The Gruve 3 Coal Mine Tour in Longyearbyen
Mine 3 was worked from 1971 to 1996; Store Norske Gruve 3 AS takes visitors inside. The 3-hour tour step by step, what you wear and crawl through, who should skip it, and the price.
Gruve 3, Mine Number 3, was worked from 1971 to 1996, according to Visit Svalbard, and Store Norske Gruve 3 AS runs guided tours inside it. The Historic Coal Mine Tour at Gruve 3 takes 3 hours from pickup to drop-off, 2.5 of them in the mine: the workshops and machines left when it shut, a crawl into an old production tunnel in a miner’s overall, and a walk of almost 800 m into the mountain. It costs US$157 a person (checked November 2026), and it was the same price on 26 November, 20 January and 24 March.
The calendar above is the mine tour. On 26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027 it had two starts, 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, at US$156.70 for one adult. It has 525 reviews (checked November 2026).
The tour, step by step
- Pickup. Choose a pickup point when you book: ten are offered, among them the main hotels and guesthouses, the Visit Svalbard tourist information, Longyearbyen harbour and the Coal Miners’ Cabin.
- The drive out, 15 minutes. The road passes the Global Seed Vault. Svalbard’s first seed bank was opened inside Mine 3 in 1984, long before the vault was built, and the tour tells that story.
- Inside, 2.5 hours. It starts in the mine’s outside facility with maps of Longyearbyen and Svalbard and a model of the mine that shows how coal was taken out of thin seams; Mine 3 was the last in town worked that way. Then the workshops, with the machinery and equipment left behind when the mine closed in 1996. You put on a miner’s overall and crawl into an old production tunnel. Last, you walk almost 800 m into the mine and into three side tunnels.
- Back, 15 minutes, to the same ten drop-off points.
A helmet and headlamp are included, and so is the guide, who speaks English or a Scandinavian language. Food and drink are not included. Bring warm clothing.
Who should skip it
The tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users or anyone with claustrophobia: there is a crawl through a low tunnel and a long walk underground. You must be able to understand English. Travelling alone, you may see a note asking single travellers to contact GetYourGuide’s customer service, which checks with the operator; the calendar did show a price for one adult on each of those dates.
The low ratings are worth reading before you book. On 27 December 2025 one reviewer gave one star after waiting 15 minutes in the snow at the meeting point with no guide arriving, so pick your pickup point with care and keep the confirmation to hand. In October 2024 an Italian reviewer found too little to do for the price and wanted more time inside the mine itself; in July 2025 a French reviewer found the guide hard to follow at speed and the opening part in the room long.
Where Gruve 3 is
The mine is 6.5 km by road from the Svalbard Museum in central Longyearbyen and 1.7 km by road beyond the Seed Vault entrance, on the same road. The tour’s pickup covers the drive, so you need no car.
Mine or Seed Vault, if you have time for one
Longyearbyen: Historic Coal Mine Tour at Gruve 3
Store Norske Gruve 3 AS: 3 hours with pickup, 2.5 inside Mine 3, a crawl through an old tunnel and almost 800 m on foot underground. Helmet and headlamp included; not for claustrophobia or limited mobility.
Check dates →Svalbard: Visit the Global Seed Vault and Arctic Viewpoint by Car
Arctic Footsteps: 2 hours by car through town, Adventdalen and the old mining areas to the Seed Vault entrance, with photo stops and a warm drink. You do not go inside the vault; nobody does except its staff.
See the vault tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide, checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The two sit 1.7 km apart, and the mine tour passes the vault on the way in. Can you visit the Seed Vault? has the vault tours side by side.
More from Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen Trips with Open Dates
Trips from Longyearbyen with live availability. Start times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Book the Gruve 3 Coal Mine Tour
Store Norske Gruve 3 AS collects you in Longyearbyen and lends the helmet and headlamp; 2.5 hours inside the mine. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates