Any thoughts on what may be more exciting or beautiful to see? I will have to fly in from Copenhagen on June 18 and fly out June 22 to Bergen - so 3 full days of visiting and 2 days of travel
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
You can drive Lofoten. The road goes almost to the very end of the archipelago. Svalbard has just about 40 km of roads around Longyearbyen and that's it. If you want to see most of Svalbard you have to hire people to take you around which can be expensive. Lofoten is much more mountainous; Svalbard is more open and windswept and the glaciers are much more vast. They are both spectacular.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5835 posts
Svalbard is polar bear country. If you visit Svalbard having a guide when going beyond populated areas is a good idea. Two friends have done Svalbard trips, one a guided ski tour and the other a small ship expedition. Both had guides with long guns.
https://www.npolar.no/en/newsarticle/when-humans-meet-polar-bears-in-svalbard/
When out on a trip in Svalbard, you need to be vigilant and monitor
the surrounding area. Polar bears can be encountered anywhere in
Svalbard in the summer, along the beaches, in the valleys and up on
the glaciers. In winter, of course, the sea ice is a favourite of the
bears, especially areas with fast ice with good habitats for ringed
seals.