Things to do in Ilulissat, Greenland: 11 tips from Milan Bez Mapy

Of all the places I’ve been to in Greenland so far, Ilulissat is my favourite, and I’d definitely recommend it. I wouldn’t miss the Ilulissat Icefjord hike, a boat trip to the icebergs and the settlement of Oqaatsut, or a dinner of Greenlandic food at Hotel Hvide Falk. Hangout Bistro, on the other hand, I’d give a miss.

What is there to see in Ilulissat? It’s the most visited town in Greenland, and for good reason. The landscape here is genuinely unreal, with scenery you wouldn’t dare to dream of. I’ve seen it for myself.

I’ve visited quite a few places in Greenland, but Ilulissat is the one I’ve liked best on the whole island (so far). Greenland is a lifelong love of mine. I enjoy coming back, and something keeps drawing me here.

If you asked me what exactly it is, I couldn’t point to one thing, but a strong candidate is the silence in which the icebergs here have been bobbing on the Atlantic for millions of years. So let’s take a look at what to see in Ilulissat. I’d also recommend my articles on what to see in Nuuk and what to see in Kangerlussuaq.

When I flew to Ilulissat, I changed planes in Kangerlussuaq, a former US military base. I flew there from Copenhagen on a big Airbus and continued on a smaller plane. At the time, Kangerlussuaq had the only runway in Greenland long enough for large aircraft from Europe. That has changed, and further down I explain how to get here today. If you end up changing planes in Kangerlussuaq too, my article has tips on where to stay and what to do in the area. My favourite is the hike to the wreckage of a crashed plane.

Visiting Ilulissat, Greenland: Milan Bez Mapy’s practical tips

How to get to Ilulissat

Greenland has no road network. The ice sheet covers 80% of the country, and you can’t build on it, partly because it is slowly melting and roads wouldn’t last long. The only ways to get around Greenland are by plane or by boat. The air network is excellent and will take you absolutely anywhere, but the same can’t be said for boats.

Getting to Ilulissat today (as of November 2026):

• From Copenhagen via Nuuk: Nuuk’s new airport opened on 28 November 2024. Since then, Air Greenland has flown direct from Copenhagen to Nuuk all year round, and from there you continue to Ilulissat on a domestic flight.
• Direct from Copenhagen: Ilulissat’s new airport, with a 2,200-metre runway, opened on 29 October 2026. Since then, Air Greenland has flown here direct from Copenhagen once a week, on Wednesdays, and twice a week over Christmas and New Year and in March. On other days you change in Nuuk.
• From Iceland: Air Greenland and Icelandair fly seasonally from Keflavík airport to Ilulissat.

So you no longer have to change in Kangerlussuaq the way I did.

You may be surprised by the price of domestic flights in Greenland, but everything here is expensive. You’re bound to notice on your travels that there are no airport security checks on domestic flights. In practice, you turn up at the airport and walk straight from the car park onto the plane. No scanners, no unpacking your bags. Air Greenland’s planes are equipped for flying above the Arctic Circle: have a look at the safety card in the seat pocket in front of you.

Notice anything? Yes, this plane carries tents, thermal survival suits and food supplies. It’s also bright red, so if it ever came down in the snow, rescuers would spot it straight away.

Getting from Ilulissat airport to the town centre

When I was here, there was no public transport to Ilulissat airport. According to Greenland Airports, which runs the country’s airports, there’s still no public bus to the new airport. So it’s best to arrange a transfer with your hotel.

Where to stay in Ilulissat: my hotel tip

Finding somewhere to stay in Ilulissat is no problem. To be honest, although it’s Greenland’s most touristy town, tourism here still isn’t fully developed. There are a few hotels, restaurants and activities for visitors, but nothing like mass tourism.

I stayed at the Best Western Ilulissat. The breakfasts are excellent, and the top terrace has panoramic views over the whole town and its surroundings: a perfect photo spot. The hotel also offers free airport transfers both ways; just let them know in advance. Rooms in Ilulissat cost from around €100 a night upwards.

Is Greenland expensive? What to expect to pay

Expensive means different things to different people, but Greenland is pricier than the more usual Nordic destinations. A night in a hotel here will cost you from €100 upwards, a meal in a restaurant about €30 per person, and a return flight from Copenhagen from €500 in a sale, or roughly €1,200 otherwise. A boat trip among the icebergs starts at about 800 Danish kroner (around €110) per person, a snowmobile trip at about 1,750 kroner (around €235) and dog sledding at 2,000 kroner (around €270). These are November 2026 prices.

Mobile data and roaming in Greenland

Although Greenland is part of Denmark, it’s an autonomous territory, so EU roaming doesn’t apply here. All over the country I used the Airalo app to buy eSIMs. You can read more in my Airalo review. With the code MILAN1877 you get a discount on your first Airalo eSIM.

Tour operators in Ilulissat for organised trips

Many trips are only possible with a tour operator, since I’m guessing you don’t have your own boat, team of sled dogs or snowmobile in Greenland. Here are the operators I chose from to put together my itinerary:

• https://ilulissatadventure.com/
• https://worldofgreenland.com/

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Things to do in Ilulissat: Milan Bez Mapy’s 11 picks

Almost everything in this article is within walking distance. Ilulissat is a small town and you can get everywhere on foot. These are the places I visited in Ilulissat and would recommend to you too.

1. Zion Church and the local beach with a viewing platform
2. The Ilulissat Icefjord hike
3. The Kangiata Illorsua ice museum
4. Three museums in Ilulissat
5. The Knud Rasmussen statue
6. Snowmobile trips and dog sledding
7. Igloo Lodge
8. A boat trip to the icebergs and whale watching
9. A boat trip to the fishing settlement of Oqaatsut
10. A tasting dinner at Hotel Hvide Falk
11. Watching the northern lights

Zion Church and the local beach with a viewing platform

The centre of Ilulissat is tiny. Every day I walked to Zion Church, from where there’s a lovely view across the whole of Disko Bay and the boats leaving Ilulissat harbour, mostly fishing boats. If you can, come here at sunset: I think it’ll be one of the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen.

Tip from Milan About a kilometre from the church there’s a perfect viewpoint with a bench, great for photos. It has no name, so here’s its location on Google Maps.

Hiking at Ilulissat Icefjord: the blue, yellow and red trails

Greenland is ideal if you like hiking. Hiking here is mostly a summer activity, but if you’re lucky with the weather in winter, nothing will stop you going for a walk. Three main hiking trails run around Ilulissat: blue, yellow and red. I’d do all three. The blue one is the hardest and the red one the easiest.

• The blue trail: I’d start at the Kangiata Illorsua ice museum (the Ilulissat Icefjord Centre) and follow the coast for the whole loop. I strongly advise against starting from the other end, because right at the beginning you’d face a brutal climb and reach the icebergs sweaty and tired. Go my way round and you get to stroll down that hill instead. It’s three to four hours of pleasant walking, depending on how often you stop at the icebergs. I’ve photographed them from every angle imaginable.
• The red trail is just a short walk.
• The yellow trail is at its best at sunset, as it runs through the south-western part of town. Start at the power station and finish at the Kangiata Illorsua ice museum. Along the way you pass the remains of old settlements, but they aren’t well preserved: if I hadn’t known, I’d have thought I was just looking at stones on the ground.

The Kangiata Illorsua ice museum and two more museums

If you want to know more about what ice, and the research into it, can tell us, I’d spend a morning at the ice museum. There’s a nice collection of things found in frozen ice floes and, above all, plenty about why ice matters so much for understanding our planet.

Two things stood out for me: the café (I didn’t drink better coffee anywhere else in Ilulissat) and scans of cross-sections of 10,000-year-old and 80-year-old glacier ice. Notice the difference in the number of CO2 bubbles, which are evidence of changes in the climate and the air.

The Knud Rasmussen statue

Knud Rasmussen was a Danish polar explorer and anthropologist who contributed greatly to the understanding of Greenlandic culture and geography. Born in 1879, he led a series of Arctic expeditions, with a particular focus on Greenland.

One of his best-known expeditions was the Fifth Thule Expedition (1921 to 1924), during which he travelled by dog sled from Greenland to Alaska. The journey allowed him to study the indigenous peoples of the Arctic and document their cultures. Rasmussen also founded the Thule trading station in north-western Greenland, which later became the basis of the town of Qaanaaq. His work remains key to preserving and understanding Inuit traditions and customs, and he has his own statue in Ilulissat.

Snowmobile trips, dog sledding and Igloo Lodge

I’d recommend trying one of these activities, or even spending a night at Igloo Lodge. There’s an excellent tour operator in Ilulissat with a range of trips, though it’s worth knowing that some only run in summer.

I’ve listed the tour operators that run these trips above, and this is the one I was happiest with. You can head out on a snowmobile or a dog sled, or spend the night in a hotel igloo built of snow.

Boat trips to the icebergs and Oqaatsut, and whale watching

When can you see whales in Greenland?

Whales are a common sight in Greenland, especially in summer and autumn. Between June and October you can see large numbers of whales as they move north to feed for the summer. Some parts of Greenland, such as Disko Bay and the area around Ilulissat, are known as popular whale-watching spots. Tours and boat trips here give you the chance to see whales in their natural habitat.

Oqaatsut, once known as Rodebay, is a small settlement on Greenland’s west coast, about 14 km north of Ilulissat as the crow flies. The fishing village is surrounded by dramatic mountains and narrow fjords, which makes it an ideal place to take in the natural beauty of the Arctic.

Oqaatsut is known for its peaceful, traditional Greenlandic atmosphere. It has only about 40 inhabitants and depends mainly on fishing and tourism. Visitors come to enjoy the quiet life of the settlement and get to know the local culture and the residents’ traditional way of life. You can get here from Ilulissat by boat or on foot. I wouldn’t recommend walking, though: it’s 23 km one way. Most people take a boat here and walk back.

A tasting dinner at Hotel Hvide Falk and traditional Greenlandic food

Check with Hotel Hvide Falk whether they’re holding one of their legendary tasting buffet dinners during your visit. I was in luck: I tried excellent seal and whale and got to know Greenland on a plate. There’s more on what to eat in Greenland in my separate article.

When to see the northern lights in Greenland

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are best seen in Greenland when there is little light pollution and enough darkness, which usually means the winter months. The best time to see them is from mid-September to mid-April, when the polar nights are long and you can watch the sky through the night. The weather is also better for watching at this time of year, as the sky is often clear and free of cloud.

The best places to see the northern lights in Greenland are areas far from light pollution, such as the south coast or the interior of the island. Towns such as Ilulissat are popular too, as you can combine the northern lights with watching the icebergs.

Where to eat in Ilulissat: cafés and restaurants

Ilulissat doesn’t have much of a food scene, which makes choosing where to eat all the easier. These are the places I enjoyed most:

• Cafennguaq is a roadside café that isn’t exactly cosy, but the coffee and cakes are great, so stop by if you’re passing.
• Inuit Café serves excellent food. Go there for a meal, and be sure to try the traditional Greenlandic coffee, which has more alcohol in it than coffee.
• Café Iluliaq is another café that doubles as a bar, with fairly good-value happy hours.
• Hotel Hvide Falk regularly holds excellent tasting buffet dinners with traditional Greenlandic food. Ask when the next one is and book a table.
• Naleraq is a classic local pub with live music on Friday evenings.
• I’d avoid Hangout Bistro: I didn’t like the food, and it made me ill.

I’ve also written about what to see in Sisimiut, a small, quiet town on the west coast.

You might also like my article on visiting Greenland in summer and how to prepare for the mosquito swarms.

Happy travels!
Milan