Having touched down at Svalbard Airport, you will be collected and transferred to the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, which is only ten minutes away. After unpacking and getting comfortable in your cosy room, you might like to try the on-site Nansen Restaurant for dinner, which offers a lovely view of the town.

Included Meals:  None

After breakfast, you will get a two-hour introduction to Longyearbyen on an expert-led sightseeing tour. After being picked up from your hotel, you can look forward to a drive through the open and unspoilt Longyear Valley. Here, in the summer months, you can see a host of birds which have returned from their winter migration.

As you head along, your guide will point out the fascinating coal mines of Adventalen. You will then explore the Hotellneset Peninsula and the area around the airport – look out across the Isfjorden and admire its calm waters.

A visit will then be made to the Global Seed Vault. Built inside a mountain like some sort of futuristic fortress, it is the world’s largest facility for storing seeds of every kind of crop imaginable (there is space for some 4.5 million different types of seed). This provides an essential back-up in the face of wars, natural disasters, and plant extinction. The Vault’s official website describes it as the ‘ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply’.

Throughout the tour, your guide will inform you about the flora, fauna, and other highlights of each location. There will also be plenty of stops for taking photos.

The day will close with an Arctic Wilderness Evening at Camp Barentz, situated in the Advent Valley, around six or seven miles from Longyearbyen. Trade the lights of the town for a roaring fire in a traditional cabin-like building which has been affectionately titled ‘Gammen’ – appropriately, this translates as ‘Enjoyment’. Tuck into a delicious reindeer dinner followed by cake while your hosts tell tales about Spitsbergen and its famous polar bears. While you will be based indoors, you may wish to go outside to catch a glimpse of the Midnight Sun. We recommend, therefore, keeping extra warm layers to hand as outside temperatures can still be a little on the cool side during the summer.

Included Meals:  Breakfast, Dinner

Following breakfast, you will embark on a boat trip featuring natural sights and local culture. You will board the brand new ‘Kvitbjorn’ boat, a modern design with an innovative hybrid engine for sustainable sailing in the Arctic. 

Leaving Longyearbyen, the boat will travel across the grand Isfjorden. As you travel North towards the bay of Borebukta, keep an eye out for walruses. They can often be spotted resting on ice floes or gathered in colonies, relaxing on the beaches and inlets of the island. Hot drinks and snacks will be served before heading back to shore.

On arriving back in Longyearbyen, you may wish to explore the local restaurants for dinner options or book a special tasting menu in advance, as listed in our Extras section.

Included Meals:  Breakfast

Today is a free day, including breakfast at the hotel. You might like to stroll around Longyearbyen or head to the harbour for a walk along the coast. Alternatively, you might prefer treating yourself to a spa and sauna session in the hotel.

You can also book an activity which will take you into Longyearbyen’s past as a mining town. Experience the life of a miner with a trip to the Gruve 3 shaft, where light from head-torches will reveal old equipment left just as it was back in the day, waiting for a shift to begin. See the Extras section for more details.

Have fun trying out the local cuisine in town and be sure to look out for the Midnight Sun as the day comes to an end.

Included Meals:  Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before the day’s high-speed activity: dog sledding on wheels. Our winter trips would have you driving a normal sled over the snow. This activity features sleds which have been specially adapted with wheels to make wagons for fast-paced summer rides.

You will be taken to meet the dogs at a centre close to the town. Choosing the pack to carry you along, you will then be transferred to the starting point at Taubanesentralen, the central cableway station in Longyearbyen. There will be a driver to control the fourteen dogs pulling the wagon, so you can sit back as the journey unfolds. Passing structures from the town’s industrial history, you will also catch beautiful vistas of the fjords and mountains nearby. The route will go along the coast to the pristine area of Vestpynten and back. It is worth keeping some extra layers in case you get chilly.

Included Meals:  Breakfast

After breakfast comes the second boat trip on this holiday, which is just as enchanting as the first. Step aboard the MS Bard – a new and groundbreaking hybrid electric catamaran, specially designed to leave the smallest footprint possible whilst exploring the Arctic.

You will travel north into Billefjord, making your way to the magnificent Nordenskiöld Glacier – keep an eye out for sea birds winging their way through the air, and take in the refreshing fjord breeze. Stopping here, you will be served a light lunch on board.

During the cruise, your guide will explain the natural history and cultural heritage of the areas being visited. The boat has a kiosk with waffles, drinks, and other snacks on offer. It will also be possible to hire binoculars from here.

Eat your last Longyearbyen breakfast before being transferred to the airport for your journey home, taking back memories of the splendour and soothing silence of Spitsbergen Island. You might like to extend your holiday by staying in the city of Tromsø or Oslo in mainland Norway.

Please see the Extras section for more information and speak to one of our Travel Experts.

Included Meals:  Breakfast