Join us for an unforgettable Arctic cruise through the land of the polar bear and the midnight sun - Svalbard! During the month of May, Svalbard is characterised by a wonderful purity and spectacular scenery. The fairytale winter landscape is dominated by glittering ice formations, snow-capped mountains, fjord ice and pastel-coloured skies.
It’s spring in Svalbard, and being there as the archipelago awakens is truly awe-inspiring. The Arctic fox and the Svalbard reindeer still wear their thick winter coats, and walruses are often seen resting on drifting ice floes. With a bit of luck, we might even spot the king of the Arctic – the polar bear – silently roaming across the ice. Birdlife is beginning to return to Svalbard, and it's a good time to see king eiders and rock ptarmigans.
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Experience the Arctic spring
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Stunning winter landscapes
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Magical midnight sun
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True expedition cruising
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5 experienced guides
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Each trip is unique
Facts about the trip
Itinerary
With our sturdy Zodiacs we explore this winter wonderland, heading for some of Svalbard’s most magnificent fjords. We also try to go ashore whenever the ice and snow allow.
Day 1: Longyearbyen, Svalbard
We arrive in Longyearbyen and transfer to our hotel.
Day 2 - 8: Expedition cruising
We start our Svalbard adventure by exploring Longyearbyen. In the afternoon we embark our expedition ship M/S Quest and head out through Isfjorden - our Arctic adventure has started! We are now in a part of the world where we are completely dependent on the ice and weather conditions. Our exact itinerary will depend on these factors and on the wildlife we encounter. We may make a first excursion before heading south or north, depending on the weather and ice conditions. Here are some examples of places we may visit:
Alkhornet
At the entrance of Isfjorden is the characteristic cliff of Alkhornet. We go ashore to enjoy the beautiful tundra and its birdlife, including barnacle geese, Brünnich’s guillemots, glaucous gulls, snow buntings and tens of thousands of kittiwakes. Arctic foxes are sometimes seen in the rock crevices around the mountain and with a bit of luck we might see these lovely little animals scurrying around, frantically looking for food.
Prins Karls Forland
This narrow strip of land is covered by a magnificent and snow-covered mountain chain. The island is also home to many seabirds and harbour seals
Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden
The scientific village of Ny-Ålesund is located in Kongsfjorden. It was from here that Amundsen and Nobile started their heroic expeditions to the North Pole. In the nearby Krossfjorden we can admire the beautifully sculpted front of the 14th of July Glacier and listen to the sounds of the many kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots that nest on the nearby cliffs.
Raudfjorden
Raudfjorden is an area of immense natural beauty – dominated by magnificent glaciers. It is also a favourite haunt of seals, and the bird cliffs are bursting with activity.
Virgohamna, Danskøya
Danskøya was the starting point for two of the most daring attempts to reach the North Pole. The Swedish explorer Andrée made an attempt with a hydrogen balloon and American journalist Wellman started with an airship. Interesting remnants of these Arctic expeditions can still be seen here.
Bellsund
At the beautiful Vårsolbukta in Bellsund little auks nest by the tens of thousands. We go ashore and walk across the tundra to get a closer look at these charming birds.
Hornsund
The majestic Hornsund consists of several magnificent fjords along the west coast of Spitsbergen, where huge glaciers calve out shimmering blue ice. This is one of the favourite haunts of some of Svalbard's polar bears, and we may be lucky enough to spot one on the fjord ice.
Day 9: Longyearbyen
In the morning we leave the ship in Longyearbyen and begin our journey home.
Please note: All itineraries are for guidance only. Our exact route will depend on the ice, weather conditions, wildlife and government regulations. The places mentioned are just examples of some of the many sites Svalbard has to offer. We always strive to maximise your experience. Please remember that flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!
Flights
We offer group flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen and return (limited availability). Contact us for more information!
Important!
To ensure responsible tourism and protection of the environment, new regulations come into force in Svalbard on 1 January 2025. Read more about the regulations and PolarQuest's comments about these changes.
Map
Videos from this trip
The ship M/S Quest
Passengers
50Crew
25Built
1992Cruising Speed
10 knA comfortable expedition ship with a wonderful crew.
The ship M/S Quest was built in Denmark in 1992 to serve as a ferry along the west coast of Greenland. In 2004-2005, it was completely refurbished into a comfortable expedition ship, and in 2018, the passenger areas underwent further renovation.
M/S Quest can accommodate 50 passengers, with all 24 cabins being outside cabins equipped with private facilities.
In the dining room, you enjoy delicious meals between landings, while the panorama lounge offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. This lounge serves as the venue for entertaining talks about the area's flora, fauna, and history. The ship boasts spacious observation decks for you to enjoy the stunning vistas. The bridge welcomes you around the clock, and there is always something to see or search for. There are five Zodiacs and five guides on M/S Quest.
Departures and booking
Departure | Return trip | Cabins available | |
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7 May 2026 | 15 May 2026 | Cabins available | Book online |
14 May 2026 | 22 May 2026 | Cabins available | Book online |
21 May 2026 | 29 May 2026 | Cabins available | Book online |
Lodging & prices
Lodging category | Bed | Prices 2026/person | |
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Triple cabin | upper/lower beds | 6 490 USD | |
Twin cabin | 2 twin beds | 7 490 USD | |
Twin cabin Plus | 2 twin beds | 7 890 USD | |
Double cabin | double bed | 7 890 USD | |
Double cabin Superior | large double bed* | 9 090 USD | |
Owner’s cabin | large double bed | 9 890 USD | |
Twin cabin for single use | 12 090 USD |
Many of our travellers journey solo, so in addition to single cabins, we offer the option to share a cabin on board the M/S Quest. Shared cabins are divided into female and male cabins. Contact us for availability!

Included in the price:
- 1 night in a hotel in Longyearbyen
- 7 nights on board M/S Quest
- Lunch day 2
- All meals on board
- Coffee and tea
- An experienced Expedition Leader and knowledgeable guides
- Guiding ashore and talks on board
- All excursions and activities
Not included in the price:
- Flight to/from Longyearbyen
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Gratuity to the ship’s crew
- Personal expenses such as bar and shop charges
Said about the trip
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David & Maureen Macleod
We have been home a few days now, but are still ‘blown away’ by our holiday in Svalbard. We will remember our time in the Arctic forever. The hospitality and the food on the ship were excellent, and the guides were 5 star plus. This has proved to have been one of our best holidays ever, and one which we would hope to repeat.
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Yvonne Higgs McHugh & Tony Brake
In my experience, a wonderful thing about your company, i.e. all the staff and crew, is that everyone tries their very best, and they are so well selected for the jobs they are doing. Intelligence, personality, experience… it made the trip a charmed cruise from planning to completion. The support I got from you in the office was excellent – everything went as planned and all details were correct!
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Janet & Eddie Brown
Our trip was faultless, everything was so well organised, and every person so pleasant. We have travelled a lot, to over 80 countries in the world, with different companies, but yours “PolarQuest” certainly came out the top, yes you are our no. 1 company.
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Ian Salisbury
To say that everything was great would be an understatement... The ship, the people, the food (tons of it) the scenery and the wildlife were all magnificent. The level of professionalism and the quality of the whole product was of the very highest standard... absolutely first class!
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Marit & Don Meredith
The expedition was absolutely fabulous, with a very efficient and friendly crew, and delicious food. The Zodiac outings and landings were awe-inspiring with five exceptional, highly professional and enthusiastic guides, giving excellent and captivating explanations on the Arctic fauna and flora, as well as on their environment and on different explorers.
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Doreen McBarnet
I am still in a dreamlike state after my wonderful trip to Svalbard on M/S Quest. Thank you to all your multitalented guides who could not have done more to make the trip a fantastic experience. Thanks to all of you in the office too who made it all work from afar! Many thanks.
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Trevor Soames & Camilla Permin
We have returned from our wonderful journey and wanted to thank you, and especially everyone on the ship itself. Every single day that we had on board was a great experience. The flexibility and inventiveness of the Expedition Leader and the ship’s Captain and First Mate in ensuring that we made the best of our time considering the ice conditions as well as the care taken not to disturb the native animal life and respect the distance needed, so as not to overstress them, was much appreciated. The ship’s crew, the restaurant staff who served our cheerful and tasty ”yummi yummi” meals, our cabin, were all excellent.
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Richard Boweb
We have just finished our magnificent Svalbard cruise with PolarQuest and M/S Quest. What a fantastic experience. Our trip was really great and your guides superb. They went out of our way to help at all times, and the Captain also was magnificent, entering the true “expedition” spirit and steering the ship into the ice for our convenience, and participating in all manner of events. All-in-all we have had a fantastic time with the PolarQuest people, and would certainly look for further adventures sometime in the future.
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Amnon Tzechovoy, Israel - May 2025
The cruise was wonderful and exceeded my expectations.
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Liz Ivarsson, Sweden - May 2025
We had an absolutely fantastic trip with top guides and expedition leader! We got to see as much wildlife and nature we wanted and we learnt a lot from the guides. In addition, we got a lot of history. Super good combination! We were also really lucky with the weather! The organisation of the trip was very good with good food and service on the boat. We have absolutely nothing to complain about!
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Helena Persson, Sweden - May 2025
We had long dreamed of travelling to Svalbard and this expedition came to fulfil all our expectations! We got to experience magically beautiful winter landscapes, go ashore on ice floes in the middle of the pack ice, wonderful zodiac tours, polar dives and see wildlife both near and far. The five knowledgeable and dedicated guides really went out of their way to make sure we had a great experience. Praise also to the very friendly and helpful crew. Thank you for an unforgettable expedition!
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Åsa Wallin, Sweden - May 2025
Very well organised trip, excellent guides, knowledgeable. Good that the guides had different areas of expertise so they complemented each other well. Good lectures. Fantastic food cooked and served by skilled and friendly staff. All crew and guides nice and service orientated. Interesting to hear all knowledge and stories from the guides. They were also good at spoting wildlife from afar!!! In other words, a fantastic experience throughout the week that I will carry with me for the rest of my life! The barbeque was a surprising fun element and got everyone to let loose and dance!
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Annika Strömberg, Sweden - May 2025
Good organisation, knowledgeable and committed guides, good food and service, and of course the destination itself and the experiences we had with wonderful views and interesting wildlife encounters.
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Mats Lundberg, Sweden - May 2025
Small nice ship with nice crew, good food. The organisation was very good and the guides very knowledgeable and eager for us to have experiences, the expedition leader incredibly nice and sharp, this enhanced everything with all the stories about both wildlife, nature and Svalbard's history.
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Anders Lundgren, Sweden - May 2025
Everything was so good. The staff, the guides, the boat, the food, the environment, the briefing etc. Can't think of anything negative. Of course it costs a lot, but you get so much for your money. Will definitely go with PolarQuest again and then with one of the 12-passenger ships.
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Ivor Cary Armistead, Austrailia - May 2025
It was a wonderful experience - the location, the weather, the staff and crew all combined to make the cruise very special.
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Kevin Blackband, United Kingdom - May 2025
Another, well organised trip with PolarQuest. Excellent friendly guides, great staff on board and fantastic food!