Greenland · Disko Bay
Ilulissat
A UNESCO icefjord you can walk to from town, jammed with icebergs from one of the fastest glaciers on earth.
Ilulissat is Greenland's third-largest town and its most visited, a harbour of coloured wooden houses on Disko Bay at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord. The fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is fed by Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the fastest-moving glaciers on earth, and it pushes icebergs the size of city blocks out into the bay. Visitors walk from town to the edge of the ice, sail among the bergs under the midnight sun, watch humpbacks in summer and head out by dog sled on the spring snow.
Suggested stay
3–6 days
Language
Greenlandic, Danish
Currency
DKK
Timezone
UTC-1
Why you'll love Ilulissat
The icefjord an hour's walk from the harbour puts you on the rocks above a fjord packed solid with ice from Sermeq Kujalleq
Midnight sun summer boat trips sail out among the icebergs late at night in low golden light
Whales humpbacks feed in Disko Bay through the summer, often surfacing right beside the ice
Sled dogs a working sled-dog town where spring trips still go out across the snow by dog team
Best time to visit
Jun-Aug
Cold climate · 9-12° days
69.220° N, 51.099° W
UTC-1 · America/Godthab
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Weather & when to go to Ilulissat
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Hiking prime Jul-Aug
Northern lights prime Oct-Mar
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for Jan-Mar extreme cold risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Ilulissat
Only June to August are comfortable; the rest of the year is long and cold, and around midwinter the sun barely rises. That dark season is also the reason some people come: the aurora runs from autumn into early spring, and dog sledding is best on the late-winter and spring snow. Boat trips to the ice and the glaciers are mainly a summer affair.
Top things to do in Ilulissat
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Ilulissat Icefjord - the Sermermiut boardwalk and yellow trail
nature wildlife scenic history 👍 PopularA wooden boardwalk leads from the edge of town to the Sermermiut valley, where turf-house ruins from thousands of years of settlement sit above the fjord mouth. The marked yellow trail carries on over the rocks to Holms Bakke for views across the grounded icebergs.
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Ilulissat Icefjord blue trail - the longer walk along the ice
hiking nature wildlifeThe longer marked blue route crosses open rock and tundra past small lakes to high viewpoints along the fjord. Allow half a day, wear proper boots and bring layers, as the ground is rough and the weather turns quickly.
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Isfjeldsbanken - a midnight sun cruise among the icebergs
scenic nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedIn summer small boats leave the harbour late in the evening for the bank at the fjord mouth where the biggest icebergs run aground. Drifting between them in the low night light is the defining Ilulissat experience.
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Eqi Glacier - wait for a calving ice front
nature wildlife scenic 👍 PopularA full-day boat trip north to Eqip Sermia, where the boat holds position in front of a high wall of ice and waits for slabs to break away and crash into the sea, sending swells rolling back across the water.
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Disko Bay whale watching - humpbacks among the ice
nature wildlife 👍 PopularHumpback and minke whales feed in Disko Bay through the summer, and boat trips from the harbour often find them close to the icebergs, sometimes combined with an evening iceberg cruise.
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Dog sledding - out across the snow by dog team
adventure culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedIlulissat lies inside Greenland's sled-dog region, where the Greenland dog is still worked and kept pure. In late winter and spring local mushers take visitors out from the edge of town, from short rides to longer trips over the snow.
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Sermeq Kujalleq flightseeing - the glacier and ice sheet from the air
scenic adventureSmall-plane and helicopter flights follow the icefjord inland to the glacier front and the edge of the ice sheet, the only practical way to see where the icebergs actually come from.
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Icefjord Centre - the story of the ice
culture arts nature wildlifeA low, curving building at the start of the Sermermiut boardwalk, with exhibitions on the glacier, the icebergs and the people who have lived beside them. Its roof doubles as a viewing platform.
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Ilulissat Museum - Knud Rasmussen's birthplace
history culture artsThe red wooden house where the polar explorer Knud Rasmussen was born is now the town museum, covering his Thule expeditions alongside the history of hunting, whaling and settlement around Disko Bay.
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Zion's Church - the old church facing the ice
historyOne of the oldest buildings in Greenland, this 18th-century church stands near the shore with icebergs drifting past behind it, a short walk from the harbour.
Best areas to stay in Ilulissat
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Ilulissat town
First-time visitors $$Harbour town of coloured wooden houses
Explore hotels in Ilulissat town →
Ilimanaq
Quiet couples $$$Tiny settlement across the icefjord mouth
Explore hotels in Ilimanaq →
Oqaatsut
Village stays $Small fishing village up the coast
Explore hotels in Oqaatsut →
Eqi
Glacier lovers $$$Summer cabins facing a calving glacier
Explore hotels in Eqi →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Ilulissat
Getting to & around Ilulissat
Getting there
Fly into Ilulissat (JAV), connecting via Kangerlussuaq or Nuuk; the airport is a few minutes from town
Flight
Ilulissat Airport (JAV)
The airport sits on the rocks just outside town, a few minutes to the centre by taxi or hotel shuttle. No roads link Greenland's towns, so every arrival is by air or by sea.
Ferry
Ilulissat harbour
Arctic Umiaq Line's coastal passenger ship calls on its summer west-coast run, and Disko Line boats link the settlements around Disko Bay
Cruise
Ilulissat harbour
A regular summer stop for expedition and larger cruise ships sailing the west coast
Getting around
Walking
The centre, the harbour, the museum and the icefjord trails are all within walking distance
Free
Taxi
Useful for the airport and for luggage on the hilly streets
TBC
Boat
Tour and charter boats from the harbour are the only way to Ilimanaq, Eqi and the iceberg bank
TBC
Day trips from Ilulissat
Eqi Glacier
Full dayCalving glacier cruise
Sail north past icebergs and settlements to the Eqip Sermia glacier, then wait in front of its ice face for the calving. Whales are often seen on the way.
Getting there
tour
Several hours each way by tour boat from Ilulissat harbour
Ilimanaq
Full dayIcefjord settlement
Cross the iceberg-choked mouth of the icefjord to a settlement of a few dozen people, then walk the coastal path for views back over the ice from the far side.
Getting there
tour
About 1 hr by boat south across the fjord mouth
Oqaatsut
Half dayFishing village
A small, colourful fishing village north of town, with sled dogs, drying racks and a slower pace. Walking out and taking the boat back is a popular summer combination.
Getting there
tour | walk
About 1 hr by boat north along the coast, or a full-day hike over the tundra in summer
Qeqertarsuaq, Disko Island
1-2 daysBasalt island town
Disko Island's main town sits under dark basalt mountains, with black-sand beaches, a glacier above town where dogs pull sleds even in summer, and hot springs in the hills.
Getting there
ferry
Several hours by Disko Line boat across Disko Bay
A little history of Ilulissat
People have lived at the mouth of the icefjord for some 4,000 years. The Sermermiut valley, a short walk from town, holds traces of the Saqqaq, Dorset and Thule cultures, the last of them the ancestors of today's Greenlanders, and its turf-house ruins are among the most important archaeological sites in the country.
The Danish trader Jakob Severin founded a trading post here in 1741, and the town was known as Jakobshavn for more than two centuries. It lived on sealing and whaling and later on the halibut fishery that still drives the economy, and the polar explorer Knud Rasmussen was born here in 1879. Since Home Rule the town has used its Greenlandic name, Ilulissat, meaning icebergs. The icefjord became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and the retreat of its glacier has made it one of the most closely studied places on earth for climate science.
Saqqaq hunters settle at Sermermiut, beside the icefjord mouth
Thule people, ancestors of today's Greenlanders, reach Disko Bay
Jakob Severin founds the trading post of Jakobshavn
Zion's Church is completed
The polar explorer Knud Rasmussen is born in the town
Greenland gains Home Rule, and Greenlandic place names come into official use
The Ilulissat Icefjord is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Icefjord Centre opens at the start of the Sermermiut trail
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Limited
Wifi
Limited
Power
Type C / F / K
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+299
Extreme cold risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Ilulissat
▸ When is the best time to visit Ilulissat?
June to August is the only stretch the weather rates well: the mildest temperatures, long light running into the midnight sun of early summer, whales in the bay and snow-free trails. The rest of the year is cold but not empty: the aurora season runs from autumn into early spring, and dog sledding is at its best on the late-winter and spring snow.
▸ How do you get to Ilulissat?
Only by air or sea, as no roads connect Greenland's towns. Visitors have usually flown from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq or Nuuk and connected on a short domestic flight, and Ilulissat's runway has been lengthened to take larger jets, so check for current direct routes. In summer cruise ships and the coastal ferry also call.
▸ Can you see the northern lights in Ilulissat?
Yes. The town sits under the auroral oval, and on clear, dark nights from about September to April displays can be seen from the edge of town, away from the streetlights. The bright summer nights rule it out entirely. Local operators run evening aurora outings through the dark season.
▸ Can you walk to the icefjord without a guide?
Yes. The boardwalk to Sermermiut and the marked yellow and blue trails start from the edge of town and need no guide in the snow-free months. Stay on the marked routes, keep well back from the shoreline, where calving icebergs can send waves over the rocks, and carry warm layers, as conditions change quickly beside the ice.
▸ Is Ilulissat expensive?
Yes, like all of Greenland. Almost everything is shipped or flown in, rooms are limited and fill up in summer, and boat trips and flights make up much of the cost of a visit. Booking accommodation and the key excursions early is the main way to keep control of it.
▸ How many days do you need in Ilulissat?
Three to five days covers the icefjord trails, an evening iceberg cruise, a whale trip and the Eqi glacier, with a spare day built in. Fog and wind regularly delay boats and flights here, so a buffer before an onward connection is worth having.