Holiday in Svalbard

What makes Svalbard special as a destination?

Svalbard is the northernmost permanently inhabited place on Earth — an Arctic archipelago halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole, where polar bears outnumber the human population, the midnight sun does not set for four months, and in winter the polar night bathes the landscape in a blue-black twilight interspersed with northern lights. Svalbard belongs to Norway and is located at 78° North — further north than most of Alaska and Siberia. Longyearbyen, the main settlement with around 2,400 inhabitants, is the northernmost city in the world with normal infrastructure: restaurants, hotels, a university center (UNIS), a hospital, and even a cultural center with a cinema. The colorful wooden houses on stilts (due to the permafrost ground) against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and glaciers create a surreal cityscape. In Longyearbyen, it is forbidden to die — the permafrost preserves corpses and pathogens, which is why seriously ill individuals are taken to the mainland. The polar bears are Svalbard's most famous residents: around 3,000 animals live on the archipelago, more than the human population. Outside the settlements, carrying a firearm or being accompanied by an armed guide is mandatory. Boat excursions to the glacier fronts and along the coast offer the best chances to observe polar bears in the wild. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is embedded in a mountainside near Longyearbyen: over 1.1 million seed samples from around the world are stored here at -18 °C as a backup for global food security. The facility is not open to the public, but the distinctive portal on the mountainside is a popular photo motif. In summer (April to August), the sun does not set: the midnight sun bathes the glacial landscape in a golden twilight, ideal for kayaking between icebergs, glacier hikes, and zodiac trips along the coast. In winter (November to February), polar night prevails, but the northern lights dance spectacularly over the snow-covered mountains, and dog sledding and snowmobiling tours take you through the blue-black Arctic.