Travelling with Polarstern and visiting the research stations

Is it possible to travel with RV Polarstern?

Broadly speaking, for scientists the answer is ‘yes’, for non-scientists it is ‘no’. Occasionally, journalists or teachers may be able to participate in Polarstern expeditions. As Polarstern is always fully booked in the context of her research mandate, joining an expedition as a paying private passenger or ‘just for fun’ is not an option. Scientists intending to join a Polarstern expedition will find information here; journalists wanting to participate should contact Folke Mehrtens.

I will be travelling to Spitsbergen soon – can I visit Koldewey Station?

Every year, approximately 20,000 cruise ship tourists come to Ny-Ålesund. We ask your understanding for not being able to offer guided tours at the station with such a large volume of visitors. However, during the summer months, the village displays an extensive array of information panels in both English and German language, so that much can be learned about the village and research activities without visiting the station. And, who knows – you might bump into one of our scientists on the street who is up for a small chat…nevertheless, please be prepared to accept a ‘no’, as our researchers are often operating under time constraints, e.g. when running experiments – clearly a priority.

I am a cruise operator and would like to include a visit  to one of the research stations (Neumayer, Koldewey, Dallmann) into my cruise programme – is that possible?

Generally speaking, no – the same restrictions apply as mentioned above regarding station visits. If you feel that you have an exceptional reason for such a visit, please contact either the Department for Communications and Media Relations or the Logistics Department of the Alfred Wegener Institute.

Can I visit any of the stations as journalist?

By and large, this is possible. Please contact the Department for Communications and Media Relations for further information.