Ilulissat: a lost city in an enchanted place in a hostile land

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Ilulissat is the third largest city in Greenland by number of inhabitants, but make no mistake, the “city” has fewer than five thousand inhabitants. If you look closely you will realize that there are more sled dogs than inhabitants in this Arctic town. The city offers all the comforts of modern life. There are restaurants, hotels, shops, churches, schools, supermarkets, bars, museums.

Tourism is well developed you will find offers of daily boat tours to watch whales, to admire the icebergs of Disko Bay with the midnight sun. But you can also go hiking along the Icefjord coast or full-day boat trips to the Eqi Glacier.

A visit to the ancient and impressive wooden church (Zions Kirke) founded in 1779 allows you to admire one of the oldest buildings in Greenland. The city was known at the time as Jakobshavn. Ilulissat was founded by the Danes in 1741. In the city there is also a small museum dedicated to the figure of the Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen. While at the beginning of the Blue Trail there is the ultra-modern Isfjordscenter building, a paid museum dedicated to Inuit culture and the nature of the Icefjord.

From Ilulissat there are some splendid trekking itineraries along the Icefijord.