During the long polar night the inhabitants spend most of their spare time indoors, socialising, keeping fit in the gym or engaging in other indoor activities such as sauna, solarium, video room, poolroom, library or handicraft workshop.

As soon as the light returns, snowmobile trips and skiing expeditions are the most popular activities, while in the summer people enjoy boating, kayaking and hiking. The Ny-Ålesund Welfare Committee runs a number of cabins in the area, which are frequently used for leisure activities by the inhabitants of Ny-Ålesund.

Since Ny-Ålesund was established as a research station in the 60`s the little community has been a place where you don't bring your family, since the infrastructure of the settlement is all built up as on a scientific station, and not a normal society. This means that you will not find schools, hospitals, banks etc around here. But on the other hand you will find a handful of people prepared for this way of life - creating a social arena that cures from homesickness.