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For travelers who are attracted to the ends of the earth, the Norwegian islands of Svalbard have a certain allure. The area is home to the northernmost towns in the world and more polar bears than people, while still playing host to a growing number of design hotels and delectable restaurants. Located in the Arctic ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole, it’s accessible via Scandinavian Airlines (through the Norwegian town Tromsø, or direct from Oslo between March and August).
The name of the largest Svalbard island, Spitsbergen, translates to “jagged mountains” in Dutch, and the place lives up to it, with its shimmering icy landscapes and dramatic peaks. In July—the warmest month—the average temperature reaches 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun never sets. From November to February, the Northern Lights color the sky.
Beyond being beautiful, Svalbard’s arctic landscape is useful. It’s home to perhaps the most important freezer in the world, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which holds more than 890,000 different seeds from almost every country in the world (even North Korea). The vault can store up to 2.5 billion seeds in total, and its purpose is to protect the world’s plant life from extinction. It’s built inside a mountain, where thick rock and permafrost ensure that the seeds remain at minus 18 degrees Celsius, even without power. For security reasons, the vault isn’t open to tourists, but other activities abound, centered around Spitsbergen’s main town, Longyearbyen.
The tour operator Hurtigruten Svalbard organizes everything from dog-sledding to backcountry skiing to glacier-adjacent kayaking. For those who want to bookend a wild trek with a cultural foray, Spitsbergen offers seasonal events like Polarjazz—”the world’s northernmost jazz festival”—and a Blues festival as well as year-round institutions like the Svalbard Museum and the Galleri Svalbard. Stop by the local brewery, Svalbard Bryggeri, for a tour and tasting.
For a day-long journey, head to Svalbard’s Russian areas Barentsburg and Pyramiden. There are no roads connecting these two settlements to Longyearbyen, but they’re reachable by boat in the summer, or snowmobile in the winter. Barentsburg is Svalbard’s second-largest village, a Russian coal mining outpost with about 450 predominantly Russian and Ukrainian inhabitants. Its blocky, colorful buildings combined with the snow-covered mountains and glaciers in the background make it feel from another era.
Pyramiden was actually founded by Sweden in 1910, then sold to the Soviet Union in 1927. It was another coal center before it was abandoned in 1998. The town’s buildings are so well-preserved, it’s hard to believe it’s been a ghost town for two decades. A few people do still live here—eight during the summer, and four during winter, to be exact—working at the Tulpan Hotel, which is open seasonally.
If you prefer a livelier place for the majority of your visit, check in at Longyearbyen’s Radisson Hotel Blu Polar Spitsbergen, Svalbard Hotell & Lodge, or the newly renovated Funken Lodge. For dinner, try the tasting menu at the Funken Lodge’s restaurant, Funktionærmessen. The rustic restaurant Gruvelagret serves local fish dishes, while Huset boasts one of the largest wine cellars in Scandinavia, and Sushi Kita holds the honor of the world’s northernmost sushi restaurant. Each place promises to hit the spot after a day of dog-sledding in Svalbard's untouched, sky-spanning arctic wild.