When Is the Best Time to Visit Longyearbyen?

It depends on what you want light for. From late October to mid-February the Sun does not rise and the trips are the ones that work in the dark: the coal mine, the Seed Vault, ice caves and the northern lights. From March the light comes back fast, and from about 20 April to 23 August the Sun does not set at all, which is when the boats to Pyramiden and along Isfjorden run. The Seed Vault drive had starts on 26 November, 20 January and 24 March: Arctic Footsteps’ 2-hour Seed Vault and Arctic Viewpoint by Car, from US$121 on promotion, usually US$142 a person (checked November 2026).

The calendar above is that tour. For one adult it was US$120.73 on 26 November 2026 (15% lower) and US$141.98 on 20 January and 24 March 2027.

Light, month by month

Hours with the Sun above the horizon on the 15th of each month, computed for central Longyearbyen with the NOAA solar-position method, beside the seasons on Visit Svalbard’s seasons page:

Our computation puts the polar night (no sunrise at all) from 27 October 2026 to 15 February 2027 and the midnight sun (no sunset at all) from 19 April to 24 August 2027. Visit Svalbard’s FAQ gives the dark season as 26 October to 16 February and the midnight sun as 20 April to 23 August; the day either way depends on the definition. The darkest weeks, with no twilight even at noon, run from 13 November to 29 January by our computation, which matches Visit Svalbard’s “civil polar night” of about 14 November to 29 January.

Temperatures are not on this page: we did not find monthly averages at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute that we could read and check. Yr’s Longyearbyen page has the forecast and the sun and moon panels.

What we found on sale, month by month

The tables are the calendars for one adult on 26 November and 10 December 2026, 20 January, 17 February, 24 March, 20 May, 15 June and 14 July 2027, not every tour on every date. “No start” means none was shown that day.

• November and December. On 26 November: the coal mine, the 2-hour and 1-hour Seed Vault trips, the ice cave hike, the northern lights tour by car, and the sightseeing tour for two or more. No start for the wildlife van, the snowmobile ice cave or the Pyramiden boat. The wildlife van had none on 10 December either.
• January. On 20 January: the coal mine, the 2-hour and 1-hour Seed Vault trips, the ice cave hike and the northern lights tour by car; still no wildlife van.
• February. On 17 February: the wildlife van at 9:30 AM, 1:15 PM and 5:00 PM, the sightseeing tour for two or more, and the northern lights tour by car.
• March. On 24 March: the coal mine, the 2-hour Seed Vault drive, the ice cave hike, the snowmobile ice cave, the wildlife van and the sightseeing tour; the 1-hour Seed Vault trip showed no start. Full darkness ends in early March by our computation, so the evening sky is no longer black; Visit Svalbard’s FAQ gives the northern lights season as running to mid-March.
• May to July. The Pyramiden boat showed no start on 20 May or 15 June and was on sale on 14 July 2027 at 9:00 AM, US$578.42, 9 hours. The Isfjorden boat trip, a May to October trip, had a start on 15 June. The Barentsburg boat showed none on 15 June or 14 July.
• From 1 March to 30 June the Governor of Svalbard’s distance from polar bears doubles, from 300 m to 500 m (polar bears in Longyearbyen).

A trip for each season

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.

Where the trips go, winter or summer

The trips that run in every season stay near town: the Seed Vault entrance is 5 km by road from the Svalbard Museum and Gruve 3 6.5 km. The summer boats to Pyramiden and Barentsburg leave from Longyearbyen’s harbour.

So when?

• For the polar night itself: mid-November to the end of January, when there is no daylight at all. The winter page has what runs then.
• For the northern lights with some daylight too: February or early March, when the Sun returns but the evenings are still dark.
• For boats, Pyramiden and the midnight sun: late May to August, and check the boat’s calendar for your dates first: the first Pyramiden date we found was in July.
• For the Seed Vault and the coal mine: winter or summer. Both had starts on 26 November, 20 January and 24 March, and both have reviews from summer visits.