28/09/2026
There is a time of year when Svalbard feels entirely different.
The sun disappears below the horizon, the landscape settles into shades of blue, and life at 78° North moves to a different rhythm.
Here are seven reasons to experience the Polar Night.
▪️The Arctic light
No sun doesn’t mean no light. Shades of deep blue, soft pink and violet move across the snow-covered landscape.
▪️The Northern Lights
With darkness around the clock, the aurora can appear at any hour – even in the middle of the day.
▪️The winter wilderness
Snow-covered mountains, frozen valleys and vast, untouched landscapes. Svalbard at its most Arctic.
▪️The adventures
Travel into the wilderness by snowmobile or dog sled, where darkness becomes part of the experience rather than something to escape.
▪️The night sky
On clear nights, stars stretch across the Arctic sky, far beyond the lights of Longyearbyen.
▪️The silence
Out here, the absence of sound becomes almost tangible. You notice the cold, the landscape and the vastness around you.
▪️The feeling
Perhaps the most difficult part to describe. Because Polar Night isn’t simply something you see.
It’s something you feel.
Would you travel to Svalbard to experience a winter without the sun?
Photos:
1–3: Agurtxane Concellon / Hurtigruten Svalbard
4: Hanne Feyling / Hurtigruten Svalbard
5: Spitsbergen Travel / Green Dog
