How to travel to Spitsbergen
Svalbard is closer than you think – just 3 hours’ flight from Oslo. You can depart from central Europe in the morning and reach one of our outer stations – Isfjord Radio, North Pole Camp or Nordenskiöld Lodge – by evening. For longer trips, it’s good to have a rest in Longyearbyen before departing for the wilderness the next day.
BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) operates flights to Longyearbyen from Tromsø and Oslo. For more information and booking visit www.flysas.com. Norwegian airlines operates flights from to Longyeabryen from Oslo. For more information and booking visit www.norwegian.com.
PASSPORT & VISA
All travellers to Svalbard must to go through passport control. The check points are located at Gardermoen, Oslo Airport and at Langnes, Tromsø Airport. Note that is is only a few SAS fllights that stops by Tromsø. The identity of all travellers between Svalbard and the Norwegian mainland will be checked both upon arrival and departure. If you need a visa to enter Norway, remember that you will need a double visa to enter Norway again after your trip to Spitsbergen.
AIRPORT TRANSFER
There is an airport shuttle between the airport and all hotels in Longyearbyen at each flight arrival and departure. It is around 6.3 km to Basecamp Hotel and the bus runs when everyone has recieved their luggage. Tickets are easily purchased on the board by debit/dredit card.
HOW TO GET AROUND
There are approximately 40 kilometres of road in total in Longyearbyen, and there are no roads connecting different settlements on Spitsbergen. To get out of Longyearbyen and into the arctic wilderness, you can travel by boat during summer and snowmobile or dog sled during winter. Whenever leaving the settlement, it is wise to travel with a professional guide with proper safety equipment. We recommend that you book all your trips through recognized companies. Do not leave the settlement without polar bear protection and knowledge about their behaviour.
