Svalbard Travel Forum

I really want to travell to Svalbard after my graduation, but I have few money.
I want to spend some days there and walking with my pack...
What I have to do? Which are the best ways to go there.
Thank you and please answer me!

Except for expensive cruises flights with SAS is the only way to get there and it's not cheap. A popular way to pay for it is with bonus points from Star Alliance. Svalbard is NOT a budget destination. For independent treking you need to carry a rifle. Organised tours exist of course, search on the web!

To me Svalbard was one of my most memorable journeys. Highly recommended!

Thank you so much for your nice answer! I really love these kind of cold places,and Svalbard is one of my dream. This summer I spent two month in Norway, but my desire is to go northern...and of course to hike in complete quite as I did in Norway. I've also been in Finland and to Nordkapp, but I'm still not satisfied..These places have a sort of strong attraction on my soul.
:) Bye HOLLY

Hi, I plan to visit Svalbard in July. To make this trip cheap I booked my ticket in December (cost about 1780 NOK Oslo-Lyn-Oslo :) When you book them 2-3 months before the price is more expensive (about 4500 nok) You can check it on http://www.sasbraathens.no

You should also check out the offers Norwegian Airlines has to Svalbard. They have just startet to fly to Svalbard. Svalbard is a paradise, hope you'll get there....

There are some "cheap" options: star alliance bonus point is already mentioned; if you don't have them, maybe a relative? You can also take a train to Murmansk (from Moscow/St Petersburg)and fly from Murmansk. I have never done this, but some web research should give you an idea. The cheapest from Norway would be flying out of Tromsø, or do one of the cheaper packages where flights and trips are thrown in. And as Bente says, watch was Norwegian Airlines is coming up with in terms of ticket costs, they are known to be the cheaper airline here. It is as mentioned in an earlier reply not a good idea to walk around outside settlements as you can so pleasantly do on the mainland. The climatic conditions and rapid changes in weather make it a more difficult proposition. You can for safety reason not camp out alone unless you bring a sure watch dog that will wake you up if a polar bear is near(or forget sleeping).Getting a gun (rifle - hand gun is insufficient) is the easiest part, for rent at average NOK 50 for a few days. But well equipped you can do some fine day trips out of Longyearbyen, maybe there are some rental cabins available in Bjørndalen or elsewhere, too. In principle you can realise your dreams, but it will take some effort and more money on your part than what is normal for a Northern Scandinavia trip.
Olav

My first trip up there was last year and cost me 20,000 Eurobonus points flying out of Copenhagen with a stopover in Oslo. It was free except for a charge to cover taxes of a few hundred Danish kroner.

My second trip up there will be in August of this year and will be financed by my remaining Eurobonus points (8.000) topped up with an additional 12.000 points bought at a December sale for the modest price of 150 USD. On top of this I need to add the usual few hundred Danish kroner in taxes. This time I will have stop overs in both Oslo and Tromso. Nevertheless I think I've been quite lucky to get two round trips from Copenhagen to Longyearbyen with SAS for less than 1.800 DKK.

As other contributers have commented getting there is not the only thing you need to consider when figuring out a budget for the trip. Living costs for a tourist on Svalbard can be quite expensive if you intend to book a hotel room and eat in one of the restaurants up there.

Personally I will be pursuing a budget strategy - staying at Longyearbyen Camping and bringing a lot of my own food with me. Of course you can only do this if you have the proper equipment for camping outside in temperatures that may reach below the freezing point even in mid-July. You also need to take into account the possibility of heavy winds and if you venture outside the developed areas you will need additional equipment such as a flare guns and a hunting rifle. The one I rented was a WWII Mauser left over by the Germans, which cost me 100NKK per day not counting any shells that you might spend getting acquainted with the gun.

I wonder if it would be possible to negotiate a budget fare with one of the freightliners that arrive in Longyearbyen with supplies?