@jgnordictravels: This is Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town with a population of more than 1,000 and the primary settlement in Svalbard — a Norwegian archipelago deep inside the Arctic Circle. At 78°N, it’s significantly closer to the North Pole than it is to Oslo, and owing to this extreme latitude, it experiences no sunrise for more than three months between late October and the middle of February. However, due to the steep mountains surrounding the town, the sun’s rays won’t actually reach Longyearbyen until early March, when the return of the sun is marked by a full week of festivities. Despite its exceptionally remote location, Longyearbyen has all the amenities you’d expect to find in any normal town; plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants, a good choice of hotels, a supermarket, a small shopping mall, a cinema, and even the world’s northernmost brewery, which makes beer using water from one of the nearby glaciers. It’s also remarkably easy to get to, with regular flights from both Tromsø (1hr 30 mins) and Oslo (three hours). Throughout Longyearbyen, you’ll find many colourful buildings on stilts, which keeps them suspended above the permafrost. The town also serves as a starting point for adventures into the wilderness, primarily by husky sled and snowmobile in the winter months. It is, however, strictly prohibited to go beyond the town limits without polar bear protection (or being accompanied by a guide carrying polar bear protection). We absolutely loved our short stay in Longyearbyen, and wish we had longer — we’ll certainly be back one day. Visit Svalbard | Svalbard adventure | Svalbard trip | Svalbard guide | Northern Norway | Things to do in Svalbard • • • #longyearbyen #svalbard #visitsvalbard #northernnorway #visitnorway

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Thursday 12 February 2026 07:45:54 GMT