Nine must-do highlights of Longyearbyen, Norway

Get the perfect introduction to sea-kayaking in Svalbard with a seven-hour excursion out of Longyearbyen, suitable for those with no paddling experience. Paddle one of Svalbard’s most historic fjords – Adventfjorden – where you’ll see remains of its century-old coal mines, while you are surrounded by stunning kilometre-high mountains. Go beachcombing before a traditional arctic lunch on the sand. See wildlife.no

The pub

The greatest hang-out spot in town for tourists and locals alike is the Karlsberger Pub, though call it the KB. Sit at the bar and watch the show around you – and if that’s not enough, stare at its walls, full of portraits honouring miners who worked in Longyearbyen over the past 100 years. The beer’s always cold, but you can try one of Europe’s largest collections of Armagnac, whiskeys and cognacs – there are more than 1000 types of drinks. See karlsbergerpub.no

The hotel

The newest hotel in town, Svalbard Hotel found its inspiration from the Svalbard Global Seed Vault just outside town (more on that below). While the decor is all minimalist, there’s a cosy vibe to the place – sit at the bar and compare notes with fellow adventurers, or sample the Japanese restaurant on the ground floor. Located in the heart of town, you don’t have far to go to anywhere. See svalbardadventures.com

The museum

To understand this odd place (Svalbard) you can’t go past the Svalbard Museum, which offers a snapshot of the past 400 years of its history. There are more than 30,000 digital images, a stuffed polar bear and material from archeological digs that help you understand its whaling, fur trade and mining history – as well as memories of the most hardcore expeditions to be the first to reach the North Pole. Allow at least three hours. See svalbardmuseum.no/en

The cafe

A group of locals came up with a novel idea for a cafe a few years back and now the place is always busy. Cafe Huskies offers Longyearbyen’s best coffee and baked goods (try the poppyseed cake) – complete with a rotating crew of local working dogs to keep you company. Clooney (a white/grey husky) is the official greeter, but there are a bunch of retired sled dogs and locals’ pets you can bond with as you get your latte fix. See huskiescafe

The coal mine

Longyearbyen’s history as a town is traced back to coal mining – and the start of it by American John Munro Longyear in the early 1900s just outside Longyearbyen. Take a three-hour tour of a historic coal mine – Mine 3 – located 10 minutes’ drive outside town. Here you can see how life was for miners a century ago. You’ll get a helmet, overalls and a headlamp and can crawl through tunnels in a mine that hasn’t changed in a century. You’ll even get a lump of Svalbard coal as a souvenir. See gruve3.no/mine-no-3

One more thing

Longyearbyen is home to the Global Seed Vault (dubbed the Doomsday Seed Vault) where duplicates of more than a million seeds from almost every country on Earth are kept in the world’s largest seed storage unit.

Located just outside town, you can’t go in, but take a tour to the entrance (see wildlife.no/en/hike-blomsterdalen) or take a virtual tour (see croptrust.org/work/svalbard-global-seed-vault).

The writer was a guest of Southern Seas Ventures.