The Svalblog: Tips for Visiting the Northernmost Town on Earth

So you’re thinking about visiting Svalbard. You’ve probably seen Cecelia Blomdahl’s videos and now you’re considering a visit. The TL;DR version of this blog is that it’s a 10/10 experience, but you’ve got to be hardy.

I am not an expert by any means. The following is what I learned after spending five nights there during polar winter. There will be at least two pieces of information in this blog that was not mentioned anywhere in my extensive research prior to my visit. This information is as of February 2024.

Before You Go:

Svalbard is completely cashless. They do not accept cash and there is no bank or ATM. Normally cash is king, but here it’s about as useful as a glass hammer.

Getting There:

The first thing to know is that there is no passport control for Svalbard (hence there is no Svalbard citizenship). This means that no matter where you are coming from in the world and what route you choose, you will have to get off the plane at Tromsø, Norway. Scandinavian airlines offers the most direct flight. I opted to spend a few days in Oslo first via Iceland Air.

Also since there is no passport stamp for Svalbard, you can ask the nice people at the post office for unofficial stamps:

Norwegian Airlines offers flights from Oslo to Tromsø. Please note Norwegian Airlines no longer offers any flights to or from the U.S.

Upon arrival to Svalbard you can take a shuttle to any hotel via Svalbard Buss Og Taxi. They run constantly. Unsurprisingly there is no ride sharing service. Svalbard Buss Og Taxi is also the sole taxi service.

A Note on Polar Night

Sleeping is difficult. I didn’t know until I was there for three days, that the reason I had insomnia was due to the darkness. The lack of natural light disrupts your circadian rhythm. Your brains stops making melatonin because it needs to see the sun. It wasn’t horrible, but you may want to consider bringing melatonin with you.

Things to Do:

In my opinion, you really don’t need a car. The town of Longyearben is small. I only needed a cab once to get to the brewery as it is not downtown and I used the shuttle to and from the airport. The various tours offer pickup and drop off.

There are a multitude of blogs and websites that give ideas on tours and things to do, so I won’t do that here except to mention my favorites.

This archipelago is not for those with mobility problems. Handicap accessibility is nonexistent. It’s an active and icy place to visit. The average age of people who live there is 33. There are less than 3,000 people so just know you will see the same people over and over again.

Bring yak tracks or snow spikes of some sort. When you go inside stores, restaurants, and museums you will need to take them off.

Also you do not wear shoes indoors at most places, even restaurants. Your options are to either wear thick socks and be ok with walking around like that, or some places have slippers or they will give you disposable shoe covers. If you’re weird about feet (no judgment) this may be an issue for you.

My personal favorites were:

The Huskies Cafe (complete with huskies you can pet)

Ice cave

Tour of the town (do this the first day so you get the lay of the land).

Seed Vault (you can’t go inside)

Svalbard Museum

Brewery

I took a northern lights tour, but didn’t see the aurora borealis. I did see it in NJ several months later (IYKYK).

Food

I am a vegetarian and had no problem finding food except at the airport. There are a multitude of options and Norwegian breakfast is amazing. There are a bunch of restaurants and a few cafes.

Departure

I gave myself an extra night and stayed in Oslo

Upon leaving. Svalbard airport does not offer daily flights, hence giving myself an extra day to get home just in case something went awry. Svalbard is also the smallest airport I’ve ever been in. There is literally just THE gate. There is one small kiosk with some food and souvenirs and a self-service coffee stand. No vegetarian food except for some prepackaged bread with cinnamon butter.

Please note when leaving and stopping at Tromsø on your way out, you have to deplane and pick up your luggage and check it again, and go through passport control.

Svalbard is an amazingly beautiful and eerie place in the winter. I highly recommend it to be added to your bucket list.