Longyearbyen

Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway
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ABOVE: The approach to Svalbard Airport Longyear, as viewed from a Boeing 737 of SAS in mid-June.

Arrival and departure

Svalbard is a collection of islands, and there are no passenger ferries to the archipelago from the Norwegian mainland. To reach Svalbard, you have two options: fly in, or arrive by yacht.

By air. Svalbard Airport Longyear (LBY) is the territory's only commercial airport. The airport, which opened in 1975, offers daily flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen via Tromsǿ year-round and direct Oslo-Longyearbyen flights during the summer.

Service is on Boeing 737s of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Click "English" on the SAS Norway (formerly SAS Braathens) Web site to plan your trip. Flying time is about 4 hours from Oslo and 1 hour 40 minutes from Tromsǿ.

Longyearbyen's airport is small, overcrowded, and a bit chaotic. The good news: It's only 10 minutes from town, and an inexpensive airport bus will be waiting outside after you've fought your way through the crowd to your suitcase in the baggage room and exited past the stuffed polar bear. Tell the bus driver where you're going, and you'll be dropped off at your hotel or guesthouse.

By boat. The Port of Longyear has a floating dock for visiting yachts. Services include electricity, water, fuel, showers, and a laundromat. During my visit in June, I saw a few sailboats anchored offshore. (I also saw the QE2, which was just one of several large cruise ships that called at Longyearbyen during the summer of 2006.)

Local transportation. Walking is the easiest and cheapest way to get around town, but taxis are available.

Next page: Planning tips, Web links

Longyearbyen tourist information:
Introduction	Restaurants
History, background	Shopping
Sights, excursions	Arrival and departure
Cruises, boat trips	Planning tips, Web links
Hotels, guesthouses, camping	Photos with captions

Related articles:

Bird Cliffs of Spitsbergen - Fuglefjellet boat trip

MS Nordstjernen - Spitsbergen Adventure Cruise

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