Svalbard Things to Do

  Shopping for outdoor gear in...
by Saagar
 
  • Shopping for outdoor gear in Longyearbyen
      Shopping for outdoor gear in...
    by Saagar
  • Arctic excursion, not your average stroll
      Arctic excursion, not your average...
    by Saagar
  • Inscription on the gun
      Inscription on the gun
    by Saagar
  • Central Longyearbyen
      Central Longyearbyen
    by Saagar
  • Husky is tied into the sled harness
      Husky is tied into the sled harness
    by fred98115
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Lilliehöök Fjord

by wadekorzan

The only place in Svalbard that is NOT "off the beaten path" is the main town, Longyearbyen--and even that is way off the beaten path when it comes to the rest of the world. But of course you don't want to travel all this way just to see this small town with its few shops and houses, you've got to also see some of the wonderful nature which makes Svalbard so worth visiting. If you're coming on a large ocean vessel, most ships stop only at Longyearbyen or go a bit further north to Ny Alesund and the Magdalena Fjord. Ny Alesund is the northernmost settlement in the world with a population in summer of about 100, but in winter just 30-40 persons when the whole bay and sea is frozen. Just a tad bit north of Ny Alesund, you find the beautiful Lilliehöök Fjord and Glacier, which you can see in the photos. This place is absolutely incredible--the snow-drenched mountains dropping dramatically to...

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Daytour by snowscooter in Svalbard

by georeiser

It's recommended to rent your own snowscooters and take a trip from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg or even longer to the Isfjord Radio. When you drive down the backside of Longyearbyen, just follow the track untill you are in "Reindalen" (it's a huge valley). Then turn right untill the valley where it meets the icefjord. (It takes about 30 minutes in a speed of 100 km/h). Then keep the track along the sea. There are som deep ravine there, so take it easy. When you arrive to the russian helicopter base in Barentsburg, just follow the main road. It's a lot of things to see here. Keep slow speed in Barentsburg city. During the snowscooter tour it is possible to see polarbears.

Things to do during a Svalbard weekend

by Saagar

Difficult choise, you may not be able to do everything you want...Check out Svalbard.net and pick a selection of activities that go well together timewise and otherwise, book and pay online. That eases your life once in Longyearbyen, you do not need to waste time rushing around organising.If you are a first-timer on Svalbard, I will recommend to take the scheduled maxi-taxi-sightseeing around lunch time every day, after you have first visited the official tourist info office and the Svalbard Museum at the university centre in the morning.Stroll the main pedestrian street of Longyearbyen on a busy Saturday, see the hardy locals in t-shirts, arctic-dressed tourists and students with shouldered rifles. Odd place, this... A bit up from the town centre is Gallery Svalbard, an artist centre for Svalbard resident artists and visitors preoccupied with an artistic preoccupation with the Svalbard...

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Svalbard in December

by Saagar

Going to Longyearbyen in December? The general tourism portal is www.svalbard.net, and they do list most of the winter activities available from the tour operators and hotels - some are valid for December also, and an event calendar. So does www.svalbard.com and www.ssd.no But what are your expectations? Indoor activities, outdoor or what? Naturally, it is the low season for outdoor sightseeing - it is pitch dark. However, with clear skies, moonlight and aurora borealis in ths sky you will have a fantastic experience. The tourist office at Svalbard and the northern lights (aurora borealis) observatory might be able to tell you more once there, and perhaps trips geared for this are available upon request. You need to book tickets early for December visits to Svalbard, , especially if going close to Christmas. There is a fair amount of travelling to and fro then, as well as pre-Christmas...

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Bjørndalen hike

by Saagar

Bjørndalen (Bear Valley) is at the end of the road west of Longyearbyen - well past the airport. The road extends past some cabins and gets rougher and if not well equipped for the outdoors and polar bear encounters, turn around here. Hang around the car and look for birds, polar foxes, reindeers, but leave the doors open ready to jump back in, Bjørndalen is a passage for polar bears. Maybe I sound too dramatic or skittish, ok, but don't venture too far from the safety of the car.Well equipped and by foot or skis, this is a wonderful starting point for a day's hike or ski into Bjørndalen. The slopes of the U-shaped valley have a very dramatic look thanks to ravines in the sedimentary rock. Nice autumn colors, too, and good birdlife thanks to the relative fertility of this valley and the nearby fuglefjella sea bird cliffs toward the sea. Best in the summer/autumn as the Bjørndalen passage...

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SVALSAT polar earth station

by Saagar

Svalbard is site for the SvalSat satellite earth station for earth observation satellites; weather, ice cover, pollution etc. No doubt also more obscure stuff - greetings from Big Brother.... Read more about it via the link provided below.You can get to SvalSatby taking the road past Mine 3 above the airport, and walk in on the plateau if they do not let you drive all the way up. You can see the 6 radoms spread around the Plateau Mountain.

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CIA on Svalbard

by Saagar

Bush is busy, that's derived from the fact CIA has made lots of info on Svalbard. If I had known all this before my last trip I could have saved myself all this tourism tips stuff on VT. Well, it is a good source of info, take it for what it is...

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Study at Svalbard - UNIS

by Saagar

There is a University Centre at Svalbard, collaborating with many other circumpolar universities and Arctic research institutions. It is admionistratively linked to the University of Tromsø. It is a good chance to stay long in Svalbard bystudying at UNIS. Check it out! There are two associated web addresses that you should check below: UNIS' own and the student services organisation in Tromsø (Studentsamskipnaden i Tromsø). There are plenmty of relevant knowledge and tourist information to reap from these pages for the more casual visitor to Svalbards, too.

Gallery Svalbard

by Saagar

Artists have been drawn to Svalbard for ages. A gallery was set up some years back, mostly featuring the paintings by Kåre Tveter. Since the opeing in 1995 the scope has been considerably expanded, and more artists take sabbaticals and prolonged stays in Longyearbyen. There is a little artists colony here, in fact.There is a permanent exhibition as well as sales exhibit.This is the archive of exhibitions: http://listen.no/sted_arkiv.php?sted_id=901For opening hours, check their web site and the hotel reception where you are staying.Entry fee.

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Check out the lone gun...

by Saagar

Just near the airport/Hotellneset there is a ship cannon placed smack on the tundra. There is WW2 history connected to this one, part of the defence of Svalbard. There is currently no use of it or no function apart from being a memorial and a reindeer back-scratching tool these days.Svalbard Museum has a lot of info on the events during WW2 at Svalbard, interesting for the buffs.The cannon was placed here a few years back as a memorial of the fight between German and allied forces on Svalbard. The cannon was actually taken from a Norwegian navy vessel and placed in Barentsburg as part of defences here in 1942, and did indeed come in sort of handy in 1943 when the battleship Scharnhorst and Tirpitz destroyed Barentsburg and Longyearbyen.

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Fun things to do in Svalbard

Top 3 Hotels in Svalbard

Spitsbergen Hotel  Longyearbyen

 33 Opinions

 Hotels in Longyearbyen

Radisson Sas Polar Spitsbergen  Longyearbyen

 2 Reviews and 69 Opinions  The SAS hotel has a very central location only 100 m from the main shopping area. It has 95 rooms... 

 Hotels in Longyearbyen

Spitsbergen Guesthouse  Longyearbyen

 16 Opinions

 Hotels in Longyearbyen

5 Hotels in Svalbard
 
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Things to Do: Cities in Svalbard
  1. Longyearbyen Things to Do
  2. Ny-Ålesund Things to Do
  3. Spitsbergen Things to Do
  4. Barentsburg Things to Do

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Me and my husband are planning our anniversary trip in Spitsbergen. We're from Mexico and want this to be the trip of a lifetime.... 

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A: Hi - welcome to VT! I'd recommend staying at the Radisson. It's really nice and the restaurant is excellent. Spitsbergen Travel (www.spitsbergentravel.no/eng/) booked... 

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