From Nuuk to the Arctic Circle, the world is rediscovering the last frontier.
Even climate change, for all its destructive potential, has unexpected side effects. While islands such as the Maldives face inundation, Greenland—the world’s largest island—is becoming increasingly accessible. Once reserved for explorers and scientists, it is now welcoming tourists and entrepreneurs alike. Vast, icy, and sparsely populated, Greenland covers an area seven times the size of Italy but is home to just 56,000 people. Yet its capital, Nuuk, is experiencing an unprecedented boom.
The melting of glaciers has unlocked new opportunities in natural resources, attracting foreign businesses and workers. At the same time, its strategic location has boosted tourism: a handful of adventurous travellers now use Nuuk as a gateway to admire glaciers and drifting icebergs.
A City Between Two Worlds
Nuuk is a city of striking contrasts—traditional and modern, indigenous and cosmopolitan, isolated yet energetic. In the 1970s, it had fewer than 10,000 residents; today, it is heading toward 20,000. Infrastructure is expanding quickly. The old harbour still looks like a fishing village, with colourful wooden houses, streams, and patches of wild grass. Nearby, in Myggedalen, the blue, yellow, red, and green cottages overlooking the sea could grace a postcard. Yet a few minutes away stand rows of concrete apartment blocks covered in graffiti—symbols of urban life at the edge of the Arctic. Recently completed, Nuuk Airport’s extended runway now allows direct international flights. Within the compact city centre, you’ll find gourmet restaurants serving Greenlandic cuisine, boutiques selling musk ox wool clothing, and contemporary art galleries. The Nuuk Lokalmuseum, set in a converted boathouse, hosts exhibitions by local artists, while the Katuaq Cultural Centre—its undulating larch façade inspired by the Northern Lights—offers concerts, plays, and performances. Every two years, Nuuk hosts the Nuuk Nordic Culture Festival, a biennale dedicated to Nordic art. Despite its growing cosmopolitan flair, nature remains the true protagonist. “Nuuk” means peninsula, and the city indeed perches on a rocky outcrop surrounded by the waters of one of the world’s largest fjords. The dramatic scenery is framed by the Ukkusissat and Quassussuaq mountains. Locals spend as much time as possible outdoors—fishing, hunting, or simply disappearing into the wild. Even well-behaved prisoners are allowed supervised excursions to reconnect with nature.
Northward to the Icefjord
A little over an hour’s flight north lies Ilulissat, a UNESCO World Heritage town set beside one of Greenland’s most active glaciers. Here, colossal icebergs drift like floating cathedrals. The Icefjord Centre provides both a spectacular viewpoint and an exhibition on the life and transformation of ice. Nearby, the Illu Hub brings together artists and scientists to reinterpret climate change through creativity. Visitors can watch the fishing boats in the harbour, take dog-sled excursions, or dine at the Hotel Hvide Falk, known for its panoramic views and dishes of musk ox tenderloin overlooking the iceberg-dotted bay.
Beyond the Arctic Circle
Those seeking to reach the very edge of the world can continue to Qaanaaq, Greenland’s northernmost settlement and one of the most remote communities on Earth. Best visited in May—when daylight is perpetual and temperatures hover around –15 °C—the experience is surreal. The 600 residents live in stilt houses equipped with modern comforts: kitchens, heating, and even Wi-Fi. Water is supplied in a uniquely Arctic way: blocks of ancient ice are carved from trapped icebergs, melted, and delivered by truck to each home—meaning you quite literally shower in water thousands of years old. Here, visitors can rent a dogsled to explore frozen fjords, fish through holes in the ice from portable shacks, or accompany Inuit hunters tracking seals and walruses. When the sea ice begins to crack, narwhal hunting season begins. It is a raw encounter with subsistence life at the top of the world, where courage, endurance, and respect for nature intertwine.
How to Get There
Greenland’s main gateway from Europe is Copenhagen, with Air Greenland offering regular connections to Nuuk and other domestic destinations. The recent airport expansion now allows larger aircraft to operate direct routes from abroad.
Where to Stay
Nuuk: Hotel Hans Egede – the most comfortable and centrally located option.
Ilulissat: Hotel Hvide Falk – elegant rooms with views of the bay; or the Seawatch Retreat, a cliffside apartment with an oceanfront terrace.
Qaanaaq: Herit Accommodation and Qaanaaq Accommodation, both bookable via visitgreenland.com.
From modern Nuuk to the silent ice of Qaanaaq, Greenland today embodies the meeting of two forces: a warming planet and the enduring resilience of Arctic life. As the world beats a path to its icy shores, the island stands ready—not just as a destination, but as a mirror of our changing world.
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