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Longyearbyen, Norway

cover photo by Gambacciani_FotoInViaggio

Location added by Gambacciani_FotoInViaggio

The information about this location have been automatically translated with Microsoft Translator.

Rank : 7.5 (average on 2 votes)

Coordinates : 78.222395, 15.652956 (Open in Google Maps)

Subjects : Longyearbyen is the largest city in the Svalbard Islands. It has about 2000 residents but this number is growing strongly as this place is having a strong expansion both tourist and scientific. There is also the only airport of the Svalbard islands and for this is the place where more or less everyone arrives and where everyone stay a few nights and then venture elsewhere. In the city there are all sorts of amenities, such as hotels and restaurants, but also small shopping malls, and technical clothing, weapons, and photo equipment among the most provided I've ever seen in the world. In the city there are the locations of the various agencies that allow you to hike on the islands and several museums. There is also an excellent brewery. LYR is a modern city, carved into a narrow valley and surrounded by steep walls. It is home to people from all over the world (more than 50 nationalities), many of whom are researchers and also tourists. It is also very special because because of the permafrost up there you have to build in a special way and practically everything is raised from the ground, including houses (often on stilts) as well as the pipes that meander here and in the city. It's not the most beautiful place in the world, but there are plenty of photographic cues: "The many colorful houses, each with its own style, and built in such a strange way." several museums and aerial exhibitions dedicated to nature, photography and also the conquest of the north pole. the whole coastal tract is then rich in animals of various kinds. a beach in particular is famous for walrches. then there is a coastal wetland with a large population of birds. areas dedicated to diving. the one that indicates the distances from the rest of the city. "the craggy walls, made up almost only of rocks that are kingdoms of arctic foxes and reindeer." and then of course the fantastic landscapes of the mountains and the fjord in front. absolutely lovely with the snowpack. Forgot.. there's also the aurora. at least in the winter months, but on this we would have to open a separate chapter. let's say it's not the best place to go to see it. NB: within the urban area it is allowed to roam freely, while to get out immediately you have to be accompanied by an armed local guide, due to the alleged risk of bears (very presumed).

Recommended equipment : No special or specific equipment is required. You can do everything with a standard zoom like a 24-70 or a 24-105. If one wants to devote himself to the photography of the buildings it is certainly better to have the appropriate easel and grandangles, and why not a decentralised. For the street, the portraits, and the details something longer can be added to the kit, like an 85 or 135 or a 70-200. If you want to be an animal instead it is better to have something very long. like a 100-400 or a 150-600. For the aurora a wide-angle and very bright lens.

Best months : The winter months are characterized by perennial darkness, while the summer months are characterized by the perennial day (and I know which of the two things is more destabilizing). Then in the spring and autumn months we move from one condition to another with a surprising speed so that in one week and the next everything changes. You have to carefully decide the dates to goFrom April to August is perfect for animal photography, but the light is too abundant and too hard for everything else. September is my favorite time for the climate and because there are the first sunrises and the first sunsets, as well as March, in which however it is very cold and often bad weather. The winter months are the most difficult and the least recommended because the darkness is total (not even a vague light) and this reduces the things to do. Practically you can dedicate yourself only to museums and the aurora provided that bad weather allows it. It is a period of obvious low season, in which the residents all run away, to return home (almost no one was born here) or go the tropical paradise (very popular). There is also to consider that from November to April (but changes a lot from year to year) part or all the fjord in front is frozen and this prevents you from doing activities and going to the most interesting places (such as pyradamiden)

How to get there : The easiest thing, and maybe the only sensible thing is to go there is on a plane. There are ships that arrive up there but they are few and take forever (perhaps some cruises).

Visits : This city, like all the Svalbard Islands, is outside of the Schengen free movement agreements and you must be accompanied by an armed local guide to get out of the inhabited areas.

Notes :

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🌔 Waxing Gibbous, Brightness: 85%

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