A long weekend out of the ordinary!

5 days around Ilulissat

Do you love to explore but only have limited time? Want to visit Ilulissat in Greenland? This trip allows you to experience a few of the highlights Greenland has to offer in a relatively short time.

Fly to Ilulissat, the town of icebergs, where big impressions and experiences are found on the doorstep of 4-star Hotel Arctic which is your base. With its exceptional location, spectacular view, and the opportunity to indulge yourself in the hotel restaurant, Hotel Arctic is the perfect starting point for this unique extended weekend.

We travel in the autumn, a season characterized by peace after a brief and hectic summer. Autumn also showcases the many aspects of Arctic nature; from beautiful sunny days, draping the mountains in shades of yellow-brown with an intensity that often surpasses the midnight sun of summer, to dramatic autumn storms, appealing with their harsh beauty but also requiring proper clothing.

Clear your calendar, and recharge your batteries in a very special way during this journey of indulgence to Greenland.

Highlights

  • See the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ilulissat Ice Fjord and its magnificent icebergs up close
  • Experience authentic Inuit life in the Town of Icebergs, Ilulissat
  • Delve into authentic town and settlement living
  • Cruise among gigantic icebergs
  • Everything wrapped in stunning Arctic autumn colors

Included

  • Return flights Copenhagen – Kangerlussuaq – Ilulissat
  • Return transfer between airport and hotel
  • 4 nights at Hotel Arctic with private bath and toilet
  • Breakfast
  • Welcome dinner at Hotel Arctic (excluding drinks)
  • Food and beverages on board the Air Greenland flight Copenhagen – Kangerlussuaq
  • Welcome meeting with local English-speaking guide
  • Guide service
  • All flight/transportation taxes and fees known to Greenland Travel at the time of publishing
  • 20 kg of checked baggage and 8 kg of cabin baggage

Not included

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Travel Insurance
  • Excursions (we recommend pre-booking our Excursion Package)

Day program

Christina Lundbye
Day 1:
Flights from Copenhagen to Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq. Welcome meeting and optional sightseeing

Departure from Copenhagen is in the morning, and after approximately 4½ hours’ flight, you will set foot on the world’s largest island. Following a brief stop in Kangerlussuaq, we continue toward Ilulissat on a smaller plane. It is a beautiful 45-minute flight, which allows you to take in the magnificent Arctic landscape, the barren wilderness, and the magnitude of the Inland Ice Cape. During our approach to Ilulissat, the city will appear as a colorful dot in the middle of nowhere. The colored houses stand in stark contrast to the rugged mountains, and you can look forward to the next days filled with icebergs, nature clad in autumn colors, and cultural impressions from a highly traditional Greenland town.

The bus of Hotel Arctic will pick you up at the airport, and you check in at the wonderfully situated four-star hotel. Here you will meet one of our guides who will brief you about the city, the area, dining, and excursion possibilities. You can book excursions at the meeting, or have your pre-booked excursions confirmed.

Guided town walk (optional)

The first excursion in the excursion package is a guided tour of the town. You will learn about the history of the Ilulissat and experience its many interesting aspects. One of them is the many sled dogs that live here. Most of the dogs stay outside of the town at a large dog site if they are not roaming the terrain.

This evening, you will have a lovely welcome dinner in the hotel’s amazing restaurant (drinks not included).

Peter Bastrup
Day 2:
Ilulissat on your own or optional walk to Sermermiut

If you have purchased the excursion package, you can look forward to today’s guided walk to the old settlement at the Ice Fjord.

Sermermiut, the former settlement at the Ice Fjord (optional)

Beautiful iceberg vistas are the setting for the old settlement of the Sermermiut 1½ kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. Hear the story about the Inuit people’s life and traditions before the Europeans came to Greenland, see the ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands.

On this hike, we will pass “Kællingekløften” where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Ice Fjord, before heading back again. During the hike, there will be time to talk about flora, fauna, geology, and not least, the story behind the omnipresent ice.

Jesper Kunuk Egede
Day 3:
Ilulissat on your own or optional excursions sailing among icebergs and a northern lights safari

The Disko Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations. Primarily because of the ice, but also due to the beauty of the place, the many cultural attractions and the interaction between the traditional way of life and modern city life.

Ilulissat and the surrounding area offer excursion possibilities aplenty, and perhaps the initial briefing has inspired you to make the best use of your day, alternatively you may want to take in the fantastic view across Disko Bay and let time stand still for a little while…

Sailing among icebergs (optional)

Almost every visitor in Ilulissat chooses to try a boat trip among the icebergs at least once.

More than 40 million ton of ice flows out into the fjord every day. The result is gigantic icebergs, which can be more than 100 meters on each side and with a height of up to 100 meters above the water surface. These giants strand at the end of the fjord, and that gives you a good opportunity to sail among them. An exceptional experience, you do not want to be without while visiting Ilulissat.

Remember to bring warm clothes, or you can rent a suit of sealskin.

Northern Lights Safari (optional)

Available from September 19 – December

When the sky is clear on cold nights, you can see the most beautiful northern lights over Ilulissat. Aurora Borealis is, without a doubt, the night sky’s most spectacular phenomenon. We are going to drive away from the lights of the town and go to where the darkness is most intense. The guide will tell us all about the causes of the phenomenon. You will also get tips and tricks to enable you to take the best pictures of the colored lights as they cross the night sky.

Beate Ulich
Day 4:
Ilulissat on your own or optional excursions by boat tour to the Eqi Glacier (optional)

Use your final full day in Greenland to experience the atmosphere and life in the town. Go back in time and get a sense of history at the cozy museum established in Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace. The fishermen at “Brættet,” the local marketplace, provide you with an impression of the interesting food products of Greenland that do not come fresher than this.

When you have satisfied your appetite for visual experiences, it is time to treat your tastebuds and fill your stomach. The restaurants in Ilulissat invite you on a journey of discovery through local specialties such as Greenland sushi, deep-fried ammassats (small fish), whale and seal – and in the cafés, freshly baked cakes will tempt your sweet tooth. This is indeed a holiday that will impress all your senses.

If your trip starts on September 12 2022 – you can also join this optional excursion:

Day Tour to Eqi Glacier – the calving glacier (optional)

Only a few places in Greenland are as beautiful as the Eqi Glacier, which spills into the fjord 80 kilometers north of Ilulissat. It is possible to get close to the glacier by boat and experience huge pieces of ice breaking off. The sounds are loud, and the sight of the ice crashing into the water is breathtaking.

We sail in modern and convenient boats at the excursion to the Eqi Glacier. The route goes north along the coast passing Bredebugt, the settlement of Oqaatsut and the big fjord system called Pakitsoq, where whales and seals often are seen. Further on, we pass through the Ataa Strait, which is surrounded by steep mountains with bird life and waterfalls. Our ice secured boats lie approximately two hours in front of the glacier and wait for the ice to calve, while a delicious lunch is served. This is an full-day excursion, where you will have a good opportunity to be immersed in the experience and the boat trip in the ice-filled water.

Please note:

The length of the boat trip to and from the glacier can last between 2 – 5 hours each way. It depends on the boat used on the given day.

Jesper Kunuk Egede
Day 5:
Flights from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen

After an adventurous, extended weekend, it is time to say your goodbyes to Ilulissat. Greenland is likely to have made quite an impressions on you that will spark a special feeling and flash a series of indelible mental images whenever you hear the word Greenland mentioned in the future.

You depart from Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq, arriving in Copenhagen in the evening.

Map

Kangerlussuaq

Ilulissat

Kangerlussuaq

Hotels on this tour

Hotel Arctic

Greenland’s most famous hotel is Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat. It is located with a fantastic view of Ilulissat town, Ilulissat Ice Fjord, and Disko Bay. Hotel Arctic is the world’s northernmost 4-star hotel, and on top of that, the hotel features a 5-star conference center. The hotel is located just outside the town, approximately a 15-minute walk from the town center (app. 1.5 km from the central intersection in town).

The hotel has two great restaurants, and the large terrace outside the restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine while the sun shines its golden glow at midnight over the icebergs at Ilulissat Ice Fjord.

NOTE: The hotel offers airport transfers, but there are not transfers in connection with excursions or such.

Hotel Arctic
Mittarfimmut Aqq. B-1128
3952 Ilulissat

Excursions (Optional purchases)

Practical Information

Flight schedule (local times)

  • Departure from Copenhagen 10:00 am
  • Back in Copenhagen at 8:25 pm

Departure 24 October 2024

  • Departure from Copenhagen 09.00 am
  • Back in Copenhagen at 8:25 pm

Please note: The airline can change the times for departure.

Packing Lists

 

Baggage included

20 kilos of checked baggage and 8 kilos of cabin baggage (max. dimensions of cabin baggage: 55 x 40 x 23 cm).

Travelers with reduced mobility and wheelchair users

We do not recommend this tour for people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users. Greenland Travel’s advice regarding difficulty levels on our excursions is intended for travelers who are not disabled. We are always happy to provide you with information on the suitability of the trip, taking into account the specific needs you may have. Please note that our advice is not based on medical knowledge, and ultimately it is YOUR responsibility to decide if a tour is right for you.

 

A long weekend out of the ordinary!

5 days around Ilulissat

Want to visit Ilulissat in Greenland? Stay at Hotel Arctic with a view of the Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the Disko Bay. Sail on the Icefjord among huge icebergs!

From
1.820 EUR
per person in double room
August to November  | 5 days  | 4 nights Travel id: 9016 Departure from Copenhagen
Optional experiences
Northern lightIcebergsCulture

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Can we help you?

You are always welcome to contact us if you have any questions regarding your trip or if you need advice or guidance.

We strive to respond to inquiries within 24 hours on weekdays.

You can call us at: +45 3313 1011