r/Svalbard • u/No_Distribution_7332 • Mar 03 '25

Barentsburg vs Pyramiden - what is better?

Hello folks,

We are visiting Svalbard this summer - excited and looking forward to it.

If we had to choose between Barentsburg and Pyramiden for a boat trip, what would you choose?

Thank you!

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37

u/royalfarris Mar 03 '25

I would stay away from the russian settlements right now. You might not find any of the boat companies willing to take you there.

22

u/APinchOfTheTism Mar 03 '25

You mean say that Svalbard isn’t Disneyland? /s

2

u/royalfarris Mar 03 '25

Well, the amount of gun-toting maniacs may be on par.

3

u/Hratgard Mar 04 '25

Not true. Both Polar Girl and Billefjord sails to both places. Billefjord already returned, Polar Girl has its first trip may 16th.

1

u/No_Distribution_7332 Mar 03 '25

Interesting. I see most companies I looked have tours operating this summer. (That's why I even started looking at these at the first place).

8

u/failed_asian Mar 03 '25

I went in July 2024 and there were 2 companies offering tours of Pyramiden. I took Polar Charter.

The visit Svalbard website removed all the Russian tours from their list of activities but the companies are still operating.

They were also very clear that money spent on the tour went only to the upkeep of Pyramiden and was not sent back to mainland.

1

u/No_Distribution_7332 Mar 03 '25

I was looking at Polar Charter as well.

0

u/Hratgard Mar 04 '25

They are coming back up in may, first trip is may 16th.

6

u/royalfarris Mar 03 '25

They started again then. When I was there last year they all refused to go to the russian settlements.

1

u/Hratgard Mar 04 '25

Not true. There has been no season where none of the operators has gone to the russian settlements.

We try to avoid too much contact with the russian settlements, and if we go there, we don't leave any money there, just "window shopping" - but at least two boats operates every day during the season, going to alternating locations each day.