Barentsburg Travel Guide

  Window with refrigerator
by tini58de
  • Window with refrigerator
      Window with refrigerator
    by tini58de
  •   Barentsburg
    by tini58de
  •   Things to Do
    by tini58de
  • Barentsburg church
      Barentsburg church
    by tini58de
  • Barentsburg Church
      Barentsburg Church
    by tini58de

Explore Barentsburg

Things to Do  

Pomor Museum

Pomor Museum, Barentsburg

 shugoey Says:  In the main street the is a Museum, which is suppose to be very interesting. We never had the time to visit on our short stop. 

and other than that....

and other than that...., Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  have fun looking for details!One thing that our tourguide pointed out to us were those little boxes within the windows. No, they are not airconditions - they are Arctic refrigerators!!! 

Guided tours

Guided tours, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  A guided tour through Barentsburg is a matter of a few minutes, maybe half an hour - not counting a visit to the museum, of course!There is not much to be seen in this little village: the sports center, the church, the museum and a few houses, along with explanations of the... 

The Church

The Church, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  The Church of Barentsburg is a very new one: it was built after a terrible plane crash, in which 141 people were killed at Operafjellet outside Longyearbyen in August 1996. These were mostly families of the miners - a terrible loss!The church is a tiny church, more like a... 

Barentsburg Museum

Barentsburg Museum, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  This really was a highlight and I am so glad we had time enough to visit this museum! They have excellent exhibitions on geology, history and flora and fauna.It is very well described both in Russian and in English - much better than the (old) museum in Longyearbyen.Entrance... 

Barentsburg

Barentsburg, Barentsburg

 agalta Says:  the russian mining town (less than 1000 inhabitants, mostly men! watch out girls!)note the wooden thing in the foreground: all pipes have to be isolated and kept above ground, like all the buildings ... otherwise they sink... (the usual permafrost problems!) 

Barentsburg

Barentsburg, Barentsburg

 agalta Says:  here they can be completely self sufficient: they have a hothouse and they raise cattle indoor too! they say it's the northernost cows...and this must be the northernmost Lenin too! 

Talking and walking along side the locals.

Talking and walking along side the locals., Barentsburg

 shiran_d Says:  The Locals told me that There aren't police because the occasional troublemaker ''just gets a little advice from the mine manager,So nice. 

Soviet symbols

Soviet symbols, Barentsburg

 shiran_d Says:  These are originals caps worn during the old Russian times. The Picture was taken inside the souvenir shop. 

Restaurants  

Barentsburg hotel: The bar at the hotel

Barentsburg hotel: The bar at the hotel, Barentsburg

 shugoey Says:  There is a bar at the hotel. Here they sell souvernirs and of cause a lot of Vodka. A shot of vodka was sold at NOK 10,-. I never saw a menu so maybe vodka was it.... 

The mine workers' cafeteria: The mine workers' cafeteria

The mine workers' cafeteria: The mine workers' cafeteria, Barentsburg

 shiran_d Says:  Our quest for food and drinks took us to the mining company cafeteria, which is not generally open to tourists (since the food is free), but after sitting around for a while, they kindly offered us a meal and some tea for free. Very hospitable, indeed. And it was quite a... 

Transportation  

No streets to Barentsburg
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

tini58de 2509 reviews
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There are no streets leading to Barentsburg, so it is necessary to take the boat! We went on a boat tour from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg. There are two tour companies offering day trips and they are basically identical. The departure times differ a little and what I heard, the food as well! We decided to take the earlier tour and were quite satisfied with it! The two companies are Spitsbergentravel and Wildlife.no.

Written May 28, 2006

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Local Customs  

they sure know how to party!!!

they sure know how to party!!!, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  When we visited Barentsburg we were very lucky: it was the Russian National Holiday!That meant:people had been partying from early morning on and were expected to keep doing so until late in the evening. On the party square south of the church there were lots of stalls -... 

Take off your shoes

Take off your shoes, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  As everywhere in Svalbard and also in many places of the Arctic, it is a custom to take off the shoes before entering a building. The photo shows the lobby of the local museum and as you can notice, they do have slippers available for you!The custom of taking off the shoes... 

Soviet heritage

Soviet heritage, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  As I mentioned before, Barentsburg is a Russian settlement on Norwegian grounds. Most inhabitants are Russian and Ukrainian coal miners and their families. Everything still looks like in old Soviet times: Mr. Lenin still greets you (our guide said, this was merely a "joke"... 

Favorites  

Facts about Barentsburg

Facts about Barentsburg, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  There is not much information on Barentsburg, except that it is the only Russian settlement on Svalbard, that according to www.world-gazeteer.com it has a declining number of inhabitants and that a few VTers have already been there...That's about it.... 

Tourism in Barentsburg

Tourism in Barentsburg, Barentsburg

 tini58de Says:  Starting in 1986 Barentsburg has opened up to tourism. Now it is possible to visit the town - usually on a boat tour from Longyearbyen. It is required that you take a guided tour with a local (that is Russian) tourguide. You get a "tour" through the town and get quite a bit... 

Soviet symbols

Soviet symbols, Barentsburg

 shiran_d Says:  Locals says they keep the Soviet relics as a reminder of the past. You can see it on this photo. There are many see my pictures. 

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Map of Barentsburg