Arctic : Around Spitsbergen

You may wish to extend your stay by spending time in Longyearbyen or indeed Oslo on your return journey.

LONGYEARBYEN

Spitsbergen’s capital Longyearbyen is home to around 1800 inhabitants and is a modern city with an idyllic setting between two glacier tongues, near the head of Advent Fjord. Boasting good quality visitor facilities, this is a perfect place from which to explore. There is a ‘frontiers’ feel about the settlement, with most heated structures built above rather than on the permafrost to prevent it melting. Hot water pipes run above ground too and everywhere are reminders of the cities humble beginnings as a mining town – Arctic Coal was set up in 1906 by American John Munroe Longyear.

With a choice of accommodation and a range of excursions on offer, there is a lot more to this remote town than first meets the eye. For lovers of nature and the great outdoors, hiking and trekking are popular, take a glacier walk, savour an Arctic barbeque, go kayaking, exploring by boat on the look out for polar bears, even try diving. It is also possible to visit an operational mine – so it’s not ‘outdoors’ but fascinating none the less! There are also a small number of bars and restaurants in addition to those provided in the hotels. Places to visit include the fascinating museum and gallery where much may be learnt about Svalbard’s rich history.

OSLO

The oldest of the Scandinavian cities, Norway’s capital is modern with a traditional charm. Appealing architecture, spacious streets and squares and numerous eateries give Oslo a very pleasant atmosphere.

Sitting at the end of a 100km long fjord, Oslo is known as the outdoor capital of Europe surrounded as it is by enormous uninhabited forests. During the summer months good hiking areas are only minutes away from the city centre. Oslo offers great shopping, lively nightlife, quality dining and most notably a collection of world-class museums.