Audio walk · Nuuk
Colonial Harbour
Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Your phone reads each stop aloud, then waits while you walk to the next one; tap “I've arrived” to carry on. Everything it says is written out below, so the walk works without sound too.
- 5 stops
- about 8 min of listening
- about 18 min between stops
- Cluster guide
5 stops · about 8 min listening · about 18 min between stops
Before you start
Voice and speed
The script is in English. On-device voices keep working with no signal once this page is open or saved.
Transcript
Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.
Before you start
Welcome to the Colonial Harbour audio walk in Nuuk. 5 stops: Nuuk Cathedral (Church of Our Saviour), Hans Egede statue, Greenland National Museum and Archives, Colonial harbour walk and Mother of the Sea sculpture. Old Nuuk: the National Museum, the cathedral and the red wooden buildings around the colonial harbour; go in the morning, when light hits the fjord.
The colonial harbour, the museum quarter and Hans Egede's church area; the newer blocks uphill are not part of the visit. Underfoot: paved and gravel; slope: gentle hill; shade: low.
Nuuk is the smallest kind of capital: about 20,000 people, one main road, a harbour with red timber houses and a fjord that leads into the ice. It is also the seat of a self-governing Inuit nation with its own parliament, language and food.
Before you start: Keep to public paths: many old buildings are private homes. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.
1. Nuuk Cathedral (Church of Our Saviour)
Look for
- Nave
- Hill and view
- From the path below
- From the statue
Stop 1 of 5: Nuuk Cathedral (Church of Our Saviour). Arrival point: Walk uphill from the colonial harbour road.
Go on a calm morning: 20 minutes at the red-and-white church above the colonial harbour, then on to the museum next door; free. On a first visit: The landmark church of the harbour.
Look for Nave: Wooden pews and a simple altar (if open). Look for Hill and view: The harbour and the fjord. For a photo: From the path below, late afternoon. For a photo: From the statue, morning.
Ask before entering during a service; no photos of worshippers. Quiet; busiest on summer days when tours stop. Exterior at any time; not during services or of worshippers. The red timber church dates from the mid-19th century (check the exact year). The interior may be closed outside services. The hill is windy: bring a hat. Walk up from the colonial harbour road; the hill is gentle but gravelled.
Walk:Next, stop 2: Hans Egede statue. It's about 3 minutes on foot. Route: Walk up to the statue. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
Nuuk Cathedral (Church of Our Saviour): hours, tickets and rules →
2. Hans Egede statue
Hans Egedes statue
Look for
- The monument
- Hill view
- Statue and harbour
Stop 2 of 5: Hans Egede statue. Locally, Hans Egedes statue. Arrival point: Walk up the hill from the harbour.
A five-minute stop on the hill next to the cathedral: the founder of Nuuk in bronze, with a view over the colonial harbour and a legacy that many Greenlanders debate.
Look for The monument: Bronze figure on a plinth. Look for Hill view: Harbour and fjord. For a photo: Statue and harbour, morning.
Do not climb or deface the monument. Quiet. Allowed; keep a respectful distance. Hans Egede (1686–1758) was a Dano-Norwegian missionary who founded Godthåb in 1728. His legacy is debated by Greenlanders; the statue has been a focus for protest (check the current status). Keep it as a short stop with the cathedral. Do not leave litter or make political displays. Walk up beside the cathedral to the monument on the hill. Look at the plaque, then the view of the harbour and the fjord.
Walk:Next, stop 3: Greenland National Museum and Archives. It's about 8 minutes on foot, about 200 metres to the north-west. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
3. Greenland National Museum and Archives
Look for
- Inuit and Norse rooms
- Mummy room
- Colonial and modern rooms
Stop 3 of 5: Greenland National Museum and Archives. Arrival point: Walk from the colonial harbour road.
Go in the rain or on a cold day: about 90 minutes of Norse, Inuit and colonial history and the well-known Qilakitsoq mummies; check the opening days for your visit, which change by season.
Look for Inuit and Norse rooms: Tools, boats and clothing across the centuries. Look for Mummy room: The Qilakitsoq mummies; follow the signs and rules. Look for Colonial and modern rooms: From Egede to self-government.
Arctic hunters of the Saqqaq and Dorset cultures passed through the fjords, followed around the 13th century by the Thule people, whose dog sleds, skin boats and harpoons are the ancestors of the modern Greenlandic way of life. The modern town begins with Hans Egede, a Dano-Norwegian priest who sailed to Greenland in 1721 hoping to find the descendants of the Norse and to convert the Inuit. For two centuries Godthåb was a small colonial outpost: a church, a few trading houses and a scatter of Greenlandic homes.
Follow the museum's rules on displays; ask before using a camera near the mummies. Busiest in summer when cruise ships call; quiet in winter. Allowed in most rooms; not of the mummies (check the sign).
Walk:Next, stop 4: Colonial harbour walk. It's about 4 minutes on foot, about 50 metres to the south-west. Route: Walk to the harbour buildings. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
Greenland National Museum and Archives: hours, tickets and rules →
4. Colonial harbour walk
Kolonihavnen
Look for
- Waterfront road
- Hill paths
- Timber buildings by the water
- View from the hill
Stop 4 of 5: Colonial harbour walk. Locally, Kolonihavnen. Arrival point: Walk or taxi to the colonial harbour road.
Walk the old red and white timber buildings by the water in the morning: 40 minutes, best on a calm day, with the cathedral and museum next door.
Look for Waterfront road: Old harbour buildings. Look for Hill paths: Views over the fjord. For a photo: Timber buildings by the water, morning. For a photo: View from the hill, late afternoon.
The colonial harbour, with its timber buildings, grew from that mission and trading post. Some see a founder, others a symbol of colonial power, and the statue has been the target of protest in recent years (check the current position). In winter, hills and gravel become icy, and taxis become the sensible way to reach the colonial harbour.
Ask before photographing people or homes. Quiet; busier when cruise tours call. Allowed; ask before photographing people or homes.
Walk:Next, stop 5: Mother of the Sea sculpture. It's about 3 minutes on foot, about 50 metres to the north. Route: Walk to the shore sculpture. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
5. Mother of the Sea sculpture
Sassuma Arnaa
Look for
- The sculpture
- Shore path
- Sculpture and sea
Stop 5 of 5: Mother of the Sea sculpture. Locally, Sassuma Arnaa. Arrival point: Walk from the museum or the harbour road.
A ten-minute stop at the water's edge in the colonial harbour: a modern sculpture of Sedna, the sea spirit who controls the animals.
Look for The sculpture: A figure at the water's edge. Look for Shore path: Views of the harbour. For a photo: Sculpture and sea, blue hour.
Greenlandic artists work in bone, stone, textiles and beadwork, and you can find a modern echo in the Mother of the Sea sculpture at the colonial harbour, which shows Sedna, the sea spirit of Inuit belief, who controls the animals and must be honoured.
Do not climb on the sculpture or the rocks. Allowed; keep off the rocks. Sedna (Sassuma Arnaa) is the Inuit sea spirit who controls the animals of the sea. The sculpture stands near the water in the colonial harbour (check the exact spot).
End of the walk
That's the end of the Colonial Harbour walk. To carry on, Katuaq and the Centre is about 17 minutes away (short taxi or walk). To carry on, Nuussuaq is about 26 minutes away (short taxi or walk).
Built from this site's place pages, walking times and city deep dive; nothing is added that isn't on those pages. Opening hours, prices and rules change: check each place page before you go. Walking times are typical (median) and assume a steady pace.