How to Get to Nuuk and Get Around

Until late 2024, reaching Greenland's capital from Europe or North America required flying into the former Cold War airbase at Kangerlussuaq, 319 kilometres north of Nuuk, and transferring onto a 37-seat De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop able to land on Nuuk's 1979 short-takeoff runway of 950 metres. On 28 November 2024, Nuuk Airport (Mittarfik Nuuk, IATA: GOH) opened its rebuilt 2,200-metre (7,200-foot) runway and modern international terminal just 3.7 kilometres northeast of Nuuk Centrum, transforming the capital into the primary aviation hub for the entire territory.

Flying Directly to Nuuk Airport (GOH)

Air Greenland operates year-round wide-body Airbus A330-800 flights between Copenhagen and Nuuk Airport, alongside seasonal routes to Billund (via Keflavík), Aalborg, Reykjavík-Keflavík, and Iqaluit in Nunavut, Canada. Icelandair provides year-round service between Reykjavík-Keflavík and Nuuk, while Scandinavian Airlines (SAS, from Copenhagen) and United Airlines (from Newark Liberty International Airport) operate seasonal summer flights. From Nuuk Airport, Air Greenland's regional Dash 8 fleet and helicopters connect domestic travellers to Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, Kulusuk, Paamiut, Qaqortoq, and Narsarsuaq. Because coastal fog, snowfall, and strong crosswinds off the Labrador Sea can affect flight schedules in any season, always allow at least one buffer day in Nuuk before an onward international ticket.

Airport Transfers, Roads, and Nuup Bussii City Buses

Nuuk has 80 kilometres of paved local roads, three traffic lights, 12 roundabouts, and Greenland's only road tunnel, which passes beneath the southern shoulder of Quassussuaq to link Nuussuaq and Qinngorput. No roads connect Nuuk to any other settlement in Greenland. Since 1980, the municipal operator Nuup Bussii has run the yellow city bus network, carrying more than two million passengers annually:

• Line 3: Connects Nuuk Airport and the nearby Ilimmarfik university campus (located 700 metres from the runway) with Quassussuup Tungaa, Nuussuaq, and Nuuk Centrum on weekdays.
• Lines 1 and 2: Run at frequent intervals between Nuuk Centrum, the residential districts of Nuussuaq, and the eastern suburb of Qinngorput.
• Taxis and walking: Metered taxis wait outside the airport arrivals hall and the Katuaq Cultural Centre, taking under 10 minutes from the terminal to downtown hotels. Once in the centre, walking between Imaneq and the Old Colonial Harbour takes just 10 minutes.

Arriving by Sea: Arctic Umiaq Line and Fjord Water Taxis

For most of the year from spring through January, the Arctic Umiaq Line coastal passenger ship Sarfaq Ittuk calls at Nuuk twice a week, linking communities along the western coast from Ilulissat and Sisimiut in the north to Paamiut and Qaqortoq in the south. Local passenger boats and water taxis for Nuup Kangerlua cruises and day trips to Kapisillit or Kangeq Island depart from the Tidewater Steps in Kolonihavnen and the main harbour marina. Check the official Air Greenland, Arctic Umiaq Line, and Nuup Bussii websites for current timetables.