Nuuk is the capital of Greenland and one of the most extraordinary port calls in the entire VV network — a city of 18,000 people that is simultaneously a functioning modern Scandinavian capital and a remote Arctic community with a Kalaallit Inuit culture that has inhabited this coast for thousands of years. The surrounding landscape — the Nuuk Fjord system, the Sermitsiaq mountain, the icebergs floating in from the ice sheet — is on a scale that defies ordinary descriptive language. When VV calls at Nuuk on its Greenland and Transatlantic itinerary, it delivers what is probably the most genuinely remote and extraordinary port day available on any mainstream cruise ship route.
The City
Nuuk is built across several peninsulas on the west coast of Greenland, with the colonial-era Old Town (Nuuk’s original Danish settlement from 1728) preserved alongside modern government buildings and residential neighborhoods. The old harbor area has colorful wooden houses in the Greenlandic tradition. The Hans Egede statue above the Old Town overlooks the harbor. The Cathedral of Our Savior (founded 1849) is the oldest church in Greenland.
The Greenland National Museum
The Greenland National Museum in Nuuk houses one of the most extraordinary collections of Arctic archaeology and ethnography in the world — including the Qilakitsoq mummies: six individuals preserved naturally in the permafrost for 500 years, found in 1972 in northern Greenland. Their clothing — entirely intact sealskin garments — is the finest preserved example of Inuit material culture from the pre-contact period.
The Fjord System and Icebergs
The Nuuk Fjord system extends 170 kilometers inland and calves icebergs from glaciers in the southern Greenland ice sheet. The boat tours through the fjord system from Nuuk deliver iceberg encounters at close range — blue-white ice structures of extraordinary scale and variety, floating in the dark water of the fjord with the ice-capped mountains behind them. This is the Greenland of the imagination made real.
The Sermitsiaq Mountain
Sermitsiaq — the massive flat-topped mountain visible from anywhere in Nuuk, 1,210 meters tall — is the symbol of Greenland’s identity and appears on the Greenlandic coat of arms. Hiking its lower slopes from the city is possible on a port day, though the summit requires a full-day commitment beyond what most port calls allow.
Insider Tips from Joel and Erin
- The fjord iceberg tour is the definitive Nuuk Shore Thing. Close-range iceberg encounters in the Nuuk Fjord system are genuinely extraordinary. This is the experience you came to Greenland for.
- The National Museum is essential. The Qilakitsoq mummies and the Inuit cultural collections are among the most significant Arctic archaeological displays anywhere in the world.
- Nuuk is the rarest port in the VV fleet. Very few cruise ships call at Nuuk. This is genuinely off-the-beaten-path travel accessible through VV. Treat it with the priority it deserves.
Ready to Sail to Greenland?
Joel and Erin are certified First Mates. Nuuk is one of the rarest and most extraordinary port days available on any cruise ship route.
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