Northern Lights Winter on Svalbard

The polar night offers rare opportunities to see the Northern Lights during both the day and night. Because of the continuous darkness, Svalbard is the only place on Earth where you can witness the aurora borealis in the middle of the day. The island’s dark, clear skies create perfect conditions for this spectacular display of green, pink and purple light dancing across the horizon.

And here’s a fun fact: on Svalbard, the northern lights usually appear in the south, not the north. That’s because the archipelago sits above the geomagnetic north pole, right in the centre of the auroral oval.

Svalbard is the only inhabited place in Norway where the sun stays completely below the horizon for weeks. While many talk about the “dark season,” the polar night is something more: during this period, the sun doesn’t rise above six degrees below the horizon. There’s no daylight. No twilight. Just darkness, round the clock.

The polar night on Svalbard lasts from 14 November to 29 January. The broader dark season stretches from 1 October to 13 November and resumes from 30 January to 16 February.

The polar night deepens the silence of the Arctic. With just one small town surrounded by vast wilderness, there’s hardly any noise at all. It’s one of the few places where you can truly experience complete silence, a rare and calming contrast to everyday life.

In the weeks leading up to the polar night, the blue hour paints the sky in deep shades of blue before the darkness sets in. And even at the height of darkness, moonlight can illuminate the snow-covered landscape in the most extraordinary way.

You might not expect fine dining this far north, but Longyearbyen has plenty to offer. At Funken Lodge, you can enjoy a curated champagne tasting in the hotel’s historic cellar, once used as the local alcohol store. The restaurant, Funktionærmessen, serves signature dishes like king crab and dry-aged côte de bœuf.

A dinner at the acclaimed Huset Restaurant is also something to remember. Here, chefs combine local ingredients with modern techniques and storytelling to create a tasting menu that brings Svalbard’s flavours, and stories, to life.

Despite the darkness, Longyearbyen is anything but sleepy in winter. Culture comes alive during the polar night, with festivals, concerts and events taking place throughout the season. In November and December, cosy Christmas markets light up the town, and the local choir often hosts holiday concerts.

Restaurants serve traditional Norwegian Christmas dishes, and local shops are stocked with great gift ideas, tax-free, of course.

Shopping in Longyearbyen is a little different. Not only is it far from the usual crowds, but everything is tax-free. You’ll find high-quality outdoor gear, local crafts, and Arctic-inspired souvenirs. Shops like Longyear78 stock everything you need for life in the cold, warm down jackets, wool layers, winter boots, and more.

According to local legend, Santa Claus lives in Mine 2B, an old mine in the mountains above Longyearbyen. Each December, lights are strung up on the mountainside, and a red postbox is placed by the road for children to post their wish lists. A visit here fits perfectly into a scenic town walk.

Another festive highlight is the annual Christmas walk, a pub-to-pub parade where locals dress up in holiday outfits and decorate their kicksleds with lights. It’s a cheerful tradition that brings warmth and colour to the snowy streets.