Svalbard & Jan Mayen
Cold Coast in Norwegian and pointy mountains in Dutch; Svalbard. An amazing island in the very North of Europe, without government, flag or language. The land of polar bears, expeditioners and white peaks. A must visit for every adventurer.
MYlights
Fun Facts
Svalbard Profile
The local currency is Norwegian Krone.
Here you find the current exchange rate.
Mostly Christian.
Some 60% of the small population is Norwegian and 20% Russian and Ukrainian. You will also find Dutch, Vietnamese and other immigrants.
Norwegian (official), English.
Where is Svalbard?
It is located 640 km north of Norway, located in the Arctic Ocean.
Is Svalbard safe?
Svalbard’s main settlement of Longyearbyen is an extremely safe town, one where crime is almost unheard of. However, there is a very real risk of running into one of Svalbard’s few thousand polar bears outside the settlements. There are parts where you should not walk without a gun or guide with gun. In 2020 was the latest killing by polar bear. Nothing to be afraid of, just be careful.
Do I need a visa for Svalbard?
It depends on the country you are from. Check here if you need a visa to travel to Svalbard & Jan Mayen.
Stories
Svalbard, the white desert
We are about to check out and board the Rembrandt van Rijn. On Oceanwide Expeditions I read that the s / v 'Rembrandt van Rijn' was built at the beginning of the last century as a Haring logger. The ship was rebuilt in 1994 in the Netherlands into a three-masted...
The first impressions of Svalbard
After years of dreams, months of looking forward and days of planning, we are here! Svalbard, or Spitsbergen. The land that Barentsz discovered in 1596. I will briefly tell you who Willem Barentsz was, because despite the fact that a sea is named after him, not...