Experience the best of Ilulissat

Ilulissat lies on Disko Bay in western Greenland, nearly 300 km north of the Arctic Circle, and its name means icebergs. The Ilulissat Icefjord, where the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier sends enormous icebergs down into the bay, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A path and boardwalk lead from the edge of town towards the fjord, past icebergs, some taller than houses, stranded on the shallow bar at its mouth.

Boat trips thread through the icebergs, and in summer humpback whales feed in Disko Bay. The midnight sun lasts from late May to late July. Knud Rasmussen, the polar explorer, was born here in 1879, and his birthplace is now a museum. The Icefjord Centre, with exhibitions on ice and climate, stands on the edge of town above the fjord.

Halibut and prawns from local waters are the main catch, and menus add musk ox, reindeer and the traditional soup suaasat. Summers from June to August are cool and bright, ideal for boats and walks, while winters are dark and very cold, with northern lights, dogsled trips and a frozen bay. The sun returns in January, and by spring the days are long and bright.