Why Greenland for a Honeymoon
Few places feel this far from ordinary life after a short flight from the East Coast. The Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO site since 2004, is fed by Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. It sends out bergs so big they ground at the fjord mouth and sit there for months, cracking and rolling while you watch from the rocks.
The second draw is the human scale. Towns are colorful wooden houses on bare rock, with sled dogs chained outside and fishing boats in the harbor. Nuuk, the capital, has a good museum, a cathedral, cafes and a handful of serious restaurants.
The third is privacy. Even at peak season a boat trip might carry eight people. Hikes start at the edge of town and within twenty minutes you are alone with lichen, ravens and ice.
Best Time to Visit
There are two good seasons and one long dark one.
Summer, from mid June through August, is when most couples should go. Daytime highs sit around 50 to 55°F on the west coast, boats run daily and the midnight sun lasts for weeks north of the Arctic Circle. Mosquitoes can be fierce in July, so pack head nets for inland walks.
Late winter and spring, from March to early May, bring dog sledding, snowmobile trips and crisp blue days well below freezing. The light comes back fast in March. This is also a good window for northern lights near Kangerlussuaq and Ilulissat.
September is a fine shoulder month with autumn colors on the tundra, the first aurora and fewer visitors. November through January is very dark and cold. Some tours stop running, which makes it a hard sell for a honeymoon.
Where to Go
Ilulissat is the place to start. It sits on Disko Bay beside the icefjord, has the best range of hotels and puts boat trips, glacier excursions and summer whale sightings within reach. If you only see one town, see this one.
Nuuk is the capital and the main gateway. It sits at the mouth of a huge fjord system below the peak of Sermitsiaq. Spend two or three nights for the National Museum, harbor walks, fjord cruises and the best dining in the country.
With more time, consider South Greenland around Narsarsuaq, where Norse ruins sit beside sheep farms and icebergs drift into green fjords. Kangerlussuaq has the easiest access to the edge of the ice sheet. East Greenland around Tasiilaq is wilder still and is usually reached from Iceland.
Sample 10-Day Itinerary
Days 1 to 3: Fly into Nuuk. Walk the old harbor, visit the National Museum to see the Qilakitsoq mummies and take a full day fjord cruise toward the inland ice.
Day 4: Fly north to Ilulissat. Settle in, then walk the boardwalk to Sermermiut for evening light over the icefjord.
Days 5 to 8: Take a midnight boat trip among the icebergs, a day excursion to the Eqi glacier to watch it calve, a hike along the fjord rim and a night at a lodge in the small settlement of Ilimanaq if you can get space.
Day 9: Fly back to Nuuk or Kangerlussuaq. Keep this day loose in case weather delays you.
Day 10: Fly home through Newark in summer or through Copenhagen or Reykjavik.
In winter, swap the boat days for dog sledding and a northern lights evening.
Budget and Costs
Greenland is expensive. It helps to plan for that rather than be surprised by it. These figures are approximate and move with the krone.
Good hotel rooms in Nuuk and Ilulissat often run about $250 to $450 a night in summer. The best icefjord views cost more. Domestic flights can add several hundred dollars per person per leg. Guided boat trips commonly fall in the $100 to $300 range per person, while a full day glacier excursion or helicopter flight costs far more.
Dinner for two with wine at a good restaurant can easily pass $150. Groceries are pricey because almost everything arrives by ship. A comfortable 10 day trip for two, flights included, often lands somewhere between $12,000 and $20,000. Packages from Danish and Icelandic operators bundle flights and hotels and can save real money.
Getting There and Around
In summer, United's seasonal Newark to Nuuk route is the easy option. Check the current schedule, since it has run only a couple of days a week. Otherwise, fly to Copenhagen and connect on Air Greenland, or to Reykjavik and connect on Icelandair, which flies to Nuuk and seasonally to Ilulissat. Ilulissat's airport has been expanding to take larger jets, so check for new direct routes when you book.
Inside Greenland there are no roads between towns. You fly with Air Greenland on small planes and helicopters, or take coastal boats in summer. Weather causes frequent delays, so never book a tight same-day connection to an international flight. Within towns you walk, take a taxi or ride the local bus in Nuuk.
Culture and Etiquette
About nine in ten residents are Inuit. Greenland governs itself within the Kingdom of Denmark. People call themselves Kalaallit. Avoid the word Eskimo, which is considered offensive here. Treat Greenland as its own country in conversation rather than as a corner of Denmark.
Hunting is central to life. You may see seal, whale or musk ox on menus and drying racks. You do not have to eat it, but skip the lectures. Ask before photographing people, especially children. Be careful around chained sled dogs, which are working animals rather than pets.
Greenland has also been in American news a great deal. Many locals have strong feelings about US statements on the island's future. Listen more than you talk on that subject. A few words of Greenlandic go a long way: qujanaq means thank you.
Quick tips
- Build a spare day into each domestic flight; fog and wind ground small planes often.
- Carry some kroner, since settlements outside Nuuk can be cash-first.
- Never call Greenlanders Eskimos; Kalaallit is the word people use for themselves.
