Nybyen itself is small — eight original miners' houses, a few additions, and a panoramic view of the Longyear Valley and its glacier. The main things to do are anchored in the surrounding landscape.
Huset is the local cultural anchor: a bar, restaurant, and small cinema right at the edge of the settlement. Galleri Svalbard shows art and historical material on the Arctic. Snowmobile and dog-sled trips up the valley start from here in winter; in summer it is the obvious base for walks up to the glacier and the abandoned mining trams on the slopes above.