Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0Greenland
The largest island on earth, with no road between any two towns
“The largest island on earth, with no road between any two towns”
Greenland is a country-sized island with the population of a small town - around 56,000 people spread along a coastal fringe, because the interior is an ice sheet up to three kilometres thick. There is no road linking any two settlements. Everything moves by air, by sea, or in winter by dog sled, and the timetable is weather.
It has run its own affairs under Danish sovereignty since home rule in 1979 and self-government in 2009, and Greenlandic is the sole official language. For a visitor that means a place organised around ice rather than around tourism: icebergs the size of buildings calving into Disko Bay, Norse ruins at the head of a fjord, and the northern lights from September onward.
Chapter 01
Highlights
Ilulissat Icefjord
A UNESCO site where one of the fastest-moving glaciers on earth discharges into the sea. The boardwalk from town reaches it on foot; the boats get you among the bergs.
Disko Bay
Whales in summer, sea ice in spring, and Qeqertarsuaq on the far side with hot springs and basalt columns.
The Norse south
Hvalsey church still stands where the last recorded Norse wedding was held in 1408. The Kujataa farming landscape around it is UNESCO-listed and still farmed.
The Arctic Circle Trail
Around 160 km (100 mi) between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut with huts along the way - the one long walk in Greenland you can do unsupported.
Chapter 02
Entry requirements for Greenland
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- A hospital in Nuuk and health stations in the towns; anything serious is evacuated to Denmark. Insurance with evacuation cover is not optional.
- Money
- Danish krone. Cards work almost everywhere, including small settlements. Prices are high: everything that is not fish or reindeer arrives by ship.
Who needs a visa for Greenland
12 common passports| Passport | Requirement | Stay | Process |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Visa-free | up to 90 days | No United States record yet |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | up to 90 days | No United Kingdom record yet |
| Germany | Visa-free | up to 90 days | No process · €0 / $0 |
| India | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| China | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Brazil | Visa-free | up to 90 days | No Other passports record yet |
| Nigeria | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Indonesia | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Philippines | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Vietnam | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Egypt | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
| Nepal | Visa required | - | No Other passports record yet |
Holding a passport that is not listed? The picker above answers for any of them. See where your passport takes you. Source: Passport Index, updated 14 Sept 2026.
Chapter 03
When to go
BestMar–Apr, Jun–Aug. AvoidNov–Jan.
Sea ice, long light, the classic sledding month.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
Chapter 04
What it costs
A day in Greenland
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $259
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
July and August carry a clear premium and sell out months ahead in Ilulissat. March and April cost less and deliver a completely different trip.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis - Air Greenland and Arctic Umiaq published fares, operator tariffs (2025–2026) · confidence medium
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Chapter 05
Regions to know
5Nuuk
The capital: national museum, a serious restaurant scene for its size, and fjords behind the town.
Disko Bay
Ilulissat, the icefjord and the whales - the reason most people come.
South Greenland
Norse ruins, sheep farms and the softest landscape on the island.
East Greenland
Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit - remote even by Greenlandic standards.
Kangerlussuaq
The inland airport, road access to the ice sheet, and the trailhead for the Arctic Circle Trail.
Chapter 06
Practical guide
Getting there
Nuuk and Ilulissat took over as the international gateways when their extended runways opened, with direct service from Copenhagen and seasonally from North America. Kangerlussuaq remains a hub for domestic connections.
Getting around
Air Greenland domestically, the Sarfaq Ittuk coastal ferry along the west coast in summer, and small boats for fjord transfers. Weather cancellations are normal rather than exceptional.
Money & costs
Danish krone. Cards work almost everywhere, including small settlements. Prices are high: everything that is not fish or reindeer arrives by ship.
Safety
Crime is not the risk here; cold, water and weather are. Never walk on sea ice without local advice, and tell someone your route before any hike.
Health
A hospital in Nuuk and health stations in the towns; anything serious is evacuated to Denmark. Insurance with evacuation cover is not optional.
SIM & internet
Mobile coverage in the towns and along parts of the coast, nothing in between. Satellite messengers are standard kit for hikers.
Chapter 07
Driving
Roads exist only inside settlements and on a few short stretches around them - the longest public road in Greenland runs some 35 km (22 mi) inland from Kangerlussuaq. Hiring a car is rarely the point.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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Before you go
GreenlandChapter 09
Frequently asked questions
Is Greenland in the Schengen area?
No, and this catches people out. Greenland is outside both the EU and Schengen, so a Schengen visa does not admit you. Nationals who are visa-free for Denmark are generally visa-free here too, but anyone who needs a visa needs one issued specifically for Greenland.
How do I get around without roads?
Air Greenland and the coastal ferry Sarfaq Ittuk connect the settlements, with helicopters on the shortest hops. Nothing is guaranteed: fog and wind cancel flights routinely, and every itinerary should carry a spare day at each end.
When can I see the northern lights?
Roughly September to early April, when the nights are dark enough. Midsummer has no darkness at all above the Arctic Circle, so the two things cannot be combined.