Best time to visit Spitsbergen
From late October to early March, Spitsbergen is plunged into perpetual twilight as the sun abandons the Arctic for the long, winter night.
The best time to visit Spitsbergen is midsummer, when the sun never dips below the horizon – though it never quite warms the chilly landscape, either. The ice floes disperse, allowing ships to cruise right around the island, and July-Aug is prime polar bear viewing season. The endless days allow for plenty of wildlife watching amid the wildflowers, plus activities such as kayaking or diving – though there is little snow. For winter sports, choose April or May, when the island is still ice-clad, days are longer and there are few other visitors; the Northern Lights make their appearance from late Sep.
Our Spitsbergen Holidays
Polar bear cruise in Spitsbergen
Expert Led, Polar Bears, Whales, Birdlife, photography
From
€3250
8 days
ex flights
Arctic sailing voyages, Spitsbergen
Experience sailing in the fjords
From
€2450 to €5150
8 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen mushing expedition
Explore the Telegraph route to Isfjord Radio
From
NKr26990
5 days
ex flights
Arctic icebreaker cruise, Spitsbergen
Wildlife-focused, expert-led small ship Arctic cruises
From
£2650 to £9200
8 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen short break
Boat safari and wilderness experiences at Spitsbergen
From
NKr9990
3 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen wildlife cruises
Encounters with glaciers, polar bears and icebergs.
From
£2799 to £5899
8 days
ex flights
Arctic sailing holiday around Spitsbergen
Unique opportunity to be close to arctic wildlife and nature
From
€3900 to €4200
11 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen cruise to the Arctic
Circumnavigate the jewel of the High Arctic
From
US $0
11 days
ex flights
Arctic expedition cruise, circumnavigation of Spitsbergen
Discover incredible wildlife and glaciers on this Arctic Voyage
From
£6000 to £13900
13 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen wildlife cruise in the Arctic
Venture to an intoxicating land of ice and tundra
From
£6000 to £6300
13 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen cruise, 6 days
A 6 day 'taster voyage' to explore Spitsbergen's highlights
From
£1133 to £1295
6 days
ex flights
Arctic Spitsbergen cruise, 11 day expedition
Discover the essence of the Arctic
From
£5200 to £8400
11 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen polar bear watching cruise
Venture into the staggering realm of the King of the Arctic
From
£2799 to £4149
8 days
ex flights
Arctic cruise adventure holiday
Sail from Spitsbergen to Greenland on an arctic adventure
From
£4349
15 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen summer holiday, glaciers of Isfjorden
Arctic summer holiday - the Norwegian archipelago, Svalbard
From
£2455
7 days
inc UK flights
Svalbard and Northern Lights holiday
Northern lights activities included hotel at Spitsbergen
From
NKr6800 to NKr7390
4 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen Arctic Cruise
An exciting wildlife cruise around the Svalbard archipelago
From
£4330 to £5370
12 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen to Franz Josefland cruise
bowhead whales polar bears walrus birdlife & kayaking
From
£6040 to £10490
14 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen activity holiday
Blue ice glacier walk, kayaking, hiking at Spitsbergen
From
NKr17990
5 days
ex flights
Lofoten Islands and Svalbard northern lights safari
Take in the Arctic beauty on this exhilarating adventure
From
£4995 to £5795
8 days
ex flights
Luxury Arctic cruise Spitsbergen & Franz Josef Land
A unique expedition to rarely visited Franz Josef Land
From
£7595
15 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
-18
-11
34
FEB
-19
-12
28
MAR
-19
-12
27
APR
-17
-9
21
MAY
-9
-9
16
JUN
-2
-2
9
JUL
1
5
12
AUG
0
4
15
SEP
-2
1
24
OCT
-9
-4
28
NOV
-13
-7
39
DEC
-17
-10
37
MONTH BY MONTH GUIDE
Our top Spitsbergen Holiday
Polar bear cruise in Spitsbergen
Expert Led, Polar Bears, Whales, Birdlife, photography
From
€3250
8 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 27 May, 3 Jun, 10 Jun, 17 Jun
2019: 27 May, 3 Jun, 10 Jun, 17 Jun
Helpdesk
Hello. If you'd like to chat about Spitsbergen or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
Tips on when to visit Spitsbergen
Linn Tove from our supplier, Basecamp Spitsbergen:
“My personal favourite aspect of Spitsbergen is June and July when there are plenty of birds and wildlife in the area. For example, Isfjord Radio has a bird sanctuary right outside the door, which also means the foxes coming by every morning and evening to hunt for eggs. During summer we also have the midnight sun.”
Charlotte Caffrey, marine scientist and co-founder of our supplier Aqua-Firma, advises on when to go on a cruise to Svalbard:
“The seasons are very different. In June, there’s a lot of snow and ice, so you’re able only to visit parts of Spitsbergen. As the season goes on, you get a melting of the ice so you can do a circumnavigation. It’s a longer trip and you’re getting very different aspects of the Arctic. By September, there’s no longer 24-hour daylight; you’ll get more evening time. The birdlife stays from around June into early September – there’s a lot of food around and the breeding activity is really high. So you have to think: what do I want to see? How long do I want to be there? Which parts do I want to explore?”
Andrew Appleyard from our supplier Exodus, on the advantages of the midnight sun:
“Our summer voyages to the Arctic are in 24 hours of daylight! This makes for stunning wildlife viewing – but expect to get woken up at 3am if we see polar bears on the horizon or a pod of whales emerging from the bows of the ship.”
More about Spitsbergen
Our Spitsbergen travel guide takes a look at the extreme nature of the Svalbard archipelago - the next stop is the North Pole. With many glories in between…
Our Spitsbergen map and highlights are not only about great wildlife watching opportunities around Spitsbergen, but also some amazing winter wilderness activities…
Land based trips on Spitsbergen take place all year round. Whether you are going for the Aurora, adventure or awesome trekking, Spitsbergen is always sublime...
Taking a small ship cruise around Spitsbergen is the most popular way to go, and another world from giant cruise liners taking over Longyearbyen. Read on to cruise, not bruise...
People who have been to Spitsbergen are always keen to share their tips. We have some great ones here, so do read on…
From giant cruise liners to culture, wildlife watching to polar bear safety, we have plenty of issues to discuss when it comes to Spitsbergen. Do read on...
Why book with Responsible Travel
Photo credits: Anette Holmberg [Aurora over Longyearbyen: Christer van der Meeren]
[Arctic fox scavenging: Rob Oo]
[Guillemots: Gary Bembridge]
[Fin whales: Guillaume Baviere]
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