“Spitsbergen” is Dutch - spits meaning “pointed” and bergen meaning “mountains.” It was so named in 1596 by Dutch Arctic explorer Willem Barentsz. It took some time for the name to catch on – English whalers would refer to the archipelago as Greenland until the late 1780s. The Norwegian name is Svalbard.
Touched by three seas – The Norwegian Sea, the Greenland Sea, and the Arctic Ocean – Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago of northern Norway.
Its rugged mountains and rolling tundra offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and snowshoeing. Spitsbergen is by far the largest wilderness area of Europe and offers some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world.
Cruises to Svalbard
North Spitsbergen, Arctic Spring - Hike & Ski & Sail
Explore the shores and seas of an amazing Arctic island
RVR20-23 At the end of a long Arctic winter, spring is starting to awaken. The climate, however, still clings to the cold: snow-covered mountains, snow-swept shores, temperatures around –4° C (25°F). It’s a good time to experience the last of winter scenery,...
s/v Rembrandt van Rijn
Cruise date:
15 May - 22 May, 2023
Price:
on request
North Spitsbergen, In search of Polar Bear & Pack Ice
The best opportunity to spot the King of the Arctic
PLA02-23 Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar...
m/v Plancius
Cruise date:
1 Jun - 8 Jun, 2023
Price:
4000 USD
Arctic Ocean Expedition, Aberdeen - Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - Ice edge - Spitsbergen - Birding
Sail the East Greenland ice edge north of Spitsbergen in search for whales, and other Arctic wildlife
HDS01a23 Search for whales, and other Arctic wildlife of the land, sea, and air on an adventurous voyage from our home port of Vlissingen to our favorite Arctic island group.
m/v Hondius
Cruise date:
3 Jun - 14 Jun, 2023
Price:
3000 USD
Arctic Ocean Expedition, Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - Ice Edge - Spitsbergen - Birding
Sail the East Greenland ice edge north of Spitsbergen in search for whales, and other Arctic wildlife
HDS01b23 Search for whales, and other Arctic wildlife of the land, sea, and air on an adventurous voyage from the Scottish port of Aberdeen to our favorite Arctic island group.
m/v Hondius
Cruise date:
5 Jun - 14 Jun, 2023
Price:
2750 USD
North Spitsbergen, In search of Polar Bear & Pack Ice
The best opportunity to spot the King of the Arctic
PLA03-23 Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar...
m/v Plancius
Cruise date:
8 Jun - 15 Jun, 2023
Price:
4000 USD
Svalbard cruise video
Svalbard photo
Svalbard story
Around Spitsbergen, in the Realm of the Polar Bear & Ice
There are journeys and there are journeys. This trip is one that falls in the latter category. I look back on a fantasti
Svalbard blog
Guide’s Choice for Binoculars: Swarovski Optik
Our guests often ask us what they should pack when it comes to the more optional polar travel gear, such as cameras or b
Svalbard experiences
See the highlights you may experience:
Svalbard wildlife
See the highlights you may experience:
Map of
Svalbard cruise reviews
Arctic Adventure
Great trip overall. Enjoyed everyone we had contact with. Great weather, unexpectedly calm and warm. Only disappointment was fewer wildlife than hoped..
Read full review »Einmaliges Ereignis
Durch das sonnige Wetter konnten wir sehr vieles sehen und erleben. Besonders eindrücklich waren für mich Wale, Rentiere, Eisbärenmutter mit Kind, ein abbrechender Gletscher und die Natur mit
Read full review »Fantastic trip
A fantastic trip. The guides were friendly and knowledgable, the food was great, and most importantly, the wildlife and scenery exceeded my expectations. Absolutely breathtaking. The expedition leader and ca
Read full review »Awesome rounding of Svalbard on M/V Plancius
Allthough I chose this trip because I wanted to see polar bears in their natural habitat , and how successfull this trip was, I was most impressed by the landscapes, the “spitsbergen”, the fjords
Svalbard, Greenland, Jan Mayen
Well organized, enlightening and varied trip on a beautiful ship with a great crew.
Honda’ya last trip
It was a nice trip but giving us the feeling of staying in a boarding school .Most of the expedition guides were caring except B.Giunchi who has insulted us(we were at his mother’s age) because we have
Read full review »Svalbard FAQ
Where do we go on Svalbard?
Svalbard is one of our core Arctic locations, a great place for enjoying wildlife, activities, and scenery. For this reason, there are too many areas we visit to list here. For details on intended routes and landing sites, see the Svalbard page at ou
Read more »What is the best time to travel to Spitsbergen?
This depends on what you want to experience at Spitsbergen. In case you want to experience the Polar night or the Aurora Borealis, November to February is the best time to travel to Spitsbergen. Do you want to see the midnight sun and enjoy boat trip
Read more »When is the winter season in Spitsbergen?
The sun sets for the last time in Spitsbergen in mid-September and rises above the horizon again in mid-February. The winter landscape and temperatures prevail until May.
Read more »What is the temperature and weather like in Svalbard?
The weather in Spitsbergen differs per area and location. Although snow can occur throughout the year in Svalbard, the North Atlantic Current helps provide Svalbard with warmer temperatures than many other areas within similar latitudes. However
Read more »Where can I see polar bears during a Svalbard voyage?
As polar bears can travel great distances in a day, it is impossible to say where and when we will spot them. Sea ice is the best place to look, so we tend to focus our efforts there. Though you will have a good chance of seeing polar bears in Svalba
Read more »What wildlife can I see in Spitsbergen?
Your cruise to Spitsbergen will come with an enormous amount of opportunity to spot wildlife. Polar bears are obviously the main attraction regarding wildlife. There are six national parks throughout Spitsbergen, and Svalbard alone is known to c
Read more »
About
Svalbard weather
Svalbard is located in the high Arctic and shares the Arctic’s designation as a technical desert when it comes to annual precipitation (or lack thereof). Particularly the eastern part of Svalbard sees relatively little precipitation annually. The west coast sees more precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Depending on when you take your Svalbard cruise you can expect temperatures to average anywhere from -14°C in the winter to 6°C in the summer.
Facts about Svalbard
- The name “Svalbard” is an old name (going back to at least the 1100s) meaning “cold coasts.”
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s only true town, was founded by an American in 1906. It has a little over 2000 inhabitants.
- Almost 65% of Svalbard is a protected nature reserve or a national park.
- Svalbard is the archipelago (chain of islands) off the north coast of Norway.
- Svalbard has the world’s third biggest ice sheet, coming behind only Antarctica and Greenland.
- Svalbard is made up of 4 main islands, and almost 150 smaller islands.
- Nobody gets buried on Svalbard. Because of the cold in the ground bodies generally fail to decompose, meaning that the graveyards would quickly get overrun. Therefore bodies are shipped to mainland Norway and buried there.
Travel to Svalbard
Travel to Svalbard and experience one of the Earth’s northernmost human inhabitations. Your Svalbard expedition cruise will take you to a beautifully stark landscape of glaciers and rugged snow-capped mountains. During your Svalbard holiday you’ll explore the preserved and protected history of the region, watch high Arctic wildlife on both land and at sea. Come during the late autumn/early winter months and your Svalbard cruise will be capped off by the great wonder of the Polar skies, the Northern Lights. For the polar bear enthusiasts special polar bear itineraries are arranged to offer the best polar bear experiences.
Polar bear video by Vedat Mihmat
