Greenlandic Getaway in Ilulissat

DAY 1 | PARIS / COPENHAGEN

Flight to Copenhagen on regular SAS flights. Transfer on your own to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Imperial or similar in Copenhagen.

DAY 2 | COPENHAGEN / ILULISSAT VIA KANGERLUSSUAQ – WELCOME AND OPTIONAL ACTIVITY

Transfer on your own to the airport.

Departure from Copenhagen in the morning, and after about 4.5 hours of flight, you will set foot on the world’s largest island. After a brief stop in Kangerlussuaq, we continue to Ilulissat on a small plane. This is a magnificent 45-minute flight, allowing you to admire the stunning Arctic landscape, barren nature, and the vast expanse of the inland ice cap. As we approach Ilulissat, the town will appear as a colorful dot in the middle of nowhere. The colorful houses contrast sharply with the rugged mountains, and you can look forward to the coming days filled with icebergs, autumn-colored nature, and cultural impressions of a very traditional Greenlandic town. The Arctic Hotel bus will pick you up at the airport, and you will check in at the wonderfully located four-star hotel. Here, you will meet one of our guides who will inform you about the town, the region, the restaurants, and excursion possibilities. You can book excursions during the meeting or confirm your pre-booked excursions.

Guided city walk (optional).

The first excursion in the excursion package is a guided city tour. You will learn about the history of Ilulissat and discover its many interesting aspects. One of these is the numerous sled dogs that live here. Most of the dogs stay outside the town in a large dog site if they are not traversing the terrain. This evening, you will enjoy a delicious welcome dinner at the hotel’s incredible restaurant (drinks not included).

DAY 3 | ILULISSAT AT YOUR LEISURE OR OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: WALK TO SERMERMIUT

If you have purchased the excursion package, you can look forward to today’s guided walk to the ancient settlement of the Icefjord.

Sermermiut, the ancient Icefjord settlement (optional).

Beautiful views of the icebergs set the scene for the ancient settlement of Sermermiut, located 1½ kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. Listen to the history of the Inuit’s life and traditions before Europeans arrived in Greenland, see the ruins, and touch the permafrost with your own hands. During this hike, we will pass through “Kællingekløften,” where you can enjoy the stunning view of the Icefjord before returning. During the hike, there will be time to discuss the flora, fauna, geology, and not least, the history behind the omnipresent ice.

DAY 4 | ILULISSAT AT YOUR LEISURE OR OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Disko Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations. Firstly because of the ice, but also due to the beauty of the place, the numerous cultural attractions, and the interaction between traditional lifestyles and modern urban life. Ilulissat and its surroundings offer many excursion opportunities, and perhaps the initial briefing has inspired you to make the most of your day. Otherwise, you might want to admire the fantastic view of Disko Bay and let time stand still for a bit…

Sailing among the icebergs (optional).

Almost all visitors to Ilulissat choose to try a boat excursion among the icebergs at least once. More than 40 million tons of ice flow into the fjord each day, resulting in gigantic icebergs that can measure over 100 meters on each side and rise up to 100 meters above the water’s surface. These giants become grounded at the bottom of the fjord, providing an excellent opportunity to sail among them. This is an exceptional experience that you won’t want to miss when visiting Ilulissat. Remember to bring warm clothing, or you can rent a sealskin suit.

Northern Lights Safari (optional).

Available from September 22 to December

When the skies are clear on cold nights, you can see the most beautiful northern lights above Ilulissat. The northern lights are undoubtedly the most spectacular phenomenon of the night sky. We will move away from the city lights to where the darkness is most intense. The guide will explain the causes of the phenomenon. You will also get tips and tricks to help you take the best photos of the colorful lights as they traverse the night sky.

DAY 5 | ILULISSAT AT YOUR LEISURE OR OPTIONAL ACTIVITY

Enjoy your last full day in Greenland by soaking in the atmosphere and life of the town. Travel back in time and explore history at the cozy museum established at the birthplace of Knud Rasmussen. The fishermen at “Brættet,” the local market, give you an idea of the interesting food products of Greenland, which don’t get any fresher than this. Once you have satisfied your visual appetite, it’s time to treat your taste buds and fill your stomach. The restaurants in Ilulissat invite you on a discovery journey through local specialties such as Greenlandic sushi, fried ammassats (small fish), whale, and seal – and in the cafés, freshly baked cakes will tempt your sweet tooth. These are indeed holidays that will impress all your senses.

If your trip starts on September 15, 2022, you can also join this optional excursion:

Day trip to the Eqi Glacier – the calving glacier (optional).

Only a few places in Greenland are as beautiful as the Eqi Glacier, which flows into the fjord 80 kilometers north of Ilulissat. You can approach the glacier by boat and see enormous chunks 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 comfortable boats during the excursion to the Eqi Glacier. The route heads north along the coast, passing Bredebugt, the settlement of Oqaatsut, and the large fjord system called Pakitsoq, where whales and seals are often seen. Further on, we cross the Ataa Strait, which is surrounded by steep mountains with birds and waterfalls. Our ice-secured boats stop about two hours in front of the glacier and wait for the ice to calve while a delicious lunch is served. This is a full-day excursion, where you will have a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the experience and the boat trip through ice-filled waters.

Please note: The boat trip to and from the glacier can take between 2 and 5 hours each way, depending on the boat used on the given day.

DAY 6 | ILULISSAT / KANGERLUSSUAQ / COPENHAGEN

After a long adventurous weekend, it’s time to say goodbye to Ilulissat. Greenland is likely to have made quite an impression on you, triggering a special feeling and bringing up a series of indelible mental images every time you hear the word Greenland in the future. You depart from Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq and arrive in Copenhagen in the evening. Transfer on your own to your hotel. Overnight at the Imperial Hotel or similar in Copenhagen.

DAY 7 | COPENHAGEN / PARIS

Breakfast. Transfer on your own to the airport. Departure to Paris on regular SAS flights.

End of our services

HOTEL ARCTIC ILULISSAT

The most famous hotel in Greenland is Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat. It is situated with a fantastic view of the town of Ilulissat, the Ilulissat Icefjord, and Disko Bay. Hotel Arctic is the northernmost 4-star hotel in the world and also features a 5-star conference center. The hotel is located just outside the town, about a 15-minute walk from the city center (approximately 1.5 km from the central intersection of the town). The hotel has two excellent restaurants, and the large terrace outside the restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine while the sun casts its golden glow at midnight on the icebergs of the Ilulissat Icefjord.

NOTE: The hotel offers airport transfers but does not provide transfers for excursions or other activities.