Fjords and Glaciers of Spitsbergen - Cruising the Arctic with Ponant Explorations
Departing from Paris
1 July – 10 July 2027
10 days from $17,378 per person twin share
Hosted by Emma Whiting Travel
An extraordinary expedition voyage into the High Arctic, beginning with two nights in Paris before flying by charter to Longyearbyen and boarding Le Lyrial for seven days of glacier sailing, Zodiac adventures and polar wildlife in the remote fjords of Spitsbergen.
What’s Included
Return charter flights Paris to Longyearbyen and return
2 nights at Hotel Napoleon Paris (5 star)
Private transfers on arrival in Paris
Group transfer to charter flight in Paris
Breakfast daily at the hotel
Hotel porterage and Paris city taxes
Group dining experience in Paris
All inclusive expedition cruising aboard Le Lyrial
All meals onboard including breakfast, lunch and dinner
Unlimited champagne, wine, beer and spirits onboard
All Zodiac excursions and shore landings
Full expedition team including naturalist and polar guides
Pre-paid cruise gratuities
200 EUR per person onboard credit
Exclusive EWT Cocktail Party aboard Le Lyrial
Hosted by Karla Bett and Emma Whiting
Some places you have to see to believe
There is something about the High Arctic that photographs cannot prepare you for. The scale of it. The silence. The way a polar bear moves across a hillside above you with complete indifference to your presence, as if you are the visitor and this is simply Tuesday. Eight great glaciers descend slowly into Hornsund Fjord, calving quietly into water so cold and clear it almost has no colour. At the edge of the sea ice, the Zodiacs head out among floating slabs two metres thick, blue tinged and vast, and the wildlife that depends on them — seals stretched out in the sun, birds in their thousands, bears picking their way between floes — carries on without missing a beat.
For Emma, this journey has been a long time coming. The Arctic has sat at the top of her list for years, and the thought of finally standing in that landscape, in the company of guests who feel the same pull toward wild and extraordinary places, is something she has been quietly looking forward to for a very long time.
This EWT Hosted Journey begins gently in Paris, with two nights at the elegant Hotel Napoleon on Avenue de Friedland, steps from the Arc de Triomphe. A group dinner, a city to explore at your own pace, and then the charter north to Longyearbyen and the world changes entirely. By the time you step aboard Le Lyrial and watch the ship pull away from the dock, you are already somewhere that feels genuinely far from everything else
Why this journey
This hosted departure has been designed for travellers who want to experience the Arctic properly, with the depth of access and expert guidance that only a small expedition ship can provide. Le Lyrial carries a maximum of 245 guests and operates with a staff to guest ratio of 1:1.5, with 11 Zodiacs onboard allowing the entire ship to explore simultaneously.
Each day is shaped by the conditions, the wildlife and the landscape as they present themselves. The expedition team of naturalists, glaciologists and polar guides bring the Arctic to life in a way that goes far beyond what you could discover alone, and the flexibility of a small ship means you are always where the experience is richest.
The Paris pre-stay adds a wonderful dimension to the journey. Two nights at one of the 8th arrondissement's finest addresses, a group dinner to meet your fellow travellers, and then the charter north to Longyearbyen the following morning. It is a beautifully considered beginning to an extraordinary adventure
Journey Highlights
Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard's most spectacular fjord, where eight great glaciers descend to the sea and icebergs drift through cold, still waters
Sailing to the edge of the Arctic sea ice and venturing out by Zodiac among the floating floes, where polar bears, seals and seabirds make their home
The Monaco Glacier in Liefdefjorden, a towering blue wall of ice named after Prince Albert I of Monaco, cracking and calving into the Arctic waters below
Smeerenburg on Amsterdam Island, one of Spitsbergen's most significant archaeological sites and a former Dutch whaling colony where 200 men once worked
Ny-Alesund, the world's northernmost research settlement and the launchpad for Roald Amundsen's legendary polar expeditions
Kongsfjorden and Kings Bay, where snow-capped mountains are mirrored in still water and the Kongsbreen glacier commands the far end of the fjord
Begin in Paris at the elegant Hotel Napoleon, steps from the Arc de Triomphe, a beautiful and unhurried start to an extraordinary adventure
Hosted throughout by Emma Whiting and Karla Bett, two of our team's most passionate and well-travelled advisors
The Experience
Life aboard Le Lyrial in the High Arctic moves at a pace you settle into quickly and leave reluctantly. Mornings begin with the expedition team briefing guests before Zodiacs head out into fjords still washed with the long Arctic summer light. You might find yourself drifting in silence alongside the face of the Monaco Glacier, a towering blue wall of ice named after Prince Albert I of Monaco, listening to it creak and shift above the waterline. Or walking the ground at Smeerenburg on Amsterdam Island, where 200 Dutch whalers once worked and history is written into every corner of the landscape around you.
Evenings bring you back to the warmth of the ship, where PONANT's French inspired cuisine and the easy comfort of the panoramic lounges create a beautiful counterpoint to the scale of the day outside. Conversations over dinner take on a particular quality when everyone at the table has just experienced the same extraordinary thing.
Nearly all staterooms have private balconies, and in the Arctic summer the light never truly disappears. A coffee on the balcony as the ship moves through a glassy fjord at midnight, the low sun still catching the ice, is the kind of moment you find yourself trying to describe to people when you get home, and somehow never quite managing to.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Paris, France Arrive in Paris and transfer privately to the Hotel Napoleon, an elegant five-star address steps from the Arc de Triomphe. A beautiful city and the evening to yourself, a wonderful way to begin.
Day 2 – Paris, France A free day to explore Paris at your own pace before the group gathers this evening for dinner and the chance to meet your fellow travellers before heading north tomorrow.
Day 3 – Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen Fly by charter from Paris to Longyearbyen, the world's northernmost territorial capital, surrounded by glaciers and mountains that make you feel immediately far from everything familiar. Board Le Lyrial in the late afternoon and sail north into the Arctic.
Days 4 and 5 – Hornsund Fjord and Bellsund Fjord Zodiac days in two of Svalbard's most celebrated fjords. Hornsund is widely regarded as Svalbard's most stunning, with eight great glaciers descending to the sea and icebergs drifting through its cold waters. Bellsund follows, with wildlife rich valleys and the feel of genuine polar wilderness.
Day 6 – Toward the Arctic ice floes The Captain sails to the very edge of the sea ice. Conditions permitting, Zodiacs head out among the floating floes, where the wildlife that depends entirely on the ice goes about its day as if you are not there.
Day 7 – Texas Bar, Liefdefjorden and the Monaco Glacier A landing at the historic Arctic fox and polar bear trapper's hut at the entrance to the Fjord of Love, unchanged from its working days. A short hike leads to sweeping views across the Monaco Glacier, a massive blue wall of ice cracking and calving into the water far below.
Day 8 – Raudfjorden and Smeerenburg Into the Red Fjord, named for the rust-coloured sandstone of its mountains, with the spectacular glaciers of Chauveaubreen and Raudfjordbreen at its far end. Then ashore at Smeerenburg, a former Dutch whaling colony on Amsterdam Island and one of the Arctic's most compelling historical sites.
Day 9 – Ny-Alesund and Kongsfjorden The world's most northerly research settlement, founded in 1916 and once the departure point for Roald Amundsen's legendary polar expeditions. Then sailing through the breathtaking Kongsfjorden to Kings Bay and the Kongsbreen glacier.
Day 10 – Longyearbyen to Paris Disembark in Longyearbyen and fly south by charter, carrying the kind of memories that take a while to find the right words for.
Cruise & Accommodation
Your journey combines two nights at one of Paris's most elegant addresses with seven nights aboard one of PONANT's finest purpose-built expedition vessels.
The Hotel Napoleon sits on Avenue de Friedland in the heart of the 8th arrondissement, steps from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. Opened in 1928 and independently owned, it is a beautifully restored five-star hotel that carries the warmth and considered service of the best classic Parisian properties.
Aboard Le Lyrial, nearly all staterooms include private balconies and the ship carries a maximum of 245 guests. The atmosphere is refined and genuinely relaxed, with French inspired dining, panoramic lounges, a pool, a spa and a crew that understands expedition travel as well as they understand hospitality. The ship's ice-class rating and fleet of 11 Zodiacs mean that access is never compromised, and the intimacy of the experience ashore is always exactly what it should be.
Your Hosts – Emma Whiting and Karla Bett
Karla Bett grew up in the travel industry, her family running a coach touring business that had her on the road from a very young age. Those early years shaped a career built on one simple belief: that great travel should feel entirely personal. Scandinavia has long been Karla's dream, and this Arctic departure is a chapter of that story she has been quietly looking forward to for years.
Emma Whiting's love of travel began during a three-month family journey through the UK and Europe in 1976, and it has shaped everything she has built since. The Arctic has been on her list for a long time. The polar bears, the Arctic foxes, the landscapes that feel like the edge of the earth. She is finally going, and she is not going alone.
Travelling with both Emma and Karla means the details are always taken care of, the warmth is always genuine, and there is always someone alongside you who loves this kind of travel as much as you do.
Why travel on an EWT Hosted Journey
There is something special about sharing a journey with people who value travel in the same way you do.
Our hosted departures are designed for There is something special about sharing a journey with people who value travel in the same way you do.
Our hosted departures are designed for travellers who appreciate thoughtful planning, meaningful experiences and the ease of having experienced hosts alongside them throughout. While there is always space to enjoy your own pace and interests, many guests find that the connections formed through shared experiences, wonderful dining and extraordinary moments together become one of the most treasured parts of the journey.
With Emma Whiting Travel managing every detail before and throughout your travels, you can simply relax and enjoy the experience, knowing that support, guidance and genuine care are always close at hand.
We would be delighted to welcome you aboard this memorable Australian rail journey
Contact Emma Whiting Travel to reserve your place
Please complete our booking form, or call us now on (03) 9481 1077.