Which Svalbard Northern Lights Tour Should You Book?

For a first northern lights evening in Svalbard, book Arctic Footsteps’ Longyearbyen: Northern Lights Adventure by Car, from US$184 a person (checked November 2026). It runs about 3 hours from your hotel, takes up to 8 guests, and had three start times on 26 November, 20 January and 17 February. The other five suit narrower wishes: the smallest group, a longer evening with a camera, or a private night by snowmobile.

On 26 November 2026, 20 January and 17 February 2027 it started at 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM or 8:30 PM and cost US$184.04 a person (GetYourGuide, checked November 2026).

The six side by side

GetYourGuide, checked November 2026; dates checked: 26 November 2026, 20 January, 17 February and 24 March 2027. The van and photography tours were not on sale on 17 February; the photo safari was not on sale on 20 January; the private snowmobile tour was not on sale on 26 November. On 24 March only the photo safari, for two adults, was on sale. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on all six.

By car: the first evening

Arctic Footsteps' car tour always goes first into Adventdalen and stops near the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for a short break and a warm drink, then carries on towards Mine 3 or turns back, depending on where the lights appear. Two or three stops under the sky, warm drinks, cookies and stories about the aurora. A professional photographer takes photos on the tour; the digital files are an optional purchase from your guide, delivered the same night. Guides speak English and Italian. Children under 6 cannot join.

Backyard Svalbard AS's tour is shorter and smaller: 2 hours from 8:00 PM, at most 6 guests, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and light Arctic snacks. It takes you into the valley and out to the polar bear sign. Its guide watches live aurora forecasts for the best spots, and you can stay warm in the car while you wait. It needs at least 2 participants to run; if it falls short you are asked to move to another date or get a refund. Winter clothing is not included.

By van, with more stops

Frostbite Expeditions AS's van tour visits the historic Northern Lights Observatory, Mine 5 and the Seed Vault, with scenic viewpoints on the way, and adapts its route to the weather and the aurora forecast. Warm drinks and snacks, a guide with safety equipment, and liability and search-and-rescue insurance are included. Guides speak English, Norwegian, Polish and Czech. One October 2026 guest gave three stars and wrote that it was too dark to see anything else on the tour; another gave five although cloud hid the lights.

With a camera

Two tours are built around photography. See & Explore's 4-hour tour picks up from 10 hotels and guesthouses in Longyearbyen and helps you set up your camera. It is the one tour here with a stated no-refund rule for a night without lights: no refund if you do not see the lights or if it is cloudy or snowing, and a full refund if it cancels because driving is unsafe. Svalbard Photography AS's photo safari goes into Adventdalen for 3 hours with help on camera settings, exposure and focusing, for up to 8 guests, with guides in English and German. Northern lights photography compares the two.

Private, by snowmobile

Arctic Footsteps' private snowmobile tour is for those who would rather ride than drive: the guide drives, you sit behind as a passenger. It crosses Adventdalen past the old Longyearbyen airstrip, with stops away from the town lights, hot drinks and snacks, and a helmet, goggles and balaclava. Base layers and warm clothing are yours to bring. It is a bumpy, cold ride, not recommended with serious back or neck injuries, and no one under 12 can join.

On Viator, taxiGo.online - Booking Transfer & Taxi sells a private shore tour by snowcat with pickup at the port, Private Shore Tour: Northern Lights Chase by Snowcat. All sales on it are final, with no refund for cancellations, and it had no reviews in November 2026.

Pick by what you want

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

What none of them promise

None of the six promises a sighting. In their own words: Arctic Footsteps, “Northern Lights are natural phenomena and cannot be guaranteed”; Backyard Svalbard AS, “we cannot guarantee sightings”; Frostbite Expeditions AS, “sightings cannot be guaranteed”. What you can control is the number of evenings you leave yourself; the best time explains why to book early in a stay.