Longyearbyen City Walk with/without Arctic Meal

The City Walk is a guided tour on foot through Longyearbyen. It looks at how people can live on Svalbard. The route passes the remains of the earlier Longyear settlement and places that matter to residents today.

Along the way, guests look out over the fjord while hearing about the coal mining industry and the community that grew around it. The guide covers how earlier residents lived and built the town, and how people live there now, with the Arctic setting, the remoteness and climate change as themes. Questions are answered according to the interests of the group, so the content differs from one group to another. The operator describes the walk as an introduction to a stay on Svalbard, and as a calm activity for guests who arrive by air around midday.

The walk lasts 2.5 hours and includes breaks to warm up. It runs all year round. The page does not give a group size, an age limit, equipment, clothing or what to bring.

Two combinations exist. In one, the walk is followed by an Arctic meal made up of products from the region, with explanations of their origin and traditional use. In the other, the walk is followed by a 60 minute Thai massage. The tour starts in the city centre at the Skinnboden shop. A guest who is late can catch up on the road, because the group then heads toward the church, on the other side of the river.