Longyearbyen

Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway
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ABOVE: The 54-cabin MS Nordstjernen offers 3- and 4-night adventure cruises from Longyearbyen, with arctic wilderness landings by boat.

Cruises from Longyearbyen

Overnight cruises

Hurtigruten offers Spitsbergen adventure cruises on the small ships MS Nordstjernen (3 or 4 days) and MV Polar Star (7 days) during the sumer months. During the voyage, you'll see glaciers and arctic wildlife, visit the settlements of Barentsburg and Ny Ålesund, and make shore landings in places that big cruise ships can't reach.

See my MS Nordstjernen cruise review, which includes a 114-page day-by-day photo diary. Also see my Nordstjernen vs. Polar Star comparison chart.

Day and evening boat trips

The MS Langøysund operates day cruises to the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg and the Esmark glacier, day cruises to Pyramiden and the Nordenskiöld glacier, and evening cruises to the Tempelfjord and the Tuna- and Von Post glaciers. These normally run from June to September.

Local trips by open boat are another possibility. See my article on a PolarCirkel boat trip (complete with flotation suit) to the bird cliffs of Fuglefellet.

Other cruising opportunities

In a typical year, several dozen cruise ships, expedition ships, and icebreakers call at Longyearbyen during the navigation season. (I took this photo of the QE2 when it was anchored off Longyearbyen in June, 2006.)

Next page: Hotels, guesthouses, and camping

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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