A travel guide to Greenland.

What the guide covers

The Greenland guide is being prepared by destinations on the west and east coasts. On the west coast, the list runs from Nuuk and its fjord to Kangerlussuaq and the ice cap, Sisimiut, Ilulissat and the Icefjord, Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island, Aasiaat and Uummannaq. In the south, it includes Qaqortoq and the ruins of Kujataa and Nanortalik and the Tasermiut Fjord; on the east, Kulusuk and Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit in Scoresby Sund.

Each destination brings together the cities of the region, what to do in each one, attractions with their own pages, when to go and how to get there. Destinations appear on the country page as they are published: while a destination is being prepared, it does not appear in the list.

Municipalities and groups

Greenland is divided into five municipalities, and the guide organizes towns by them: Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata and Sermersooq. The Northeast Greenland National Park and the Pituffik base lie outside the municipalities. To make travel easier, the municipalities appear in four groups: South Greenland, Nuuk and East Greenland, the Arctic Circle and Disko Bay, and North Greenland.

Names appear in Greenlandic as they are used in the country. Many places had Danish names, which still appear on older maps: Nuuk was Godthåb, Ilulissat was Jakobshavn, Qaqortoq was Julianehåb, Sisimiut was Holsteinsborg and Kangerlussuaq was Søndre Strømfjord. When there is an established form in Portuguese, it is used, as in Groenlândia, Baía de Disko and Ilha de Disko.

How to travel around Greenland

There are no roads between towns in Greenland. Travel is by plane, helicopter and boat, and in winter, in some areas, by dog sled and by snowmobile. The main airports are Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, with flights from Copenhagen and Iceland; Kulusuk on the east coast and Kangerlussuaq, part of the year, also receive flights from outside the country. Weather changes quickly and can delay flights and boats: it is wise to leave buffer days in your itinerary.

Most of the country uses UTC−2 and, from late March to late October, UTC−1. The climate is Arctic: summer, from June to August, is short and cool, and winter is long and cold. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for weeks in early summer and does not rise for weeks in midwinter.

Heritage and nature

Greenland has three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Ilulissat Icefjord, inscribed in 2004; Kujataa, the Norse and Inuit farming landscape in the south, in 2017; and Aasivissuit–Nipisat, the Inuit hunting landscape between ice and sea in the Arctic Circle, in 2018. About four fifths of the country lie under the ice cap. The Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest, only receives expeditions with a permit.

Why there are no prices

In Greenland, the guide does not show tour or ticket prices because they change frequently. When a tour depends on reservation, a guide or combined transport, such as boats between fjords and sled tours, the text warns, and the price should be checked before you go.

How the content is made

The information for each place is researched from official sources, such as Visit Greenland, the Greenland government and municipalities, the country’s airports and UNESCO, and is checked before going live.

The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it. Photos sent by travelers appear separately, as travelers' photos.

If you find any information that differs, write to us: fixing it is quicker than it seems.

All of Cidade Turismo

The guide started in Brazil and now also covers other countries, always with the same organization: routes, destinations and cities.

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