Cheap polar trip: how to see Spitsbergen and the northernmost point of Norway without breaking the bank

The Arctic is an attractive destination, but the cost is high. Search engines show packages for 'Spitsbergen with bears' for €2,900 and cruises along the entire coast for €5,000. In practice, a trip to the Arctic Circle can cost no more than a week-long trip to Oslo if you know where to look for tickets, how to buy deck cabins and how to take advantage of student and youth rates. Below are ten questions with detailed answers (120–140 words) on how to get to Longyearbyen, Kirkenes, North Cape and back without spending too much money and without compromising on comfort and safety.

Can I buy a ticket from Oslo to Longyearbyen for less than 1,500 Norwegian kroner, and when should I do it?

Yes. Norwegian has a special offer on 2–4 flights a week from January to April. You can buy tickets from 1,299–1,499 NOK if you book 3–4 months in advance. In spring and autumn, SAS offers 'Ungdom–Youth' tickets for 1,450 NOK (16–25 years old or any ISIC card). The date is fixed immediately, but hand luggage and a 10 kg backpack are included. The most expensive months are June and February (High Aurora Season), when the price goes up to 2,600 NOK. If you are flexible with your dates, go for Tuesday/Wednesday — there are fewer people travelling and the price is 200 kr lower. The bottom line: bring warm gloves and don't pay for a suitcase — this way, the flight is cheaper than the train from Oslo to Bergen.

How can you live on Spitsbergen without spending NOK 3,000 on a three-star hotel?

There is a municipal campsite in Longyearbyen called Longyearbyen Camping (June–August) where you can pitch your own tent for 130 NOK/night. You can also use the showers and kitchen there. Out of season (September to May), Gjestehus 102 is a cheap option, with a bed in a hostel for 495 NOK (bed and breakfast), and Airbnb rooms with students at the University Centre start at 550 NOK for a single room. A great way to meet people is Couchsurfing: because it's expensive to stay in the area, locals are happy to host guests in exchange for some of their farm produce. To avoid the risk of being unable to find a place to stay, book everything in advance. Spontaneous accommodation in the low season costs twice as much because there are limited logistics on the island.

How much does it cost to travel from Kirkenes to Tromsø on a Hurtigruten cruise if you have a ticket for the deck?

The 'Deck Passenger' was launched in 2024 for digital youth groups. You can buy the Kirkenes–Tromsø trip from the Hurtigruten ⁄ Havila app for 760 NOK — a 2-day trip of 508 km. Sleep in a sleeping bag on a deckchair under the roof, shower 30 kr/5 min, free Wi-Fi voucher, coffee maker 45 kr refill. A cabin on the Pullman ship costs NOK 1,540, but the fun you have on the deck is even better: watch the sun rise in the Nordkap Fjord and eat mak-paiom from your own food. The AutoPASS chip from your car in Kirkenes can be parked at the terminal for free. The ship will pick you up and your friends can pick up your car. In winter, it's best to bring a duvet because it can get very cold, down to -15°C.

Are there any other companies I could use instead of Hurtigruten if I don't like the idea of spending the night on deck?

The bus company Boreal offers a budget route: the Snelandia 100 ↻ Kirkenes–Alta costs NOK 599 (NOK 479 for students), takes 11 hours via Vågan, and stops three times for photos of the northern fjords. We stayed overnight in Hammerfest at the Melkøya campsite. It cost 360 NOK for a cabin that slept four people. Then the catamaran from Alta to Tromsø (Troms Fylkes FjordXpressen) costs 390 NOK and takes 4.5 hours. The combo ticket is cheaper than Hurtigruten, but you will have to carry your backpack and find your own accommodation. The great thing is that you can be flexible. You can stay in Honningsvåg overnight and then walk 8 km to the North Cape, saving 340 kr on the bus transfer.

Do you need to rent a car for Finnmark, or is public transport enough?

If you're going to Kirkenes, Vågan National Park or North Cape, you can get to 85% of the routes using public transport. The Arctic Travel Pass (new for 2025) gives you unlimited flights with Boreal and the Honningsvåg-Nordkapp ferry for 999 NOK/5 days. You can rent a Dacia Spring at Kirkenes Airport. It costs 595 Norwegian kroner per day. You will also have to pay for the electricity you use, which is 6 kr per kilowatt hour. You will also have to pay tolls, but only for the tunnel to Honningsvåg, which costs 150 Norwegian kroner. Two travellers are already paying too much, and parking at the Nordkapp viewpoint costs 300 kr/day. The bottom line: you only need a car if you take the windows off your camper and sleep in it. If not, just take the bus and a tent.

Want to see whales and crabs without paying 2,000 NOK for a tour?

Kittiwake safari from Sommarøy: Trond, a licensed RIB captain, sells places for 700 NOK (there must be at least six passengers) through the Facebook group 'Tromsø Last Minute Tours'. Bring your own wetsuit and save 250 NOK on the rental. In summer, you can try catching your own king crab at Bugøynes. The farmers there offer a course where you can catch and cook your own king crab for NOK 890 per person. This includes an easy SUP trip, a fishing hook, and a cooking lesson. The brochure price for this experience is NOK 1,550. A group of four can arrange the boat rental by email and share the cost. Here's a handy tip: if you're under 26, you can get a 10% discount just by showing your Arctic Student Card.

Where can you find cheap places to stay above the 70th parallel?

Here are the three best options for those on a budget: 1) If you cancel at the last minute, Kirkenes Snowhotel Gamme Cabins will sell you a ticket for NOK 1,200 instead of NOK 2,800. Check the website at 2 p.m. on the day you are arriving to see if any tickets are available. 2) Hostel Puffin Lodge (Tromsø) — 350 Norwegian kroner per bed, 20 minutes' walk from the centre. 3) At the Finnmarksløpet camp in Alta, you can stay in heated tents during the husky races in March. These cost NOK 150 per night and must be booked by email. The best option is 'allemannsretten', which is a public right of way. This means you can camp for free at the shore of the Lungen Fjord, less than 150 metres from someone's house. You can also see the northern lights for free. You can get water at the Circle K station, and there is a bio-toilet at the tourist office.

How can you eat without spending 280 NOK on soup at a restaurant?

Expensive is not for you: Kiwi Kirkenes and Coop Mega Tromsø offer students a 10% discount on one day a week. At the airport duty-free shop in Longyearbyen, 1 kg of Brunost cheese costs 76 NOK compared to 89 NOK on the mainland. So, make sure you stock up before your return flight. Dried cod (klippfisk) is a healthy snack. It costs 110 NOK for 500 grams at the Bugøynes cooperative. A gas cylinder costs 45 NOK, which you can use to steam Toro soups (15 NOK each). In tourist villages, there is a 'room with kitchen' rule: choose a guesthouse with a shared kitchen, and you'll save 600 kr (about 70 GBP) a day on restaurants.

Is it possible to see the Northern Lights for free, without going on a bus tour?

Yes. Longyearbyen and Tromsø have an 'Aurora Safari Spots' map. This map shows six areas where the sky is dark and free from light pollution. You can get to these areas by city bus No. 42 or the Tromsø-Håkøya ferry. You can find the schedule on Ruter/Skyss, and tickets cost 30 NOK. You can see the sky in all directions, and there are no tours for 1,500 kr. The Northern Lights Alert app (79 kr) will send you a notification on your phone when the KP index is > 4, giving you time to get there. The most important thing is to take a tripod and a thermos; the spots have heated benches and information boards with a QR code for the NASA SOHO camera.

How can you plan a seven-day trip from Oslo to Svalbard, Finnmark and Tromsø, all while spending just 10,000 NOK?

You can get a cheap flight with Norwegian from Oslo to Longyearbyen for 1,499 kr, two nights' camping for 2 × 130 kr, and the Gjestehus 102 hostel for 495 kr. Then Flyr's special offer:

Longyearbyen-Tromsø: 1,290 kr

Boreal Arctic Pass bus route: 999 kr

Kirkenes, Hurtigruten deck: 760 kr

Tromsø: 3 nights at Puffin Lodge (350 kr each night)

SAS Youth flight Tromsø-Oslo: 649 kr Eight meals with Too Good To Go cost 392 kr, and gas and soups cost 400 kr. The total cost was about 9,995 NOK. Compare with a ready-made tour for 28,000 kr — a saving of 65%. Remember that Polaria is free to enter in the last two hours of the working day. You can also get a 40% discount on RIB safaris with your ISIC card.

The Arctic is far from expensive. Combine youth airline tickets, deck cabins, the Arctic Travel Pass bus pass and the power of the Norwegian allemannsretten, and you can fit a week-long northern trip into a budget of 10,000 kroner. If you're clever with Couchsurfing and Too Good To Go, it can be even cheaper. When you step onto the Hurtigruten deck and wrap yourself in your sleeping bag, you will feel the wind from the Barents Sea and realise that freedom is more valuable than comfort, but much cheaper than package tours. Plan your trip carefully, take advantage of the 'invisible' discounts in the North, and you'll find your own Arctic for the price of a weekend in London. Skitt tur!