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Ny-Ålesund – the northernmost settlement in the world

A pioneering community of explorers and scientists at the wild Arctic frontier of climate change research.

At the top of the world, just 746 miles (1,200 km) from the North Pole, Ny-Ålesund is the world’s northernmost settlement. It sits on the north-facing shore of Kongsfjord on Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago.

In the past, explorers and miners formed unique communities here. Now, it’s the scientists’ turn; Ny-Ålesund is a renowned international center for climate change research.

A short history of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

This tiny town started life as a mining community in 1916. Coal was transported by train from the pits to the ships waiting in the bay. Those cargo boats had just a small window of a few months to collect their haul before the ice crept over Kongsfjord during the Arctic winter.

Throughout the coal mining era, Arctic explorers who wanted to reach the North Pole used Ny-Ålesund as a base for their adventures. In 1926, Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth, and the Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile flew the airship Norge from Ny-Ålesund across the Arctic Ocean. It was the first flight over the top of the world.

Two years later, Nobile returned to Ny-Ålesund to fly over the North Pole again, this time in an Italian airship. The team crashed north of Svalbard and an injured Nobile and half of his crew were later rescued. Tragically, Amundsen, the Norwegian hero he was, jumped in a seaplane to help find his friend, but perished in the rescue, cutting short his illustrious life as one of the world’s most famous explorers.

The mining community continued to scratch a living here until 1963 when, after a series of disasters claimed too many lives, the mines were finally deemed too dangerous and closed down.

The end of mining wasn’t the end of Ny-Ålesund. As the mines disappeared, the European Research Organization chose the location as a center for research. In 2019, the Research Council of Norway championed the town to become a leading center for Arctic research. At the same time, the Council agreed to preserve Ny-Ålesund’s unique cultural heritage.

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Visit Ny-Ålesund today and among Svalbard’s largest collection of protected buildings you’ll find a vital hub for international research across 11 stations, each complete with modern high-tech lab equipment for analyzing various fields of glaciology, oceanography, geology, physics, and biology. The research center houses 35 hardcore residents year round, with another 60 scientists joining them during the summer months.

Ny-Ålesund is a true frontier; both as far north as many of us will ever visit, and pushing the frontline of science and knowledge ever forward. There really is nowhere else like it on Earth.

5 things to do in Ny-Ålesund

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1. Pay homage to the explorer heritage

In the town center, the sculpture of the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen honors the man who chose Ny-Ålesund as a base for his successful expedition to the North Pole in 1926. Take a moment to imagine the danger and exhilaration he would have felt as he flew over the top of the world for the first time.

A few hundred feet to the east of the town is the Amundsen mast, where the airship, Norge, was tethered before the expedition. You’ll need an armed guide to walk you there; polar bears have been known to wander this way.

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2. Ny-Ålesund Museum

The small museum, housed in what was once the town shop, displays the history of the settlement from its origins as a mining village and its role as a base for daring North Pole explorers, up to its reinvention as an international research center for the Arctic.

Close by is Ny-Ålesund’s main shop, Kongsfjordbutikken, where you can pick up a souvenir from the most northern town in the world.

An Arctic fox walking across the tundra in Svalbard

3. Wildlife haven

Summer is the ideal time to see Ny-Ålesund’s wildlife. From your ship, you might be lucky enough to glimpse mink, beluga, and even humpback whales, or walruses catching rays on the ice.

Svalbard is home to bearded seals, the largest seals in the Arctic, and 41 species of seabirds including Guillemots and Arctic Terns. On the tundra, you could see Svalbard reindeer, an Arctic fox wearing its dark summer coat, or the mighty polar bear.

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4. Post a letter

Ny-Ålesund houses the world’s northernmost post office so you can surprise friends and family with a postcard from the top of the world.

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5. Take a moment to soak it all in

If you’re visiting on The Svalbard Line, this is probably the farthest north you’ll ever be, so stroll around the settlement – being careful to follow the boardwalk – and find a spot to sit and take in the wild scenery and frontier feel. You’re walking the same path as those great scientific minds that come here to push the boundaries of knowledge and science.

Ny-Ålesund is radio silent as the waves can interfere with the scientists’ delicate research equipment. That means Wi-Fi and Bluetooth aren’t permitted and you can only use your device in flight mode, but that just makes it even easier to enjoy the peace undisturbed.

What is the weather like in Ny-Ålesund?

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Max temp (day)

17.6°F

15.8°F

14°F

19.4°F

28.4°F

35.6°F

39.2°F

39.2°F

35.6°F

26.6°F

21.2°F

17.6°F

Min temp (night)

8.6°F

8.6°F

15°F

10.4°F

23°F

32°F

35.6°F

33.8°F

30.2°F

21.2°F

14°F

10.4°F

From November to the end of January, the sun stays below the horizon all day and Ny-Ålesund surrenders to the dark. But as temperatures start to rise and daylight returns, the sea ice recedes enough for us to explore the archipelago’s fjords once again. The Svalbard Line visits Ny-Ålesund from May to September.

During these summer months, the sun never dips below the horizon and temperatures can reach four degrees, but you’ll still need sturdy boots, a warm coat, gloves, and a hat to be comfortable, as well as a good pair of sunglasses.

The long hours of daylight make it the ideal time to spot the wildlife of this northern wilderness. You may be lucky enough to see humpback or beluga whales, walruses, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer and even a polar bear, as well as the many species of seabirds that breed in the area.

Visit Ny-Ålesund with Hurtigruten

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ON THE SVALBARD LINE

In port: 4 hours

We stop at Ny-Ålesund on the Svalbard Line, our premium, all-inclusive Signature voyage that sails from Bergen to the Arctic archipelago and back.

Getting to Ny-Ålesund from your Hurtigruten ship

Ny-Ålesund is halfway along the southern side of the 19 mile-long (30km-long) Kongsfjord. As you approach the settlement, you’ll pass the Blomstrand peninsula on your left with glaciers carving through the base of the mountains into the bay below.

You can walk into Ny-Ålesund along the boardwalks, which protect the tundra and connect the town’s handful of buildings. The colorful cabins pop against the snow fields and mountains beyond.

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Neighboring ports of call

Hamn I Senja, northern Norway. Image copyright: Bård Løken - www.nordnorge.com

NEXT PORT

Torsken, Senja

With its fjord-indented coastline, varied scenery, and close-knit fishing communities, it’s no wonder Senja is known as ‘Norway in miniature’.

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