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Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

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Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#3

Post by kiratp »

cletus wrote: post #2

I find these extreme enviroments fascinating, in this case polar days and nights (months long each). May I introduce you to Cecilia Blomdahl [1] who documents her life on Svalbard. [1]: https://www.tiktok.com/@sejsejlija?lang=en

Same person, but on YouTube for those staying away from Tiktok

https://youtube.com/c/CeciliaBlomdahl

Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#5

Post by ncfausti »

Interesting – I was just looking into visiting/living in Svalbard for a couple of months for the unique experience of it. Unfortunately, I could only find one apartment building [1] and the price for an apartment was $6,000 USD.

I've read that most of the apartments are owned by companies, and you have to work for the company to have access to the apartment. Does anyone know of any other alternatives for a short stay there?

[1] https://en.visitsvalbard.com/where-to-stay/svalbard-hotell-l...

Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#6

Post by blamazon »

One thing I didn't see in here that is absolutely relevant to life (but perhaps considered a foregone conclusion by the Norwegian government) is the concept of midnight sun and polar night, where the sun is periodically either above or below the horizon for 24 hours a day for months on end. It's a real mind-bender and can be very tough on the spirit in the winter. Quoting the 'time in Svalbard' Wikipedia article:

> As Svalbard is located north of the Arctic Circle, it experiences midnight sun during summer and polar night during winter. At the 74° parallel north, the midnight sun lasts 99 days and polar night 84 days, while the respective figures at the 81° parallel north are 141 and 128 days.[11] In Longyearbyen, midnight sun lasts from 20 April until 23 August, and polar night lasts from 26 October until 15 February.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Svalbard#Geography_and...

If you desire to experience such polar wackiness in a less isolated location, one place I can definitely recommend is the mainland Norwegian city of Tromsø.

Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#8

Post by dang »

Related:

Svalbard – where the sun don’t shine (for 5 months) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33577717 - Nov 2022 (1 comment)

Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago that anyone can call home - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29865861 - Jan 2022 (5 comments)

Bearing Witness to Svalbard’s Fragile Splendor - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29463405 - Dec 2021 (3 comments)

Editor of world's northernmost English-language newspaper expelled from Svalbard - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28154838 - Aug 2021 (1 comment)

Svalbard's Alcohol Quotas - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670465 - April 2021 (158 comments)

Svalbard is as close as you can get to a place with open borders - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20642156 - Aug 2019 (253 comments)

Running the Arctic’s Alt-Weekly Newspaper - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20626734 - Aug 2019 (5 comments)

Pretty sure there are other threads - anyone? (I left out the ones about the seed vault and other topics that mention Svalbard but aren't related to residency)

Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#9

Post by throwaway290 »

ncfausti wrote: post #5

Interesting – I was just looking into visiting/living in Svalbard for a couple of months for the unique experience of it. Unfortunately, I could only find one apartment building [1] and the price for an apartment was $6,000 USD. I've read that most of the apartments are owned by companies, and you have to work for the company to have access to the apartment. Does anyone know of any other alternatives for a short stay…

Have you looked up hotels/hostels e.g. on Booking.com? Last time I checked this fall there were enough reasonably priced options.

As an aside, IME the expectation that you can show up and rent an actual apartment for a month or two is just not met (locals don't like that and/or law explicitly forbids) in many places around the world, not just Svalbard. Being able to do it for $6000 or at all is seems fair. In Seoul, for example, you'd need to have substantially more than $6000, possibly two or three times that will be required as a deposit even if you are able to find someone who rents you, a tourist, an actual flat in a residential building for two months (which I doubt; note that on Airbnb most rentals listed as "flats" mean you get a private room with shared space).

Re: Information for foreign citizens in Longyearbyen [pdf]

#10

Post by cdibona »

throwaway290 wrote: post #9
ncfausti wrote: post #5

Interesting – I was just looking into visiting/living in Svalbard for a couple of months for the unique experience of it. Unfortunately, I could only find one apartment building [1] and the price for an apartment was $6,000 USD. I've read that most of the apartments are owned by companies, and you have to work for the company to have access to the apartment. Does anyone know of any other alternatives for a short stay…

Have you looked up hotels/hostels e.g. on Booking.com? Last time I checked this fall there were enough reasonably priced options. As an aside, IME the expectation that you can show up and rent an actual apartment for a month or two is just not met (locals don't like that and/or law explicitly forbids) in many places around the world, not just Svalbard. Being able to do it for $6000 or at all is seems fair. In Seoul,…

We stayed at the Radisson blue and it was pretty terrific, could walk to the main drag, etc... I mean , it was -35, but it was great.
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