Greenland
Nuuk
A pocket-sized Arctic capital with icebergs and humpbacks in the fjord at its door.
Greenland's capital is a small, surprisingly urban city on a rocky peninsula at the mouth of Nuuk Fjord, a vast fjord system reaching inland toward the ice sheet. Painted wooden houses around the old colonial harbour sit below blocks of flats, a parliament and a cultural centre with a wave-shaped facade, and across the water rises the saddle-topped peak of Sermitsiaq. Home to about a third of the country's people, it is the best place to see modern Greenlandic life, with whales and icebergs a boat ride away.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
Greenlandic, Danish
Currency
DKK
Timezone
UTC-1
Why you'll love Nuuk
The fjord boat trips weave among icebergs, abandoned settlements and feeding humpbacks in a fjord system that runs deep toward the ice
Greenlandic culture the national museum, a hunters' market selling seal and fish, and the art and politics of a working capital
Mountains in town Ukkusissat and Lille Malene rise straight behind the city, with trails to wide views over the fjord
Old Nuuk Hans Egede's house, a red wooden cathedral and the Mother of the Sea sculpture along the colonial harbour
Best time to visit
Jun-Aug
Cold climate · 8-11° days
64.177° N, 51.736° W
UTC-1 · America/Godthab
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Weather & when to go to Nuuk
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Hiking prime Jul-Aug
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Nuuk
Sep-May is cold, and through the winter the days are short and dark, so only Jun-Aug is comfortable for hiking and boat trips. The dark months do bring the northern lights on clear nights, and humpbacks often linger in the fjord into early autumn.
Top things to do in Nuuk
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Greenland National Museum - the Qilakitsoq mummies
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe country's national museum, in old harbour buildings by the shore, tells the story from the first Palaeo-Inuit hunters to the Norse and the colonial era. Its best-known exhibit is the 15th-century mummies found at Qilakitsoq, still in their sealskin and furs, alongside skin boats and hunting gear.
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Kolonihavnen - Old Nuuk and the colonial harbour
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe original settlement around the old harbour: Hans Egede's house, the oldest building in Greenland, the red wooden Church of Our Saviour, and Egede's statue on the rise above. On the shoreline the Mother of the Sea sculpture, Sassuma Arnaa, disappears under the water at high tide.
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Nuuk Fjord - boat trips among icebergs and whales
nature wildlife scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedBoats run from the harbour into Nuup Kangerlua, past the steep walls of Sermitsiaq and the abandoned settlement of Qoornoq, to waters where icebergs drift out from the inner fjord. In summer humpback whales feed close to the city.
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Ukkusissat - hike above the city
hiking adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedThe mountain the Danes called Store Malene rises straight behind Nuuk's eastern districts. A steep, rocky trail climbs to the summit for views over the city, the fjord and Sermitsiaq; Lille Malene, its lower neighbour, is a shorter walk with a similar outlook.
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Katuaq - the cultural centre
culture artsNuuk's cultural centre, with a long undulating facade of wood and glass inspired by the northern lights. It houses a cinema, a concert hall and exhibition space, and is the main stage for Greenlandic music, film and theatre.
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Kalaaliaraq - the hunters' market
food culture artsThe small market where local hunters and fishers sell what they caught: seal, fish, whale and seabirds laid out on the counters. It is a direct look at the country's food culture, and the place to understand what goes into suaasat, the traditional seal soup.
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Nuuk Art Museum - Greenland in paint
culture artsA compact museum in the city's eastern streets, built around a private collection of paintings of Greenland by Danish and Greenlandic artists, with carvings, tupilaks and contemporary work.
Best areas to stay in Nuuk
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Central Nuuk
First-time visitors $$Hotels, museums and the old harbour
Explore hotels in Central Nuuk →
Nuussuaq
Apartment stays $$Residential district toward the airport
Explore hotels in Nuussuaq →
Kapisillit
Fjord quiet $Tiny settlement deep in the fjord
Explore hotels in Kapisillit →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Nuuk
Getting to & around Nuuk
Getting there
Fly into Nuuk Airport, a short drive from the centre; no roads link Nuuk to any other town
Flight
Nuuk Airport (GOH)
Flights from Copenhagen, Reykjavik and other Greenland towns land at Nuuk Airport, just northeast of the city. Taxis and city buses reach the centre in around 10-15 minutes.
Ferry
Nuuk harbour
A coastal passenger ship sails the west coast in the warmer months, linking Nuuk with other towns; schedules are limited, so check well ahead
Cruise
Nuuk harbour
Expedition and larger cruise ships call through the summer, usually for a day ashore
Getting around
Walk
The centre, the museum and the colonial harbour are close together, though the streets are hilly
Free
City bus
Nuup Bussii routes link the centre with Nuussuaq, Qinngorput and the airport
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and the easy option between districts, especially in winter weather
TBC
Boat
Tour boats and water taxis are the only way into the fjord and its settlements
TBC
Day trips from Nuuk
Nuuk Fjord and Qoornoq
Full dayFjord cruise, ghost village
Cruise up Nuup Kangerlua under Sermitsiaq to Qoornoq, a former fishing settlement now used for summer houses, and on toward the inner fjord where icebergs gather. Whales are a frequent bonus in summer.
Getting there
tour | ferry
Several hours by tour boat from the harbour
Humpback whale watching
Half dayWhale-watching boat
Humpbacks feed in the waters off Nuuk through the summer, often within sight of the city, and boat trips go out to find them. Fin and minke whales turn up too.
Getting there
tour
A few hours by boat from the harbour
Kapisillit
1-2 daysFjord settlement
A small village deep in the fjord, near Greenland's only salmon spawning river and close to the ice. Staying over gives time for walks in hills that feel far from the capital.
Getting there
tour | ferry
Several hours by boat up the fjord
A little history of Nuuk
People have hunted around Nuuk Fjord for over four thousand years, from Palaeo-Inuit cultures to the Thule Inuit, ancestors of today's Greenlanders. Around the year 1000 Norse farmers settled the inner fjords here as the Western Settlement, abandoning it by the mid-1300s.
In 1721 the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede arrived looking for the lost Norse and stayed to found a mission and trading post; in 1728 it moved to the present site as Godthab. It grew into the colonial administrative centre, and after Greenland's colonial status ended in 1953 it expanded fast, with apartment blocks housing people moving in from smaller settlements. Under Home Rule from 1979 the city took back its Greenlandic name, Nuuk, meaning the cape.
Palaeo-Inuit hunters of the Saqqaq culture live around the fjord
Norse farmers establish the Western Settlement in the fjords near Nuuk
The Norse Western Settlement is abandoned
Hans Egede lands near Nuuk and founds a mission
The settlement moves to its present site and is named Godthab
Greenland's colonial status ends and it becomes part of the Danish realm
Home Rule begins; the parliament sits in the city, now officially named Nuuk
Greenland moves from Home Rule to Self-Government
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Limited
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / F / K
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+299
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Nuuk
▸ When is the best time to visit Nuuk?
June to August is the time to go: the mildest weather, long light evenings, open hiking trails and the fullest programme of fjord trips. The rest of the year is cold, and in midwinter daylight is short. Winter visits are for the northern lights and city life rather than the outdoors.
▸ How do I get to Nuuk?
By air. No roads connect Nuuk to any other town in Greenland, so almost everyone flies in, from Copenhagen, Reykjavik or other Greenland towns. In summer a coastal passenger ship and cruise ships also call at the harbour.
▸ Can you see the northern lights in Nuuk?
Yes, on clear, dark nights from late summer through spring, and even from the city. Coastal cloud makes it hit and miss, though, so treat it as a bonus rather than the reason for a winter trip; inland Greenland has clearer skies.
▸ Can I see whales in Nuuk?
Very likely in summer. Humpbacks feed in the waters around the city and up the fjord, and boat trips from the harbour go out to find them; they often stay into early autumn.
▸ Is Nuuk expensive?
Yes. Almost everything is shipped or flown in, so food, accommodation and especially boat trips cost well above mainland European levels. Self-catering from the supermarkets helps, and walking and the city buses keep getting around cheap.
▸ How many days do I need in Nuuk?
Three days covers the museum, Old Nuuk and a fjord or whale trip. Allow four or five for a hike up Ukkusissat and a night out in the fjord, plus a spare day in case weather cancels a boat.