Svalbard Archipelago Overview

Only 1000km south of the North Pole, the Svalbard archipelago is home to a breathtaking Arctic desert. The research and mining community of Longyearbyen (pop. 1800), the world’s northernmost town, lies on the island of Spitsbergen. No activity in Svalbard is totally safe. Polar bears and glaciers make any trip possibly hazardous. Visit the Governor’s Office website for safety information (www.sysselmannen.svalbard.no). Tours are the safest, most practical option, but they are also expensive. For a listing of tours, visit www.svalbard.net. A boat trip to the abandoned mining town of   Pyramiden or the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg is a must-see. Book ahead. Svalbard Wildlife Service lead trips to both. (☎79 02 56 60; www.wildlife.no. 1100-1200kr.) Budget lodgings cluster in Nybyen, 25min. north of Longyearbyen center. Try Gjestehuset 102 , part of the Svalbard Wildlife Service. (☎79 02 56 60; 102@wildlife.no. Breakfast, linens, and towels included. Dorms 300kr; singles Mar.-Sept. 595kr, Oct.-Feb. 400kr; doubles 650kr. AmEx/MC/V.) Svalbard Butikken stocks groceries and duty-free goods. (☎02 25 20; www.svalbardbutikken.no. Open M-F 10am-8pm, Sa 10am-6pm, Su 3-6pm. AmEx/MC/V.)

Planes arrive at Svalbard Airport (LYR; ☎02 38 00) from Oslo (3hr., 1-3 per day in summer, from 1465kr) and Tromsø (1hr., 1-3 per day in summer, from 1310kr). Flybus goes from the airport directly to your lodging. The tourist office, in the UNIS building complex shared with the museum, is 500m north of Longyearbyen center. (☎79 02 55 50; www.svalbard.net. Open daily May-Sept. 10am-5pm, Oct-Apr. noon-5pm.) Two taxi companies are Longyearbyen Taxi (☎79 02 30 10) and Svalbard Maxi Taxi (☎79 02 13 05). One car rental agency is Hertz (☎02 11 88). Bikes are also a popular way to navigate the city. Visit Basecamp Spitsbergen in the town center for rentals (☎79 02 46 00).