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Longyearbyen is like a portal to a magical sub-polar world. Just about every Svalbard experience begins here, but if you came to Svalbard and spent the whole time in Longyearbyen (Svalbard's only town of any size), you'd leave disappointed. That's because although Longyearbyen enjoys a superb backdrop including two glacier tongues, Longyearbreen and Lars Hjertabreen, the town itself is fringed by abandoned mining detritus and the waterfront is anything but beautiful, with shipping containers and industrial buildings. The further you head up the valley towards the glaciers, the more you'll appreciate being here. Even so, Longyearbyen is a place to base yourself for trips out into the wilderness rather than somewhere to linger for its own sake.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Longyearbyen.
Landmark
Deep inside a mountain, down beneath the permafrost, a vast artificial cavern, already dubbed the Doomsday Vault or a vegetarian Noah's Ark, was opened in 2008. It's a repository with a capacity for up to four million different seed types (and up to 2.25 billion seeds in all), representing the botanical diversity of the planet. Note that casual visitors are not welcome.
Museum
This fascinating private museum houses a stunning collection of artefacts, original newspapers and other documents relating to the history of polar exploration. There's intriguing archive footage and labels are in English – you could easily spend a couple of hours here reliving some of the Arctic's most stirring tales. It's across the road from the back side of the Svalbard Museum, down near the waterfront.
Brewery
Having opened for business in 2015, Svalbard's very own brewery makes the very quaffable Spitsbergen IPA, Spitsbergen Pilsener and Spitsbergen Pale Ale – 16% of the water used in making their beers comes from the Bogerbreen glacier. They also offer 90-minute guided tours of their operations with free tastings thrown in. Advance reservations are essential and can be made through the tourist office.
Museum
Museum is the wrong word for this impressive exhibition space. Themes on display include life on the edge formerly led by whalers, trappers, seal and walrus hunters and, more recently, miners. It's an attractive mix of text, artefacts, and birds and mammals, stuffed and staring. There's a cosy book-browsing area for lounging, too, with sealskin cushions and rugs.
Gallery
This gallery of stunning Svalbard photos by Ole Jørgen Liodden and Roy Mangersnes is small but filled with utterly unforgettable images. A book that contains most of the displayed images, Svalbard Exposed, is sold here, and the two photographers run photo expeditions in Svalbard and elsewhere.
Gallery
Galleri Svalbard features the Svalbard-themed works of renowned Norwegian artist Kåre Tveter (1922–2012), so pure and cold they make you shiver, as well as works by other artists, such as Olav Storø (www.storoe.no). It also has fascinating reproductions of antique maps of Svalbard, historical drawings with a Svalbard focus and temporary exhibitions. The gallery has a small cafe and an excellent shop.
Landmark
Some 50m south of Svalbard Kirke stand five weathered wooden steps, all alone, and a sign, 'Sykhustrappa' (Hospital Stairs). This is all that remains of Longyearbyen's first hospital and the steps have a special significance for the town's residents. Traditionally, the Sunfest that dispels the winter darkness begins once the first of the sun's rays touches the forehead of someone standing on the top step.
Church
The wooden Svalbard Kirke was first built in the 1920s but later rebuilt after being destroyed in the German invasion of WWII. It's a largely modern affair, although the mural behind the altar has an appealing simplicity. The church claims, with no apparent danger of contradiction, to be the world's northernmost church. It's usually left open, but services take place at 11am on Sunday and 7pm on Tuesday.
Cemetery
Southwest of the town centre lies a haunting little graveyard with simple white, wooden crosses. It dates from the early 20th century and includes the bodies of seven young men who were struck down by the Spanish flu in October 1918, a virus that killed 40 million people in Europe, Asia and North America.