A travel guide to Svalbard

From all the remote, barely inhabited regions and islands in the Arctic Circle, Svalbard might possibly be the most accessible one.

Located at 78º north, this archipelago is an Arctic desert composed of captivating tundra landscapes offering truly amazing hiking opportunities, and the chance of seeing polar bears.

From a nature perspective, this probably the best trip I have ever done.

This post is a comprehensive travel guide to Svalbard, which contains everything you need to know on how to get there, where to stay, activities, cruise expeditions, prices and more.

By the way, I know that this sort of trip differs from all the original content on this site, which has been always focusing on places like Yemen, Syria, Mauritania or Kazakhstan but at the end of the day, we focus on remote and barely visited destinations, and Svalbard is certainly one.

In this travel guide to Svalbard, you will find:

our recommended travel insurance for Svalbard

IATI Insurance is one of the very few that covers travel in Svalbard.

🇸🇯 Introduction to traveling to Svalbard

Svalbard is an Arctic archipelago that technically belongs to Norway, even though it’s significantly closer to the North Pole than it is to Norway mainland, 650km vs 930km respectively.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

Svalbard belongs to Norway but it has a special status

Svalbard falls under Norway’s sovereignty. This is recognised in the Svalbard Treaty of 1920.

However, according to the treaty, not all Norwegian laws can apply in Svalbard.

For example, any country is free to engage in scientific, commercial or industry activities within the archipelago, and any person can travel there visa-free and stay for as long as they want, even if they don’t have a job.

Is it Spitsbergen or Svalbard?

Spitsbergen is the original name given by the Dutchman who discovered it in 1596.

When the archipelago became part of Norway in 1920, they re-named it to Svalbard, a term that appeared in old Icelandic Viking texts.

Regular people live in Svalbard

The inhabitants of Svalbard are just normal people from around the world trying to make a living. There aren’t only scientists, but also doctors, teachers, policemen, plumbers, tour guides, bar tenders…