Nuuk

A modern Arctic capital with culture, history, sailing and nature. Experiences both in the city centre and in the beautiful fjords of Nuuk’s hinterland. Enjoy sailing, hiking, fishing, delicious food and Greenlandic culture.

A city with food, boat trips with fishing, hiking, and Inuit and Norse culture

Nuuk has almost 19,500 inhabitants, but you will experience a vibrant “big city”, as it is the seat of government with many cultural and educational institutions. Nuuk is constantly growing, and it is now about 10 kilometres from one end to the other. You will find concerts, theatre, museums and exhibitions. Sport is central for many people, so you can also hike, ski, sail, run, do strength training, practise yoga and even swim.

In Danish, Nuuk is also known as Godthåb.

Culture

Cultural life thrives in Nuuk. Not only because you can see an architectural gem, the Katuaq cultural centre, in the middle of the city, but because the many people mean that every imaginable form of culture is pursued. Here there is music, the Greenlandic National Theatre, the Greenland Cultural Centre, the Greenland National Museum and Nuuk Art Museum.

We are not only talking about traditional Greenlandic culture, which we also encounter in the other Greenlandic towns; you can also hear classical music, hip-hop and techno here in the city. Pop into Atlantic Music and listen to some of the tremendous music Greenland has to offer. These days downloading music has become commonplace in Greenland too, but not many years ago Greenland was the country in the world that released the most CDs relative to its population.

Nuuk Art Museum has beautiful permanent exhibitions and exciting, attractive solo exhibitions. Nor should you miss the National Museum, where in particular the impressive 600-year-old mummies will impress or frighten you. People are somewhat divided on that point. Some find them incredibly beautiful, others think they are a little spooky. That is how it is with mummies.

Sport is also culture, and here Nuuk is ahead of the game. The award-winning Malik swimming pool gives you a tremendous view while you swim your lengths. In winter, slopes are prepared for alpine skiing, and you will find first-class cross-country trails. There are several sports halls in Nuuk, so if you are sporty, you can always find something to do.

Inuit sports, or Inuit Games as they are often called, are also practised in Nuuk. Inuit Games and Dene Games became popular in Greenland at the start of the millennium. They are various sports that build strength and endurance and have been practised by Inuit and Indigenous peoples in Canada and Alaska for centuries.

Fusion cuisine

When you are in Nuuk, you should try some of the city’s many delicious restaurants. The average standard of living in Nuuk is relatively high, and there are many exciting restaurants and cafés. Hotel Hans Egede, for example, is home to Sarfalik, which serves fantastic variations of Greenlandic cuisine. There is also Restaurant Nordlys, which has “the taste of the North” on the menu with delicious local produce.

Nearby you can try Greenlandic sushi at the Thai restaurant Charoen Porn. It is a rather different experience from sushi elsewhere. Next to these places is Cafe Esmaralda with a really good café menu. All in all, you have plenty of options for eating out in the centre of Nuuk.

About an hour’s sailing outside Nuuk, in summer, you will find the restaurant Qooqqut Nuan in an incredibly beautifully situated side fjord. You can take a boat trip here, during which you catch what will later be served on your plate yourself!

The nature behind Nuuk

You do not have to go far beyond Nuuk’s city limits before you feel all alone in the world. A walk behind the mountain Lille Malene gives you that feeling, and then of course there is the fjord system behind Nuuk.

The fjord system is the second largest in Greenland, and it is so big that the Faroe Islands could easily fit inside the hinterland. It is lush and beautiful in summer, and a fantastic sight in winter when the high cliffs are covered by a thick layer of snow.

Nuuk lies almost right out by the sea, so it is cooler in the city than inside the fjord system, which is really lush in summer. That is why many Nuumiut – people from Nuuk – head in here as soon as they have the time. You should do as the locals do! It is world class.

The sea and the whales

A whale photo safari in Nuuk is a must when you visit the city, and boat trips to the old settlements near the city are exciting too. In the waters outside Nuuk it is not unusual to see humpback whales or minke whales.

If there is no time for a boat trip, pop out onto the rocks behind Tele Greenland. There is a good view here of both the city and the suburbs, and of the fjord too, and in summer you often see a whale swimming past.

Winter sports and golf

Nuuk is an excellent winter sports destination. Hop on the bus to the airport and you are at the foot of a ski resort where three lifts ensure you can always find new slalom runs. Snowboarding is also very popular, and the sound of snowmobiles is unmistakable beyond the city limits. If you like cross-country skiing, there is access to many good trails right from the city.

If you come in summer, you can also tackle a nine-hole golf course with many natural hazards, as it lies in beautiful hilly terrain.

Nuuk city

In Greenlandic eyes, Nuuk with more than 19,500 inhabitants is a big city, and the city is indeed large. In fact, it takes several hours to walk from one end of Nuuk to the other, as the city itself has gradually spread across several large districts.

For example, the suburb of Nuussuaq would be Greenland’s second-largest town if it were a separate town. In Nuussuaq there are districts that look almost like sweet bowls filled with M&Ms or wine gums, because here there are terraced houses in every colour imaginable. Over time there have even been pink and mint-green homes.

A veritable building boom means that in Nuuk people talk less about building houses than about building new districts. And should you run into a shower of rain or snow, you can always go shopping in Nuuk Center, which has everything. Almost.

It is also in the centre of Nuuk that you will find the buildings from earlier times. The old colonial area, with the National Museum among others, is well kept and beautiful, and you should also take a walk past Myggedalen and see the many brightly coloured houses.

All in all, Nuuk is a fascinating acquaintance, as the city is growing at record speed and you will experience many different subcultures, beautiful nature and exciting art.