Midnight sun and summer activities

Facts last verified 2026-10-03

From late April to late August, the sun never sets over Longyearbyen. Day and night blur into one long, bright day, and in the evenings the low sun bathes the mountains in golden light. Summer is the season for boat trips, hiking and kayaking, for seabirds and walruses, and for a carpet of tiny flowers on the tundra.

Summer in numbers

The midnight sun starts while the ground is still deep in snow, so late April and May give you both: 24-hour daylight and snowmobile or dog sled trips. By June the snow is melting in the valleys, and the summer season proper begins.

What to do in summer

Boat trips

The classic summer day out. Boats leave Longyearbyen for the glacier fronts, the bird cliffs, and the settlements of Pyramiden, Barentsburg and Ny-Ålesund. Summer is also the season for walrus and whale safaris. Choose an open, fast RIB for the thrill, or a larger boat with food and a toilet on board.

In July, you can watch young seabirds leap from the cliffs for the first time at Trygghamna, on a boat trip known as the bird jumping.

Hiking

Guided hikes run from town all summer, with the guide carrying the rifle. Popular routes include Platåfjellet, about 400 metres above town, Sarkofagen, which comes down across the Longyear glacier, and Trollsteinen, where you cross a glacier and a moraine landscape. Look out for 60-million-year-old plant fossils on the way.

Kayaking

Paddle Adventfjorden, Billefjorden or Isfjorden in a dry suit, past glaciers and along the coast. Some trips include a walk to the abandoned settlement of Hiorthhamn.

More to try

• Dog carting: when the snow melts in early June, the sled dogs pull wheeled carts instead.
• ATV safaris in Adventdalen, where you may see reindeer and Arctic foxes.
• The Spitsbergen Marathon, on the first weekend of June. See The marathons with polar bear guards.
• Expedition cruises around the archipelago. See Choosing an expedition cruise.

For the full list, see What to do in Longyearbyen.

Flowers on the tundra

Svalbard has about 178 species of vascular plants, and three plant species found nowhere else on Earth. The growing season is short and uneven: exposed ridges lose their snow early, while snow beds may not be clear until mid-July, leaving the plants there only weeks to flower and set seed.

• Purple saxifrage is one of the first to bloom, in June.
• Mountain avens flowers on the ridges.
• The Svalbard poppy is a typical plant of the high-Arctic polar desert.
• Below the bird cliffs, droppings fertilise the soil, and plants grow taller and greener than anywhere else.

The tundra recovers very slowly from damage. Walk on dry, bare ground where you can, and don’t pick flowers.

Summer rules to know

• Bird sanctuaries are closed to all traffic from 15 May to 15 August, on land and within 300 metres of the shore.
• Polar bears: the minimum distance is 500 metres until 30 June, then 300 metres.
• Bird cliffs: drones may not fly within 500 metres of bird cliffs from 1 April to 31 August. See Drone rules.
• Arctic terns nest in open colonies on the ground in summer. Keep out of them.

The golden autumn

After the midnight sun ends on 23 August, the last weeks of the polar summer are known as the golden autumn. The tundra turns red, copper and gold, and for the first time in months the evenings get dark again. With the peak season over, there are also fewer visitors.

Tips for the midnight sun

• Bring a sleep mask. It’s light 24 hours a day, and it can be hard to sleep.
• Use the light. With no darkness, an evening hike or a late boat trip is just as bright as midday.
• Dress in layers. Even in summer it’s only a few degrees above zero, and the weather changes fast. Wool and a windproof jacket are essential.