The Best Time to Visit Greenland

The best time to visit Greenland depends on what you want to do. For hiking and enjoying a green albeit brief Arctic summer, late June to early September is ideal. For snow sports and aurora viewing, February to April offers clear skies and snowy landscapes, but you'll have to take a connecting flight, often through Iceland.

How to Get There

Nuuk International Airport's stylish new airport is relatively easy to navigate and offers a café that serves freshly made items while you wait for a flight. Most flights connect via Reykjavik (IcelandAir) or Copenhagen (SAS), but United Airlines's direct flights from Newark, New Jersey, in the summer months will make it even easier to get there.

Air Greenland, which manages nearly all internal flights outside private pilots, also flies from Iceland and Denmark, with a layover option where travelers can overnight in Nuuk during its Fly 'n Sleep stopover.

Another way to reach the island is via cruise ship. Expedition cruises and more luxurious liners by MSC Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Viking Cruises are creating itineraries that visit Greenland, but these typically occur in the summer months, when the weather is ideal for visitors to explore the coastal towns.

A Word of Caution

Greenlandic weather can be unpredictable, which affects air transportation. It is not uncommon to experience delayed or canceled flights, especially in the winter, so be sure to build in extra time on travel dates. Hotels are accustomed to this, so while you may not get out, others also cannot get in, often meaning a room will still be available for you.