Traveling to Greenland isn’t complicated once you understand how it works — but it does require a connection through either Reykjavík or Copenhagen, since there are no direct transatlantic flights. This guide covers the logistics of getting there from the US, UK, Canada, and elsewhere, plus the best time of year to go and what to actually do when you arrive.
Greenland is the world’s largest island that most people have never seriously considered visiting. It sits between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, covers 836,000 square miles, and has a population of roughly 56,000 — about the same as a mid-sized American suburb. Getting there is not especially difficult. What it requires is intention: no one ends up in Greenland accidentally.
How to Get There
The two main gateways are Copenhagen and Reykjavik. Air Greenland operates most flights into the island, with hubs at Nuuk (the capital) and Kangerlussuaq. Copenhagen to Nuuk takes about four and a half hours; Reykjavik to Nuuk is under three. Roundtrip from Copenhagen typically runs $800–1,200, depending on season. Note that internal travel within Greenland — between towns — is almost entirely by air or boat, since there are no roads connecting settlements. This is part of what makes Greenland feel like a different planet: each community is its own island within an island.
Where to Go
Most visitors base themselves in one of three areas. Nuuk is the capital — a small, modern city where Greenlandic and Danish cultures intersect, with excellent museums (the National Museum of Greenland is particularly good) and a dramatic backdrop of fjords and mountains. Ilulissat, on the west coast, is home to the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier produces more icebergs than almost anywhere on Earth. Watching house-sized blocks of ice calve and drift is one of the most arresting spectacles in travel. The south, around Qaqortoq, offers Norse ruins, hot springs at Uunartoq, and some of the island’s most accessible hiking.
What to Do
The island’s scale works in your favor once you stop trying to cover it. Hiking in the Disko Bay region involves near-empty trails with views of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Whale watching — humpback, fin, and minke whales — is reliably excellent from June through August. Dog sledding is still a working mode of transport in the north and east, not a tourist novelty; sled trips in the Sisimiut area are bookable from January through April. For the northern lights, Kangerlussuaq has some of the highest rates of auroral activity on the planet, with clear skies roughly 300 nights a year.
When to Go
Summer (June–August) offers the midnight sun, maximum accessibility, and temperatures in the 50s°F (10–15°C) in the south. Boat tours, hiking, and kayaking among icebergs are all at their best. Spring (March–May) is the season for dog sledding, skiing, and dramatic light — the sun returning after winter brings a quality of low-angled gold that photographers pursue year after year. Winter is for the determined: temperatures can drop to -20°F in the north, but the darkness brings aurora displays that, in Kangerlussuaq especially, are among the most reliable in the Arctic.
Practical Matters
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, so no visa is required for EU citizens or those who don’t need a Danish visa. The currency is the Danish krone. Budget around $150–250/day for accommodation, food, and local activities — Greenland is not cheap, partly because almost everything is flown or shipped in. Book accommodation early for summer visits to Ilulissat, which fills up quickly. The infrastructure is improving but remains limited: pack layers, a waterproof outer layer, and reasonable expectations about restaurant hours and shop opening times.
People who’ve been to Greenland describe it the way they describe very few places: as something they can’t quite explain to people who haven’t seen it. The ice, the silence, the scale of sky and water and rock — it resists the usual travel vocabulary. The best way to understand it is to go.
Leave a Reply