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Voykit pocket guide · Greenland
Ilulissat
Give Ilulissat 3–4 nights: one full day for the Icefjord boardwalk and Sermermiut, one for a boat or helicopter, one spare for weather.
Ilulissat sits at the mouth of a UNESCO-listed icefjord fed by Sermeq Kujalleq, the glacier that calves the icebergs filling Disko Bay. The town is small enough to walk, the sights are the ice itself, and almost everything else — boats, helicopters, dogsleds — is weather-dependent. Plan 3–4 nights, book beds months ahead in high season, and treat one day as a spare.
- Country
- Greenland
- Best months
- Mar–Apr for dogsled and northern lights; Jun–Sep for midnight sun, boats and hiking
- Avoid
- Nov–Jan (dark, cold, limited tours); May and Oct–Nov shoulder weeks when sea ice and weather cancel boats
- Stay
- 3–4 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- DKK
- Money
- Currency is the Danish krone (DKK, kr). Cards are accepted in hotels and shops in towns; carry some cash for small settlements.
- Daily spend
- Budget kr 700–1,100 excl. bed · Mid kr 1,100–1,800 excl. bed · High kr 1,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Tusass is the only operator; prepaid SIMs in Tusass shops and some kiosks. Roaming from EU plans is not included (Greenland is outside the EU) — check your plan.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire 112
- Plugs
- Types C, E, F, K · 230 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin plugs fit.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: Not expected; round up if pleased.; Guides: Optional small tip for multi-day trips.
- Water
- Tap water is clean and drinkable; in settlements, check with your host.
- Toilets
- Normal in hotels and towns; very basic in small settlements and camps.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | kr 40–70 |
| Lunch main (soup, fish, muskox burger) | kr 100–200 |
| Dinner main at a hotel restaurant | kr 200–400 |
| Beer in a bar | kr 60–100 |
| Taxi, town centre to airport | kr 100–150 |
| Icefjord boat trip, 3–4 hours | kr 700–1,200 |
| Dogsled trip, 1–2 hours | kr 1,000–1,800 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- JAV · Ilulissat Airport
- About 3 km from the centre; walkable in good weather with light luggage, otherwise taxi or hotel shuttle. Air Greenland flies from Kangerlussuaq, Nuuk, Aasiaat, Qaarsut and Upernavik, and from Reykjavík-Keflavík; Icelandair is seasonal. A longer runway is under construction — check 2026 connections.About 1.9 mi from the centre; walkable in good weather with light luggage, otherwise taxi or hotel shuttle. Air Greenland flies from Kangerlussuaq, Nuuk, Aasiaat, Qaarsut and Upernavik, and from Reykjavík-Keflavík; Icelandair is seasonal. A longer runway is under construction — check 2026 connections.
Typical fares
- Taxi, airport → town centre
- kr 100–150, about 10 min
- Icefjord boat trip
- kr 700–1,200 for 3–4 hours
- Icefjord Centre entry
- adult kr 150, child 7–15 kr 100
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15–20 minutes end to end. Taxis cover the airport run and heavy luggage; several hotels run free airport and town shuttles. No roads leave town — everything beyond is boat, helicopter or on foot. Dogsleds have right of way: step aside and keep clear of tethered dog lines.
See and do
Known for
- Ilulissat Icefjord (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and icebergs in Disko Bay
- Sled dogs — roughly 3,500 of them against about 4,600 people
- Knud Rasmussen Museum and the Icefjord Centre
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Oqaatsut | Boat from Ilulissat harbour, or a 5–7 hour hike along the coast (a little less by kayak) | Boat about 45 min; hike 5–7 h one way |
| Disko Island (Qeqertarsuaq) | Disko Line boat from Ilulissat harbour, weather permitting | Several hours each way |
| Kangerlussuaq | Air Greenland flight | About 1 h in the air plus airport time |
| Aasiaat | Air Greenland flight or Disko Line boat | Flight about 45 min; boat much longer |
Sleep
- Town centre (around Kussangajaannguaq)
- Walk to harbour, museums, shops and cafés; most hotels and the hostel sit here. Best for a short trip without a car.
- Icefjord edge / Hotel Arctic side
- North of the centre, about a 20-minute walk or a hotel shuttle; views over the bay and the boardwalk to the igloo cabins. Quieter, fewer eating options.
- South side toward the old harbour
- Closer to the Icefjord Centre and the Sermermiut trailhead; a 15–25 minute walk from the main street.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Aluuah-loo |
| Thank you | Qujanaqkoo-yah-nak |
| Yes / No | Aap / Naamikahp / nah-mik |
| How much is it? | Qanoq akeqarpa? |
| Where is the harbour? | Havn sumiissava? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, quiet tone; avoid: Loud talk
- Visiting a home: Remove shoes; accept coffee; avoid: Refusing all food bluntly
- Silence: Allow pauses in conversation; avoid: Filling every gap
- Culture: Ask about Greenlandic words and life; avoid: Calling people Eskimo or treating Greenland as simply Denmark
- Nature: Leave no trace; avoid: Taking stones or bones from sites
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer mosquitoes are serious: long sleeves, long trousers, a hat and a head net.
- Dogsleds and loose sled dogs have right of way; never approach a tethered team.
- Boat, helicopter and dogsled trips cancel for wind, fog or ice — keep a spare day and never book a tight onward flight.
- Polar bears are rare this far south but not impossible; follow local advice outside town.
- Card payment works in hotels and larger shops, but carry some kroner for small operators and settlement trips.
Ilulissat is a small, low-crime town and safe to walk by day. The real risks are cold and weather, mosquitoes in summer, loose sled dogs, and trips that cancel — keep a spare day and never book a tight onward flight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ilulissat yet. Suggested stay: 3–4 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ilulissat Icefjord (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and icebergs in Disko Bay
- Sled dogs — roughly 3,500 of them against about 4,600 people
- Knud Rasmussen Museum and the Icefjord Centre
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Greenland — Ilulissat: visitgreenland.com/destinations/ilulissat/
- Ilulissat Icefjord (UNESCO World Heritage Centre): whc.unesco.org/en/list/1149/
- Icefjord Centre (Isfjordscentret): isfjordscentret.gl/en
- Air Greenland: www.airgreenland.com/
- Wikivoyage: Ilulissat, revision 5259495 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5259495
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ilulissat
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, ambulance, fire112
No embassies in Ilulissat; Denmark handles consular matters in Greenland. Most countries' nearest embassies are in Copenhagen or Reykjavík — check before you fly.
Dogsleds have right of way; step aside and keep clear of tethered dog lines.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ilulissat). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.