Longyearbyen is located at 78° north latitude on the west coast of the main island Spitsbergen on the Isfjord. With around 2100 inhabitants, Longyearbyen is actually too small for a city by definition, but it is still the largest settlement on Svalbard. It is therefore dubbed the "capital of Spitsbergen" and also referred to as the "northernmost city in the world".
The active mining town was founded in 1906 by American mining entrepreneur John Munroe Longyear and is today the administrative center of the archipelago. For tourists, Longyearbyen Airport is the gateway to the Arctic. Colorful residential areas, an informative museum and the northernmost church in the world invite you to take a tour of the city.
Svalbard - Colorful houses characterize the cityscape of Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is on the seasonal polar bear migratory route to the pack ice, so all residents outside of the city are armed for safety. The "Caution polar bear sign" on the outskirts is a popular photo motif for tourists. The entire road network of Longyearbyen is only about 40 kilometers long and there are no connections to other towns. Neighboring Barentsburg can only be reached by snowmobile in winter and by boat in summer. Good flight connections between Longyearbyen and the Norwegian mainland exist with Oslo or Tromsø.
In winter Longyearbyen, like all of Svalbard, has a polar night. But with the first light of spring, snowmobile tours, dog sledding and Northern Lights attract tourists to Longyerabyen. In the summer, when the sun never sets, Svalbard polar bear cruises depart from Longyearbyen harbour. Our Spitsbergen trip also began and ended in the northernmost city in the world. The AGE™ experience report "Spitsbergen Cruise: Midnight Sun & Calving Glaciers" takes you on our cruise around Spitsbergen.
Our Svalbard travel guide will take you on a tour of the various attractions, sights and wildlife viewing.
Tourists can also discover Spitsbergen with an expedition ship, for example with the Sea Spirit. Do you dream of meeting the King of Spitsbergen? Experience polar bears in Svalbard Explore the arctic islands of Norway with the AGE™ Svalbard Travel Guide.
Where is Longyearbyen? Svalbard Map & Route Planning
Texts and photos are protected by copyright. The copyright of this article in words and images is entirely owned by AGE ™. All rights are reserved. Content for print / online media can be licensed on request.
Liability
If the content of this article does not match your personal experience, we assume no liability. The contents of the article have been carefully researched and are based on personal experience. However, if information is misleading or incorrect, we assume no liability. Furthermore, circumstances can change. AGE™ does not guarantee topicality or completeness.
Source reference for text research
Information on site, at scientific lectures and briefings by the expedition team from Poseidon Expeditions or on the Cruise ship Sea Spirit as well as personal experiences when visiting Longyearbyen on 28.07.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX.
Sitwell, Nigel (2018): Svalbard Explorer. Visitor's Map of Svalbard Archipelago (Norway), Ocean Explorer Maps
This website uses cookies: You can of course delete these cookies and deactivate the function at any time. We use cookies in order to be able to present the contents of the homepage to you in the best possible way and to be able to offer functions for social media as well as to be able to analyze the access to our website. In principle, information about your use of our website can be passed on to our partners for social media and analysis. Our partners can combine this information with other data that you have provided to them or that they have collected as part of your use of the services.AgreeMore information
What's the weather like in Longyearbyen Svalbard?
What's the weather like in Longyearbyen Svalbard?