Climb to one of Longyearbyen’s most rewarding viewpoints, and see why locals do this hike repeatedly throughout the year. Platåfjellet isn’t just a mountain—it’s how you really understand this town and the landscape that surrounds it.

We start at ground level and climb steadily through the industrial heart of Longyearbyen. Along the way, you’ll pass the iconic cable car supports that once transported coal from the mines down to the port—structures so distinctive that they appear in nearly every photograph of Longyearbyen taken from above. Your guide shares stories of the miners who worked these mountains, the American industrialist John Munro Longyear who discovered coal here in 1906, and how an entire town was built in one of Earth’s harshest environments just to extract resources. You’ll understand how mining shaped everything: the buildings, the economy, the culture—and how Longyearbyen is reinventing itself now that the coal era has ended.

We start in the town center and move through key areas that tell the story of Longyearbyen’s transformation from a remote coal company settlement to a modern Arctic community. Along the way you’ll hear how miners, trappers, scientists, and adventurers have all shaped this place, and how climate change, tourism, and geopolitics continue to influence it today.

You’ll visit historic buildings and mining structures, pause at panoramic viewpoints over Adventfjorden, pass colorful residential areas, see public art and memorials, and get a feel for where locals actually shop, meet, and live. The walk blends big-picture history with small, human details: how people handle polar night and midnight sun, what it means to live with polar bears nearby, and how a town with no trees still feels like home to its residents.

This tour is on flat ground, at an easy pace, and suitable for most fitness levels. It is the perfect introduction to Svalbard for your first day in town, giving you context for everything you’ll see during the rest of your Arctic stay.