What happens to “Santa Claus’s hometown” when, well, Christmas is over? Luckily, quite a lot! While Christmas itself might be done and dusted, Rovaniemi in January is still very much in the festive spirit… and will be for the next few months. With the line for the Arctic Circle running through Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi…
A trip to Finnish Lapland is expensive, so you’ll want to be sure you’re timing it perfectly so you can have the Arctic experience of your dreams. And if you’re trying to decide what the best month to visit Rovaniemi in the winter is, I’d argue that February is a seriously strong contender for the most…
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!