While Svalbard is a beautiful place to visit, it’s also an extremely expensive one… which means it becomes even more imperative to pick the right time to visit Svalbard for the experiences you’re hoping for. Here’s the rub: for many, Svalbard is a “once-in-a-lifetime” type of place. Between expensive flights and the necessity of taking…
Usually, when I create an itinerary for a place, I take my cumulative experience there (often collected after multiple trips — I love going to the same place and seeing it in different lights and seasons) and streamline it into one timeline with only the best options. However, that approach creates a problem when creating…
![Svalbard in Winter: What to Know + 17 Fun Things to Do [2026-2027 Update]](https://eternalarrival.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Svalbard-Winter-26-768x576.jpg)
Endless nights livened up by candles and string lights underneath a galaxy of stars and streaking auroras. Pastel blue light washing over snow-capped mountains with not a tree in sight. Brilliant sun shining day and night above snow-covered tundras, pristine nature marred only by a few snowmobile tracks showing the path to adventure. Believe it…
Of all my memories of the frozen world of my February visit to Longyearbyen, snowmobiling out to a remote ice cave in Svalbard was definitely the highlight of my trip. … even though it was an activity I almost didn’t do because I had the worst anxiety I’d experienced in the last decade. Luckily, my…
The furthest north you can fly on a commercial flight, Svalbard is so far above the Arctic Circle that it’s equidistant to the North Pole and the northernmost point of Northern Norway! Since it’s known for its polar bears, the Svalbard archipelago conjures up icy images, but in reality, Svalbard is generally a bit warmer…
Svalbard is home to the world’s northernmost settlements… and enough polar bears that residents can’t leave the main town without a firearm. In the winter, Svalbard experiences an endless night that, quite literally, stretches on for months. So it might seem rather logical to assume that the Svalbard archipelago, located far north of the Arctic…
Not sure if it’s worth visiting Svalbard in February? I think it is, but there are a few things you should know about this particular, transitional month!
![Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel: Visiting by Day vs. an Overnight Stay [2026-2027]](https://eternalarrival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sorrisniva-4-768x968.jpg)
Of all the things I wanted to do on my winter trip to Alta, visiting the famous Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel was at the top of my list (besides seeing the Northern lights, of course). I’ve been to several ice hotels around the Arctic, including the Ice Domes in Tromsø, IceHotel 365 in Jukkasjärvi, and the…
![17 Amazing Things to Do in Alta in Winter [2026-2027]](https://eternalarrival.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Alta-in-Winter-6_5_11zon-768x576.jpg)
Snow-covered mountains and plateaus that glitter in the sun by day and cast a beautiful backdrop for the aurora at night: these are my memories of visiting Alta, Norway this past winter. I had an amazing time visiting Alta in early February and found that it far exceeded my expectations — so I felt quite…