Ilulissat

Greenlandic town life beside a world of ice

Information about Ilulissat

Ilulissat is a west Greenland town where a working harbor, colorful neighborhoods and everyday community life unfold beside an immense ice landscape. As an important expedition port, it offers a distinctly urban perspective on a region often described only through glaciers and icebergs.

Museums, galleries, local food and walks through town can add cultural and historical context when time and opening conditions allow. The nearby UNESCO-listed Icefjord and Eqip Sermia Glacier have their own natural stories; boats, flights, paths and views remain subject to weather, ice and the operating plan.

Interesting facts about Ilulissat

A major west Greenland expedition port

Town life and ice landscapes sit side by side

Gateway to the UNESCO Icefjord and Eqip Sermia

Pictures of Ilulissat

Colorful buildings and street in Ilulissat, Greenland

Our highlights in Ilulissat

Highlights in Ilulissat

Large iceberg in the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat & Disko Bay

Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape where Sermeq Kujalleq feeds a tidal fjord crowded with immense icebergs. Listed in 2004, the site is internationally important for observing glacial processes and the meeting of the Greenland ice sheet with the sea.

Viewpoints, trails and perspectives from the water may reveal grounded and drifting ice on a vast scale, but the ice and access conditions change continually. Visitors should follow designated routes and local or expedition guidance; no particular walk, boat trip, view or calving event is guaranteed.

Ice front of Eqip Sermia Glacier north of Ilulissat

Eqi Glacier

Eqip Sermia, also widely known as Eqi Glacier, is an active outlet glacier north of Ilulissat. Its broad ice front marks the meeting of Greenland's ice sheet and a remote fjord, creating a powerful view of a landscape in constant motion.

Scientific monitoring shows that the glacier is dynamic, with retreat and calving forming part of its changing story. Expedition vessels or Zodiacs may approach from a safe distance when conditions allow, but access, exact distance and any calving event can never be guaranteed.