally sourced delicacies like Svalbard grouse, Svalbard reindeer, Atlantic cod and Arctic char, accompanied with herbs and mushrooms from the tundra.

There are many glaciers near Longyearbyen. Experience a one-day cruise and take in the majestic ice wall of the glacier from the sea. Remember to keep your distance — the ice is calving, so big chunks of ice occasionally fall into the water, creating giant waves!

You can also walk on the glacier with a guide, or explore magical ice caves that take you back to the ice age! This is because ….

We must respect their reign over this territory. Arctic nature is unforgiving, yet fragile. Explore the varied, pristine landscape of Svalbard on foot, skis, or snowmobile …. Many operators offer daytrips. One green option is to try Hurtigruten's silent, hybrid-driven catamaran. Journey by boat or a snowmobile to the city of Pyramiden — a living museum that takes you back to the days of the Soviet Union.

In its heyday, 1, people lived here. Most of the inhabitants moved away when the coal mine closed. Today, you can stay at the Pyramiden hotel. The mining town of Barentsburg is located West of Longyearbyen. The roughly residents make this the second biggest settlement on Svalbard. The remote Norwegian islands are a tourist draw for adventurers, wildlife lovers and the curious. Whether it's exploring the Russian settlements or taking in the spectacular scenery of the Arctic desert fact number 6!

I've pulled together this list of fascinating facts about Svalbard to help you understand more about this remarkable place. Even Norwegians need to show their passport when travelling to Svalbard. That's because while Norway is part of the European Schengen area , the archipelago is not. Flights to Longyearbyen airport leave from the non-Schengen zone of Oslo Airport, and everyone is required to show their passport regardless of nationality.

You must carry a gun outside the settlements. In a law the Governor of Svalbard requires anyone travelling outside the settlements to have the means to scare off a polar bear. This means carrying a firearm is mandatory, and items like flare guns are also highly recommended.

It is prohibited to use a weapon within the settlements though. Polar bears live alongside people. The population changes seasonally but there tends to be around 2, people living in Svalbard. Nearly everyone lives in the capital, Longyearbyen. But the real natives of these islands are the polar bears. Numbers have actually increased of late and are said to number around 3, However, this population calls a wide area its home, only part of which is Svalbard. The bears tend to stay clear of the settlements.

However, bears do sometimes approach buildings due to desperate hunger. Seven of Norway's 47 national parks are on Svalbard. Norway's national parks are created to ensure the preservation of nature for future generations. They are scattered all over Norway, with 85 percent of them being mountainous. Sixty percent of Svalbard's land is protected.

The mountains, glaciers and islands of Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park are home to historical monuments including former whaling stations and burial grounds. Svalbard is classified as a desert. However, average temperatures on Svalbard have increased rapidly over the last few years and the climate is becoming wetter as a result.

Earlier this year, Svalbard recorded its th consecutive month of above average temperatures. Much of the islands are covered with rock and ice, making it nearly impossible for vegetation to grow. See the photo just above to appreciate what this looks like! However, nearly impossible is not the same as impossible. The flora of Svalbard is surprisingly diverse, albeit in small areas. The strong and warm North Atlantic current reaches all the way to Svalbard creating a surprisingly favourable climate along the west coast and the less oceanic interior parts of Spitsbergen, the latitude taken into account.

The climatic gradients and a variety of different bedrocks create a large diversity of habitats, something that is reflected in Svalbards intriguing flora — Flora of Svalbard.

You can see the northern lights during the day. It's well-known that to see the northern lights you need darkness, which means travelling to the north of Norway in the winter. But Svalbard is so far north that the sun doesn't rise for four months during the winter. The archipelago is invaded by birds which migrate here in vast numbers to nest. On the seemingly inhospitable tundra, a minor miracle occurs at ground level as a rich flora emerges in the most unthinkable of places, offering life where you would hardly believe it was possible for plants to take root.

When the landscape dries up after the snow melts, countless possibilities for hiking emerge. Many locals transform into eager hikers and head for the mountain peaks which surround Longyearbyen. Consequently, outdoor recreation still dominates the lives of the locals. Hiking boots make way for boats or kayaks when we set our sights on slightly longer trips. Svalbard is large and diverse, boasting nature which is surprisingly rich and extremely varied. At the same time, we have personal experiences of climate change and the threats it poses here in the Arctic, and we are worried about the future.

We live as one with nature, and we work in harmony to uphold the good life that we do have throughout the enormous seasonal variations in temperature, light and darkness. We love this place and are proud to call ourselves Svalbardians. We also love to receive visitors from all over the world — all year round.

I welcome you to Longyearbyen and Svalbard — and hope you have wonderful, memorable and profound experiences as a guest in our small, local community.

Arctic greetings from The Visit Svalbard Team. Skip To Main Content. Site Search. Activity Planner. NO EN. June Longyearbyen Literature Festival 6. October Dark Season Blues Festival Book Activity. Each season has its unique charms and characteristics. The Midnight Sun, beautiful colours and contrasts add an extra dimension to glaciers, majestic mountain formations and the endless Arctic tundra. Northern Lights Winter. In late October, the sun casts its last rays over the landscape this year, and Svalbard enters the magical and mythical Northern Lights Winter.

As the light returns, the activity level and energy increases.