Summer Adventures in Spitzbergen: Midnight Sun at the Top of the World

We’ll get you tickets to the Polar Museum so you can kick off your trip with a rich introduction to the region. Housed in a former customs warehouse, this museum traces the history and expeditions of the Arctic region’s trappers and explorers. There’s also an entire room dedicated to Roald Amundsen and his polar expeditions. Afterwards, take a trip up the Fjellheisen cable car (tickets included) which climbs to an altitude of 420 metres. From the observation deck at the top station, you’ll have panoramic views of Tromsø and the surrounding islands.

Tromsø is a beautiful place to wander and explore, so take some time to enjoy the city’s striking colours and luminous lights. Visit the Arctic Cathedral to admire its triangular silhouette, or take a walk in the fresh air before cosying up in one of the city centre’s cafés. While you’re here, we could also arrange for you to go on a whale-watching boat trip, enjoy an outdoor sauna with spectacular city views, or visit Polaria, the world’s most northerly aquarium.

Today, you’ll be privately transferred to the airport for your flight to Longyearbyen, the tiny capital of the Svalbard archipelago on the island of Spitsbergen. When you land, we’ll transfer you to your hotel in the heart of the town. This rustic accommodation has a cosy lounge where you can relax after your journey with a coffee and a book in hand.

After a hearty homemade breakfast at your accommodation this morning, you’ll head out to explore the capital. Small but lively, this former mining town is full of colourful Nordic houses and has embraced modernity and tourism without losing its authenticity. Its few streets are packed with shops, galleries, restaurants and bars to welcome travellers fresh off their plane or ship.

As the northernmost community in the world, locals take great pride in their town, which is home to a university, church and main gallery. In fact, you’re just 621 miles from the North Pole here, embedded in a valley surrounded by icy windswept mountains. The town’s 2,000 inhabitants get around mainly by sled or snowmobile. They spend the winter months plunged into the darkness of the polar night, and the summer months enjoying the incredible midnight sun.

While you’re here, we recommend a visit to the Svalbard Museum, which covers the history of the archipelago and the men who set out to conquer the North Pole, as well as the wildlife, mining and whaling campaigns. This is a great introduction to Svalbard and will set you up nicely for the rest of the trip.

Today you’ll head to Isfjord Radio station, located in Kapp Linné at the end of Isfjorden. From Longyearbyen, embark on a zodiac safari along the coast to enjoy the fjord, its animals and the surrounding nature, in particular the Arctic seabirds. After a hike, you’ll reach this radio-station-turned-hotel for lunch. The hotel, which has just 23 rooms, is only accessible by boat in summer, and snowmobile or sled in winter. It’s rustic but comfortable, and its complete isolation makes for an incomparable atmosphere. This afternoon, explore Kapp Linné and its surroundings on foot before heading back to Isfjord Radio for the night.

After breakfast this morning, you’ll head to Grønfjorden and the community of Barentsburg by boat. This mining town, which today has around 350 inhabitants, is a fascinating vestige of the polar USSR, frozen in time and space. After lunch here, you’ll return to Longyearbyen by boat where you’ll find your base camp for the next two nights.

On your last full day in Norway, embark on a hike in the Longyearbyen mountains for a spectacular view of the city and surrounding landscapes. If the weather is right, you can even try ice walking.