Making the most of Ilulissat Jacobshavn
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
As ships moor or anchor here, passengers reach shore in Zodiacs or regular tenders.
A wooden staircase leads up to town.
The whole of Ilulissat can be walked in about half an hour.
In Greenlandic, Ilulissat means icebergs. The town is beautifully placed at the mouth of the 56 km ice fjord, filled with immense icebergs from Sermeq Kujalleq, the northern hemisphere’s most productive glacier.
Getting around
Greenland has no roads between towns, so travel is by ship or plane. The sometimes extreme Arctic climate demands a high level of transport safety, which Greenland’s operators meet fully. For short journeys beyond towns, local people use their own boats, dogsleds or snowmobiles.
Nearby places
North of Ilulissat is the small settlement of Oqaatsut/Rodebay, where some old buildings dating from colonial times are now fitted out as restaurants.
A boat journey of another couple of hours north reaches the Eqi glacier, where it is possible to stay a couple of days in a hut.
Ilimanaq, another charming settlement and one of Greenland’s oldest, lies south of Ilulissat Icefjord.
Several Ilulissat tourist offices arrange these tours. Also called Jakobshavn, the sled-dog town has 4,500 people living there today and at least 4,000 sled dogs, underlining the dogsled’s importance even in a large modern town. Fishing is very important to Ilulissat too, as witnessed by the harbour full of fishing boats and trawlers.
Tourism is another important business for the town, with a great variety of excursions on offer for visitors, focused on nature and culture.
Food and shopping
Greenlandic souvenirs are unique handmade artworks, unlike anything found elsewhere in the world. Each item is shaped and designed by a Greenlandic artist who follows tradition and custom while creating a distinctive work through their own ideas and skills. Visitors have ample opportunity to discover precisely what they are looking for.
Money
Many hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards, but bring a small amount of Danish kroner as some ATMs may be out of service at weekends.
Staying connected
As a visitor to Greenland, when Greenlandic is spoken you will understand absolutely nothing. It is called kalaallitut, literally meaning “the Greenlanders’ language”.
Danish is more or less the second language, with English less widely used.
Take your laptop for internet and e-mail. Hotspots have been established in most major hotels, while Internet cafés are found in a number of larger towns and several tourist offices allow visitors to check web mail.
Greenland’s mobile-phone network is GSM 900/1800.
Opening Hours and
In larger towns, supermarkets generally open weekdays 10:00 – 17:30, remain open to 18:00 on Friday and trade 09:00 – 13:00 on Saturday. Many towns also have corner and grocer’s shops with longer hours, including Sundays.