Nuuk

Set at 64°10′N on a rocky peninsula between the Labrador Sea and the mouth of the 160-kilometre Nuup Kangerlua fjord, Nuuk is the world's northernmost capital city and home to 20,113 residents as of January 2025, more than a third of Greenland's population. The waterfront of Nuutoqaq (the Old Colonial Harbour) preserves the 1728 Hans Egede House and the red-timbered 1849 Church of Our Saviour, while a 1936 harbour warehouse holds the Greenland National Museum and the preserved fifteenth-century mummies of Qilakitsoq. Ten minutes uphill, the undulating golden-larch facade of the Katuaq Cultural Centre anchors a modern downtown where hunters sell fresh halibut and reindeer at Kalaaliaraq Market.

Beyond the painted timber houses of Myggedalen, the granite peaks of Quassussuaq (420 metres) and Ukkusissat (790 metres) rise directly from the edge of town, while the 1,210-metre saddle ridge of Sermitsiaq dominates the northern horizon across the fjord. With the November 2024 opening of the 2,200-metre runway at Nuuk Airport, wide-body jets now fly directly into the capital, making it easy to pair urban museums and the Ilimmarfik university campus with boat excursions to Kapisillit, the Nuuk Icefjord, and Kangeq Island.

Nuuk Airport (GOH) sits 3.7 kilometres northeast of the city centre and opened its extended 2,200-metre runway and international terminal on 28 November 2024, supporting direct year-round flights from Copenhagen and Reykjavík-Keflavík alongside seasonal routes from Newark, Billund, Aalborg, and Iqaluit. Nuup Bussii Line 3 and city taxis link the terminal with Nuuk Centrum, while the Arctic Umiaq Line coastal ferry connects western Greenlandic ports.

Accommodation in Nuuk spans central hotels along Aqqusinersuaq and Imaneq steps from the Katuaq Cultural Centre, painted timber guesthouses above the Old Colonial Harbour in Myggedalen, waterfront fjord cabins facing Sermitsiaq on the northern shore, and modern self-catering apartments in Nuussuaq and Qinngorput.

Start with our Nuuk travel guide and overview of things to do in Nuuk. Walk down to the Old Colonial Harbour, Nuuk Cathedral, and Hans Egede House, view the fifteenth-century burials at the Greenland National Museum, and explore the Katuaq Cultural Centre and Nuuk Art Museum. Sail into Nuup Kangerlua past 1,210-metre Sermitsiaq to Qooqqut, climb Quassussuaq (Lille Malene) and Ukkusissat (Store Malene), stroll the Ilimmarfik campus and coastal boardwalk, and take a boat excursion to Kapisillit, the Nuuk Icefjord, and Kangeq Island.

Rooted in the cold waters of the Labrador Sea and the autumn tundra hunt, traditional food in Nuuk features slow-simmered suaasat soup, Royal Greenland cold-water shrimp, snow crab, smoked Greenland halibut, autumn reindeer and muskox with crowberry sauce, and fresh catches sold daily at Kalaaliaraq Market.

Home to nearly 90 per cent Inuit heritage across Greenland and the seat of the 31-member Inatsisartut parliament since Home Rule began in 1979, Nuuk celebrates Kalaallit culture through 21 June National Day kayak displays, soapstone tupilak carving, and contemporary Nordic performances at the 1997 Katuaq Cultural Centre.