Longyearbyen

Travel Guide Europe Svalbard Longyearbyen

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Introduction

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Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard and is located at the main island Spitsbergen (often also the name of the total archipelago). It is the one of the largest settlements this north in the world and with about 2,000 inhabitants it is not particularly small for its location. It is the administrative centre of the country, as well as the main starting point for travellers to visit the unique natural features of Svalbard. The town itself may not be of any specific interest to travellers, but the feeling of being in the place makes up for the lack in sights and activities in Longyearbyen. The place has long dark winters between November and early February but has 24 hours of daylight from May until early August. It is one of a few places in Svalbard with good facilities for travellers, other than camping or staying on (expedition) ships.

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Sights and Activities

  • Svalbard Church - The world's northernmost church.
  • Spitsbergen Airship Museum - The museum opened in November 2008 and tells the story about 3 airships, all trying to reach the North Pole. The exhibition consists of photographs, documents, artefacts, film and various models of landscapes, boats, airplanes and airships.
  • Evening boat tour to Tempelfjorden, Tuna-and Von Post glacier - This is a panoramic tour to the mighty glacier in the Tuna-and Von Post glacier innermost in the Temple Fjord.
  • Boat trip to Borebreen - A short evening trip with MS Polargirl to Borebreen on the north side of the fjord. On the north side are the glaciers in a row. If you are lucky you will see ringed seals and bearded seals.
  • Fossil walk - At the top of Longyear valley are two glaciers: Lars glacier and Longyear glacier. Longyear glacier has bedrock which has eroded of thousands of years during which the stone and gravel was moved to a large moraine. It is in these rocks we find 40 to 60 million year old plant and animal fossils.
  • Kayak across Advent fjord - Paddle in double kayaks across Advendtfjorden. Experience Svalbard Nature and without interfering it, the kayaks glide towards the steep mountains behind Hiorthamn
  • Ride on a Icelandic horse - Nice ride on Icelandic horses. You will ride along the fjord and over the tundra among birds, foxes and hardy flora.

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Events and Festivals

Festivals

There are several annual festivals held in Svalbard:

  • Polar Jazz, end of January. 4-5 day jazz festival.
  • Sunfest Week, around March 8th. A celebration of the end of the polar night
  • Blues Festival, at the end of October. A blues-themed way to mark the approach of winter.
  • KunstPause Svalbard, around 14 November. An arts festival timed to match the beginning of the polar night.

Most big concerts are held at "Huset", which has been the stage for many of the big Norwegian bands and theatre ensembles over the years. Most of these are not regular but connected to a big local event like the return of the sun on March 8th.

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Weather

The climate is Arctic, but somewhat tempered by the warm North Atlantic current. The average temperature ranges from -14 °C during the winter to +6 °C during the summer, with temperatures of between -20 °C and -30 °C being quite common for longer periods during the winter. The wind-chill factor normally makes it feel even colder.

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Getting There

By Plane

The only way for most travellers to get to Svalbard is via plane and flights are generally expensive if not booked long in advance. There are regular flights to and from Oslo and Tromso operated by SAS although the number of flights per week are dependent on the season. It is approximately 3 hours flight from Oslo and 1 and a half hour flight from Tromso. Starting from March 2008, Norwegian will start twice-weekly direct flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen.

There is an airport bus between the airport and Longyearbyen which is timed to coincide with flight arrivals and departures.

By Boat

In the summer there is a boat connection between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg several times a week. During the summer Ny-Ålesund can be reached by boat.

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Getting Around

By Car

There are no roads connecting the different settlements on Svalbard but there is around 50 kilometres of road around Longyearbyen. There are several taxi's in Longyearbyen. In the winter the common form of transportation is snowmobile.

By Foot

Longyearbyen can easily be navigated on foot, though it is advised not to wander outside of the town, as polar bears may roam the area.

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Eat

Food on Svalbard is expensive for most visitors, as it is anywhere in Norway. Local specialities include seal and reindeer, served at restaurants in Longyearbyen.

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Drink

Alcohol is duty-free on Svalbard. If you´ve arrived from Norway the bars will seem refreshingly cheap but are still equivalent to London prices. If you head over to Barentsburg, Russian vodka can be outright cheap.

A popular party trick for glacier cruises is drinks served with glacier ice, purified by natural processes over thousands of years.

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Sleep

A range of accommodation is available only in Longyearbyen, which offers camping, guesthouses and luxury hotels. The camping site is located 300 metres from the airport and is the only place where camping is permitted in relatively close proximity to Longeryearbyen. For travellers looking to bring the cost down it is much cheaper to camp than pay for guesthouses and the camping site is free to use outside season, although the service buildings are locked meaning facilities such as toilets are unavailable at this time.

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Learn

Since 1993, Svalbard is home to the world's northernmost education institution, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), which is located in Longyearbyen at 78ºN. The university offers courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics and Arctic Technology.

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Keep Connected

Phone

Svalbard is connected to the phone grid in mainland Norway via fiber optic cable. This ensures a good quality telephone coverage in Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, Sveagruva and Ny-Ålesund. The area code for Svalbard is the same as for Norway +47. GSM mobile phones work in Longyearbyen, Svea and Barentsburg. UMTS phones can also be used in Longyearbyen.

Internet

See also: International Telephone Calls

There are several public internet terminals in Longyearbyen and internet connections are top class, thanks to NASA renting bulk capacity of undersea fiber optic cables for extreme condition experiments held in Svalbard.

Post

Main to and from Svalbard follows the regular Norwegian system and prices. There is also a Lokalpost system which is used for intra-Svalbard mail.

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Accommodation in Longyearbyen

We have a comprehensive list of accommodation in Longyearbyen searchable right here on Travellerspoint.

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This is version 12. Last edited at 13:00 on May 16, 17 by Utrecht. 7 articles link to this page.

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