Add your sail date and the links open on the night before.
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The Radisson is the practical pick, and it comes first. Breakfast is in the rate, per Visit Svalbard, there’s a restaurant and a gastropub, and Hurtigruten runs its Svalbard voyages out of the building.
That last part matters on sail day. Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line guests leave bags at reception, and the airport bus is timed to the flights. Bykaia is about 1.3 km away in a straight line.
It ties Funken Lodge on points and wins on distance. The sauna and the outdoor whirlpool are a good way to spend the last evening ashore.
Book it if
- You’re sailing with Hurtigruten
- You want breakfast and dinner without leaving the building
- You want somewhere to leave bags on sail day
Look elsewhere if
- You want the historic lodge feel; Funken has it
- You’re on a tight budget; Nybyen is cheaper
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Radisson Blu Polar publishes and our own map estimates.
Restaurant Nansen and the Barentz Gastropub, per Radisson.
The hotel lists no ride of its own, but Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line works out of it: guests can leave bags at reception on embarkation day, and there’s a direct airport-to-ship transfer after 13:00. Bykaia is about 1.3 km in a straight line.
Included in the rate, per Visit Svalbard’s listing: a buffet with views over Adventfjorden.
If your line runs the transfer, take it. Otherwise Bykaia is about 1.3 km away in a straight line, and Visit Svalbard says a taxi or bus to the port has to be ordered ahead. Your documents set the boarding time.
Radisson’s page doesn’t mention parking, and nobody here needs it: guests fly in.
Night-Before Score: 46 of 100
Every point comes from the hotel’s own pages or its brand’s; the hub explains how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
By our map estimate Radisson Blu Polar is about 5 km from Svalbard Airport in a straight line, and about 1.3 km from Bykaia. Every question mark below is a ride you book yourself.
No hotel shuttle, but Radisson says the airport bus is timed to flights and you pay on board, in kroner or by card.
The hotel lists no ride of its own, but Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line works out of it: guests can leave bags at reception on embarkation day, and there’s a direct airport-to-ship transfer after 13:00. Bykaia is about 1.3 km in a straight line.
From LYR without a hotel shuttle
The Flybuss leaves 30 to 40 minutes after each scheduled landing and stops at the hotels in town: NOK 125 for adults from 1 August 2026, per Svalbard Buss og Taxi. Taxis come from Svalbard Buss og Taxi and Longyearbyen Taxi; neither publishes a fare. The airport page has the fares.
Radisson’s page doesn’t mention parking, and nobody here needs it: guests fly in.
Parking for your stay: Not mentioned.
The hotel lists no ride of its own, but Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line works out of it: guests can leave bags at reception on embarkation day, and there’s a direct airport-to-ship transfer after 13:00. Bykaia is about 1.3 km in a straight line.
Flying in the morning you sail? You can skip the hotel entirely; the airport page has the landing check.
Which quay
BykaiaMeasured to Bykaia, Port Longyear’s main quay, Radisson Blu Polar is about 1.3 km in a straight line, and about 450 m from the town centre. No turnaround quay is published: smaller ships use other piers or anchor and tender, and Quark warns you may board by Zodiac. Your line’s documents name the place; the Longyearbyen cruise guide has the rest.
Source: portlongyear.noDistance
~1.3 km, straight lineAbout 1.3 km from Bykaia between our map pins, roughly 22 minutes on foot at an easy pace. That’s our estimate, not the hotel’s.
Airport bus
Flybuss timed to flightsAn airport shuttle bus timed to the flights, paid on board in kroner or by card, per Radisson.
Source: radissonhotels.comParking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedRadisson’s page doesn’t mention parking, and nobody here needs it: guests fly in.
In town
No cruise parking publishedParking isn’t the question in Longyearbyen. Almost everyone sailing from here flies in, on a scheduled flight or the line’s own flight, and Port Longyear publishes no car park for cruise guests. None of our ten hotels mentions parking on the pages we read.
The evening and the morning
The evening
Food or bar on siteRestaurant Nansen and the Barentz Gastropub, per Radisson.
Breakfast
IncludedIncluded in the rate, per Visit Svalbard’s listing: a buffet with views over Adventfjorden.
Address
The shore end of the centreVei 500, 9171 Longyearbyen (Hurtigruten gives Vei 229-3)
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Radisson Blu Polar publishes it. We couldn’t confirm the street address (sources differ), accessible rooms, pets, so ask when you book.
Check-in and check-out
Breakfast
Included in the rate, per Visit Svalbard’s listing: a buffet with views over Adventfjorden.
Parking for your stay
Not mentioned
Pool
No pool mentioned on the pages we read
Pets
Not stated on the pages we read.
Food and drink on site
- Restaurant Nansen
- Barentz Gastropub
Rooms
95 rooms: 67 standard rooms, 26 junior suites and 2 suites. Opened in 1995 and refurbished in February 2019, per Visit Svalbard.
Accessibility
Radisson Blu Polar’s pages we read don’t detail accessible rooms, so ask before you book one.
On site
- GymNot stated
- Sauna or spaYes
- Family roomsNot stated
- Pets allowedNot stated
Also worth knowing
- Hurtigruten’s default hotel for its Svalbard Line and Spitsbergen Adventurer guests
- Baggage storage
- Outdoor whirlpool and sauna
- Radisson and Hurtigruten print different street addresses
Before you book
Worth knowing
- Breakfast is included, per Visit Svalbard.
- Check-out is 11:00, so ask about bags if your ship boards in the afternoon.
- The Flybuss is paid on board, kroner or card.
What we couldn’t confirm
- The street address (sources differ)
- Accessible rooms
- Pets
Every hotel fact here comes from Radisson’s page for the hotel and Visit Svalbard’s listing, read October 2026, unless we name another source. Distances are straight lines between our own map pins.
Worth a look alongside it
Before you book Radisson Blu Polar: the Longyearbyen cruise guide and Longyearbyen as a port of call.
Breakfast in the rate, the bags at reception, the ship that afternoon.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Radisson Blu Polar for the night before. No payment on the form.
Radisson Blu Polar FAQ
Is breakfast included at the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel in Longyearbyen?
Yes, per Visit Svalbard’s listing: a buffet with views over Adventfjorden.
Which hotel does Hurtigruten use in Longyearbyen?
The Radisson Blu Polar. Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line guests check in there the day before and can leave bags at reception on embarkation day; Spitsbergen Adventurer guests stay there or at Coal Miners’ Cabins, depending on cabin.
Does the airport bus stop at the Radisson Blu Polar?
Yes. Radisson says the airport shuttle bus is timed to flights, and you pay on board in kroner or by card.
How far is the Radisson Blu Polar from the cruise quay?
About 1.3 km in a straight line from Bykaia, by our map estimate.
Booking the cruise too?
Tell us the sailing and we’ll line up Radisson Blu Polar, the ride to the ship and the cruise itself. No fee, no obligation.
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