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Add to SafariWhen comparing Svalbard, Norway vs Tromso, Norway, the Slant community recommends Tromso, Norway for most people. In the question“What are the best travel destinations to see the Northern Lights?” Tromso, Norway is ranked 2nd while Svalbard, Norway is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Tromso, Norway is:
The people of Tromso are lovely and welcoming, greeting you on the street and responding to your poor attempts at speaking Norweigan with a smile and response in perfect English.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Northern lights can be seen in the day time
Svalbard is one of the only places where the northern lights can be seen during the day.
Pro Lovely locals
The people of Tromso are lovely and welcoming, greeting you on the street and responding to your poor attempts at speaking Norweigan with a smile and response in perfect English.
Pro Relatively mild climate for latitude
Due to it's coastal location, Tromso is much milder in winter than other locations at the same latitude.
Pro Great location for sightings all year round
Tromso is located in the Northern Lights oval, the area with the greatest chance of sightings.
Cons
Con Extremely cold temperatures
The island of Svalbard is majorly covered by ice and can get to temperatures below -30°C in winter, with summer temperatures around 8-10°C
Con Very small community with few options for travelers
Svalbard is home to less than 3000 people. Being such a small community, there are very little options available for travelers (for example, there are only a few hotels to choose from).
Con Lots of hills and uneven roads
While the main part of town is down at sea-level, the rest of the town builds up behind it on some quite steep hills and many unsealed/uneven roads. This can be slightly treacherous in winter so best to have shoes with substantial grip and don't take a wheeled suitcase if you're staying out of town and up a hill - it will be quite a workout!
