One of the main reasons I chose Trondheim as my new Norwegian home last summer was that I wanted to have easier access to the Arctic (actually living in the Arctic was something I wasn’t quite ready for yet though). I’ve now long since left Trondheim, but I’m still longing to see more of the arctic. And that longing is largely fed by Van of Snow in Tromso, who lives in Tromso and writes about her adventures all around the frozen north.
And the adventure that stuck out the most to me? Her visit to Greenland! So when she offered to share a bit about her travels to Greenland with you guys I couldn’t have said yes faster.
But just a warning: you’re going to have to shift everything down a place on your bucket list, because Greenland is about to take that #1 spot.
Why do people need to visit?
Greenland is one of the last frontiers as the Greenlandic Tourist Information likes to put it and I guess, they’re totally right. Mass tourism hasn’t arrived in the country yet but it will sooner or later as the country becomes more and more accessible and people really invest a lot of money in the tourism industry.
Also it’s a great place to see Arctic wildlife and nature that may or may not vanish in the next couple of decades with the changing climate. I don’t really like to reinforce all those statements around “visit Greenland – before it’s too late” so all I will say is that Greenland is a stunning country and even though I’ve lived in and travelled around the Arctic quite a bit, no place has fascinated and inspired me so much as Greenland!
It’s a country full of stunning landscapes, incredibly warm and welcoming people and a history and culture that offers a lot for you to learn and discover!
Is there a must-see place in the country?
One? Probably thousands! But if you visit Greenland for the first time and are on a budget, it would be wise for you to stay in Nuuk.
The capital city of the country offers the perfect combination of nature and wildlife, and history and culture. You can visit the National Museum of Greenland to learn more about the country’s past as a colony of Denmark or the Art Museum of Nuuk to admire some Danish and Greenlandic art.
However you can also hop on a boat and go whale-watching or on a trip to see icebergs from close up. Or you can go hiking in the mountains and have a look at the city from above.
Nuuk is also a wonderful place to go shopping for some really warm winter clothing or for trying Greenlandic specialities such as musk oxen burgers.
How can you get around?
You can get to Greenland from Copenhagen with Air Greenland or from Reykjavik with Air Iceland – yes, these are your only options. I’ve heard that there are charter flights to and from Nunavut in Canada too but if you’re visiting Greenland from the US, it’ll probably be easier (and more interesting) for you to have a stop over in Iceland anyway.
The flight from Copenhagen to Nuuk takes 5 hours (stopover at the international airport in Kangerlussuaq included – there are no direct flights) and the flight from Reykjavik to Nuuk takes about 3 hours – depending on the weather sometimes more, sometimes less.
There is no road system connecting the different towns and villages in Greenland with each other so if you want to visit places other than Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, you’d have to go by plane, helicopter or boat. If you’re staying in Nuuk however, you can easily explore the town on foot but there are also busses in case you’re not staying downtown.
Where can you stay?
The cheapest and in my view most interesting option in Nuuk is to stay with locals. You can either rent a place via AirBnb or by contacting the tourist information in Nuuk called Tupilak Travel. They then organise a stay with a local family for you.
However there’s also a handful of hotels, bed and breakfasts and one hostel in Nuuk if you’d rather have a bit more privacy and luxury. Vandrehuset in Nuuk offers private rooms as well as dorm beds. Check current rates and availability here
What special dish do you need to try?
Definitely whale meat! And yes, I know what you might think – these poor animals! Don’t believe everything you hear though.
Greenland has in fact a quota on whales so each community is only allowed to hunt a certain amount of whales each year so that the whale population of Greenland can be maintained. Anyway, I was invited by a local to try whale goulash after we’d been whale watching together and it was just absolutely delicious!
Traditionally, Greenlanders have been eating raw whale skin (called mattak) but if that’s too exotic for you, I can only recommend a homemade goulash! At the local restaurants you can also try musk oxen or reindeer meat and of course fish in several variations.
PIN IT!
About the author:
Have a special place off the beaten path you’d like to share? Email me at heartmybackpack@gmail.com with the destination and I’ll send you some questions to answer about it!
Van @ Snow in Tromso says
Thanks so much for having me and definitely come by for a visit in the High North soon! 🙂
Silvia says
Yesss I hope I make it up there soon!
Dominique says
I would love to visit Greenland one day! It sounds like such a special place!
Silvia says
Doesn’t it though? I cannot stop researching it so it’s probably time to just book a ticket, ha.
Renates Reiser says
I would LOVE to visit Greenland! I have this (unrealistic?) dream of one day crossing the island on skiis. 😛
If only it wasn’t so (super)expensive to fly there, I would’ve been there already.
Silvia says
Haha that would be so Norwegian of you!! And yes, that’s exactly what’s been delaying me in visiting as well. I think I need to pretend to myself that Greenland is much farther away. Like, I’d pay that much for a flight to New Zealand maybe? Haha
Cate says
Greenland looks so cool! I would love more in depth posts about it!
Silvia says
Oh I completely forgot to link to Van’s other posts about Greenland! Thanks for the reminder. She’s written a lot about her visit there, so you can read more in depth posts here: http://snowintromso.com/?s=greenland.
Nick says
How (im)possible is it to travel as a vegetarian in Greenland? I mean, my husband and I bring big bags of nuts and seeds on our trips to snack on, but ideally we won’t have to bring a week’s worth of protein bars. Any insight into this?
Thanks for sharing!
Van @ Snow in Tromso says
Oh don’t worry. Just because Greenland’s traditional cuisine is very meat-heavy doesn’t mean that there aren’t any alternatives! Since the country is still part of Denmark, you can find a lot of Danish cuisine as well like the traditional rye sandwich which oftentimes is vegetarian. And if you stay in an Airbnb or with locals, you can easily prepare your own food anyway. I don’t eat meat very often either and didn’t have any trouble buying vegetarian meals at the local kiosks and shops and the restaurant at the cultural centre of Nuuk (Katuaq)for example always has two vegetarian options on their menu!
Victoria@ The British Berliner says
‘Looks wonderful. I would love to visit and see whales in their natural habitat, and one of the last “wild” corners of the world!
Very nice indeed!
Silvia says
Right? Aaah I hope I can go someday!
Maria says
I have a good friend who is from Greenland and is currently working there as a pilot. The pictures he puts up on Facebook are absolutely amazing, and definitely fuels the desire to go there eventually. I just expect it to be in the expensive end of the scale, even with strong budgeting skills.. Would want to go on a wildlife cruise/trip if I was finally there!
Silvia says
Yeah, Greenland is definitely in the splurge category for me. But I’m so sure it would be worth it!
nikedis says
good
Natalie says
Greenland and Iceland are definitely up there on my wish list of places to visit. I can’t wait to visit someday. Soon.
Silvia says
There’s definitely something really special about the Arctic!
Marcelo Augusto Tosati says
Hi, I was reading your blog about the trip to Greenland and I’d like to ask some questions, if that’s ok.
I’m googling possible tours and there’s only these big ships from one town to the other. So, I’d like to know if there are smaller boats that do the trip from town to town every day or on a regular basis.
What I mean is, for example, if I’m at Nuuk and want to go to Ilulissat is it easy to hire a boat trip onsite? Like, are there tour companies or transport companies there that make these trips?
Also, if I’m in a town, is it easy to buy a tour locally to see the suroundings? (like the Musk Oxen near Kangerlussuaq).
I really thank you for you help!
Mark Ingram says
We visited Ilulisat in 2014. And have always wanted to go back, but off the tourist track! Maybe Thule.
darina says
No responsible traveller would suggest people eat whales. ”Don’t believe everything you hear though.” – Not believe that an intelligent sentient being was slaughtered just so that you can fulfil a fleeting taste pleasure?
Do you actually think it’s OK to kill whales or dolphins to ”maintain” their population? They have been on this planet way longer than us. Human population is the one that needs to be maintained – can guess your solution to that then.
Poor excuse to kill animals and to keep their whaling industry going. If Inuits need to eat whale to survive, so be it – but we have a choice to not cause more harm. It’s in really poor taste to suggest it on a travel blog.
Jason Fico says
Great photographs! We would love to photograph Arctic wildlife in Greenland.