❄️ Svalbard: accommodation in Longyearbyen — heating, internet, everyday details

The polar town is small but ready for workation: there are apartments with kitchens and washing machines, stable internet, and shops nearby. Below are three practical answers: what you can realistically rent for a month, how to organise laundry and storage for winter/trekking equipment, and how good the internet connection is for daily calls.

🏘 What accommodation options are available for a month? [Lock: Longyearbyen]

Apartment-style accommodation in the centre. The most predictable option is an apartment with a kitchen/washing machine at Svalbard Hotell | Lodge: the description clearly states dishwasher, washing machine, fully equipped kitchen, linen and final cleaning. The location is in the centre, close to a café and supermarket. For a month, it is convenient to arrange a long stay.

Guest houses with long stays. More budget-friendly, but with a shared kitchen — such as Gjestehuset 102; conditions and possible discounts for long stays are available upon request.

Sites with monthly filters. On aggregators, you can select Monthly stays and find furnished accommodation with a kitchen (an alternative to sublets). Choose properties within the town limits — this way, you will be closer to shops and have more stable internet connection.

Important to know: not for everyone. The student apartments Elvesletta and other properties Samskipnaden are only for students studying at UNIS (not market rent).

🧺 How are laundry and equipment storage handled?

Laundry. In ‘apartment hotels,’ washing machines are usually inside the room (or available as a service/laundry room). There are no separate coin-operated laundromats in the village — use the washing machine in your accommodation or a paid service at hotels/guest houses.

Drying and wet gear. Ask your hosts for a photo of the drying cabinet/room or check access to the shared utility room (bod). In apartments, this is usually taken care of, but it is best to agree on the details (space for skis/snowshoes) in advance.

Everyday essentials nearby. The main supermarket is Svalbardbutikken (Coop), which is also the main place for household chemicals and consumables. Opening hours and seasonal schedules are available on the official tourist office website.

📶 Is the internet sufficient for daily video calls?

The infrastructure is strong. The village is connected to mainland networks by two submarine fibre optic cables; this is critical infrastructure that provides ‘virtually unlimited bandwidth’ for the town and services. Since 2009, Telenor has been providing FTTH (fibre to the home) to all residential buildings in Longyearbyen. For remote work, this means that when choosing accommodation within the town, a stable ‘wire’ connection is the norm.

Mobile as a backup. 4G works reliably within Longyearbyen; outside the settlements, the connection quickly ‘drops out’, so plan your calls within the town. (It is noteworthy that even Ny-Ålesund was only recently connected to the network — coverage outside the ‘civilised zone’ has historically been limited.)

What to ask your host. Connection type (fibre/4G router), Speedtest screenshot during ‘rush hour’ (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and the possibility of placing your workstation next to the router (or running an Ethernet cable). For reference: Zoom/Teams work comfortably at 1–4 Mbps, but local fibre usually provides tens and hundreds of megabits.

About heat and reliability. After October 2023, the city's energy supply switched from coal to diesel generators (a temporary measure until a ‘green’ system is implemented). The heat supply in residential buildings is stable; power outages are rare, but it is wise to have a power bank and eSIM as a backup for the winter.

The optimal plan for a month is simple: take an apartment in the centre (kitchen, washing machine, your own ‘work corner’), keep Svalbardbutikken nearby for everyday needs, and check the internet before booking — connection type and screenshot of the speed test. Set your calls to ‘city’ time and location, and leave weekend walks in the valley — no risk to your connection. In the end, even on the edge of the map, everyday life is surprisingly familiar, and the work rhythm is calm.