Making the most of Paamiut
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 are moored or anchored in this port, you will be tendered ashore.
Paamiut is a small town, so the distance from the harbor to the downtown area is very short. You can easily walk from the pier to the main parts of the town within a few minutes.
As is the case for all the other towns in West Greenland the sea around Paamiut does not freeze in the winter. The main occupation for the 2,000 inhabitants in Paamiut and the single settlement at Arsuk is fishing, and the great importance of the sea with the numerous white-tailed eagles is also emphasised by the fact that Greenland's maritime educations are all based in Paamiut.
The area around Paamiut is home to Greenland's biggest population of white-tailed eagles, and if you choose to spot them on the open sea, there are also plenty of opportunities to see whales – in particular minke whales, fin whales, killer whales and humpback whales. Paamiut town has a characteristic wooden church dating back to 1909, and the town's museum is housed in buildings which in the previous century were a carpenter's shop and a salt house.
Please be careful with mosquitoes which are prevalent in June and July and the black flies take over in August. Bring mosquito nets to wear over your heads. The town gets swamped with these annoying aggressive flies that wouldn’t stay off your faces
Getting around
In Greenland there are no roads connecting the towns, so all transport takes place by plane or by ship. The Arctic climate, which at times can be extreme, places great demands on safety during transport, demands which Greenland's transport companies satisfy in full. When travelling over shorter distances outside the towns the local population use their own boats, dogsleds or snowmobiles.
Food and shopping
Souvenirs from Greenland are unique, handmade works of art the like of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Each product is shaped and designed by a Greenlandic artist, who manages to follow tradition and custom, whilst at the same time creating unique works incorporating his or her own ideas and skills. As a visitor, you will have plenty of opportunity to find precisely what you are looking for.
Money
Credit cards can be used at many hotels, restaurants and shops, but it is recommended that you bring a small amount of Danish kroner with you to Greenland, as some ATMs may not be in service at the weekend.
Staying connected
As a visitor to Greenland you will find that you understand absolutely nothing when Greenlandic is spoken – or ‘kalaallisut', as it is called, which actually means ‘the Greenlanders' language'.
Danish is more or less the second language. English less so.
Internet and e-mail – take your laptop with you Hotspots have been established in most major hotels so that you can access the Internet. There are Internet cafés in a number of the bigger towns and at several tourist offices it is also possible to check your web mail.
The mobile phone system in Greenland is GSM 900/1800
Opening Hours and
In the major towns supermarkets are typically open on weekdays from 10:00 – 17:30, on Fridays until 18:00 and Saturdays from 09:00 – 13:00. In many towns, however, there are corner shops and grocer's shops that have longer opening hours and which are also open on Sundays.