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Region

Nuuk and West Greenland

Sleep in Nuuk, do fjord boat trips and hikes as day trips, and add Ilulissat or Kangerlussuaq as separate stays by air.

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Key facts · Greenland

Best months
Jun–Sep
Visa
Depends on your passport
Currency
Danish krone (DKK, kr)
Language
Greenlandic official
Plugs
C · E · F · K · 230 V
Time zone
Most of the west coast UTC−2 with summer time
Month by month here
Rules in force · 6Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • Greenland ↗Greenland is outside the Schengen area even though it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark; check entry rules for your passport with Danish authorities or official Greenland sources before booking.
  • Greenland ↗Keep at least one spare day before any international connection; flights and boats are often delayed by weather.
  • Greenland ↗Hikes away from towns need preparation, local advice and in some areas a permit; the National Park in the northeast requires a permit.

West Greenland is one capital and a set of weather-dependent trips. Nuuk holds the beds, the museum and the fjord boat trips; other towns are a flight or a seasonal boat away. Keep the Nuuk room, travel light for a day away, and plan a buffer day for fog.

Where to sleep

3 places in this region

Sleep base

  • NuukTrip line

    The capital: colonial harbour, museum, cultural centre and fjord boat trips. The airport is a short ride from the centre.

    Best Jun–Sep

    Open Nuuk →

One or two nights

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights
Nuuk 3 with a fjord boat trip
6 nights
Nuuk 3 + fly to Ilulissat 3, with a buffer day
  • Nuuk, Ilulissat and Kangerlussuaq in five days leaves no buffer for fog.
  • Do not book a same-day connection between a domestic flight and an international one.

Day-trips door to door

ToFromDoor-to-door p50Last returnNote
Nuuk Fjord boat tripNuuk240 minunknownSummer boat trips; weather cancels at short notice.
IlulissatNuuk150 minunknownFlight, not a day trip; book it as an overnight.

Bags between cities

No luggage-forwarding culture: leave the big bag at the Nuuk hotel and take a day pack.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
CountryJFMAMJJASOND
Nuuk
Ilulissat
Kangerlussuaq
Greenland (country-wide)
Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

Disko Bay

planned

3–5 nights

Ilulissat and the Icefjord (UNESCO), whale watching and boat trips

Kangerlussuaq

planned

1–3 nights

Former main air hub; road to the ice sheet edge, musk oxen

South Greenland

planned

3–5 nights

Narsaq, Qaqortoq and Norse ruins; hiking and fjords by boat

Nuuk and West Greenland: what we know, and what is coming

3 of 3 places open

On this page

  1. 3 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
  2. How to split 3 or 6 nights
  3. 2 day trips with door-to-door time
  4. Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
  5. What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
  2. Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
  3. Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
  4. Regional food: what, where and when it works

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time

Region in numbers

Where to sleep
1 base
Day trips
2, 2 h 30 to 4 h
Nights suggested
3–6 nights

Trips that stop here

From the Greenland guide

  • Nuuk and the Icefjord

    7 days · 3 nights here

    Nuuk → Ilulissat → Nuuk (buffer)

  • Ice sheet to Icefjord

    10 days · 4 nights here

    Nuuk → Kangerlussuaq → Ilulissat → Nuuk (buffer)

  • West and south

    14 days · 5 nights here

    Nuuk → Ilulissat → South Greenland → Nuuk (buffer)

All Greenland trips →

Local time

What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.

  • Nuuk

    …

    Checking your clock…America/Nuuk

Open Nuuk Up to Greenland

Ask about Nuuk and West Greenland

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