Ilulissat is a town in Greenland, set on the shores of Disko Bay in North America. It is best known as the home of the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the visit here is built around ice: the great icebergs that break away from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and drift out to sea.
The icefjord
The glacier is one of the most active in the world, and watching it is the main reason people come. Huge blocks of ice calve from its face and move slowly through the fjord, sometimes with a deep crack or roar that carries across the water. The scale is hard to take in from a distance, and many visitors find that the best way to see it is simply to sit or walk along the shoreline and let the view unfold at its own pace.
Ilulissat is also the birthplace of the iceberg that is said to have sunk the Titanic, a link that adds a historical note to the landscape.
The town and its surroundings
Beyond the fjord, the town itself is picturesque, with traditional settlements that show something of Greenlandic life. Walking through the streets and along the harbour gives a sense of how closely the community lives alongside the ice and the sea.
- Viewpoints over the icefjord and the glacier face
- Traditional settlement areas within the town
- Quiet paths and shoreline walks around Disko Bay
When to go
Ilulissat is known for the midnight sun, when daylight lasts through the night in the summer months. Long evenings and pale light make the icebergs look different at each hour, so a visit can be as much about the changing light as about the ice itself. Those who prefer darkness and quiet may find the seasons with shorter days equally rewarding.