When to go · Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen in March
Great month. Inside Longyearbyen's best window: Mar–May (snow, auroras, snowmobile season) and Jun–Aug (midnight sun, boat trips).
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- −9°C (16°F)16°F (−9°C) / −16°C (3°F)3°F (−16°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 16
- Crowds
- Medium
- Norway overall
- Prices
- Medium
- Norway overall
Verdict
Inside Longyearbyen's best window: Mar–May (snow, auroras, snowmobile season) and Jun–Aug (midnight sun, boat trips).
Is another month better than March?
No other month rates higher than March for Longyearbyen in this guide.
Weather in March
- LongyearbyenHighs around -9 °C (16 °F), lows around -16 °C (3 °F), rain on about 16 daysHighs around 16 °F (-9 °C), lows around 3 °F (-16 °C), rain on about 16 days
- Svalbard, Norway · Longyearbyenbest weather
High Arctic: polar night late October to mid-February (true darkness mid-Nov to end of Jan); midnight sun about 20 April – 23 August. Snowmobile season March–May.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Easter (påske) big impact
Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday (25–29 Mar 2027) · Norway
Five days off; half the country goes to mountain cabins; shops closed, trains to ski areas full.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Norway overall
- Medium
- Prices · Norway overall
- Medium
Norway overall: Best winter month: snow, sun and auroras together; Easter falls in late March in 2027.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Longyearbyen, side by side.
Verdict
Mar: Great
Apr: Great
Daytime high
Mar: -9 °C (16 °F)16 °F (-9 °C)
Apr: -6 °C (21 °F)21 °F (-6 °C)
Night low
Mar: -16 °C (3 °F)3 °F (-16 °C)
Apr: -12 °C (10 °F)10 °F (-12 °C)
Rain days
Mar: 16
Apr: 9 (better)
Crowds
Mar: Medium
Apr: Low
Prices
Mar: Medium
Apr: Medium
Festivals listed
Mar: 1
Apr: 0
March: Inside Longyearbyen's best window: Mar–May (snow, auroras, snowmobile season) and Jun–Aug (midnight sun, boat trips).
April: Inside Longyearbyen's best window: Mar–May (snow, auroras, snowmobile season) and Jun–Aug (midnight sun, boat trips).
Longyearbyen: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat and gloves for mornings and evenings
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast