❄️ Greenland in December

Greenland in December: dark days, northern lights and an Arctic Christmas

What December in Greenland is really like: how many hours of daylight you get, how cold it is, where the sun doesn’t rise at all, how Greenlanders celebrate Christmas, and which tours still make sense.

🌌 Northern lights season🎄 Christmas in Nuuk🌑 Polar night up north

⚡ Short answer

December is Greenland’s darkest month. Nuuk gets about 4 hours of daylight, and north of the Arctic Circle the sun doesn’t rise at all. In exchange you get long nights for the northern lights, a quiet capital lit by Christmas stars, and the lowest number of visitors of the year.

• Daylight in Nuuk ☀️ about 4 h
• Typical day in Nuuk 🌡️ below zero
• Best for 🌌 Northern lights
• Best tour 🏛️ Walk + museum

See the museum walk 🎫

In December, Nuuk’s day starts with a blue glow around late morning and ends a few hours later. Further north, in Ilulissat, the sun stays below the horizon for weeks. It is cold, often windy, and quiet: the cruise ships are gone and most travellers stay home. Those who do come find a capital full of lit paper stars in the windows, long nights for the northern lights, Christmas church choirs singing in Greenlandic, and museums and cafés with plenty of room. This guide explains what to expect, what you can still do and book, and how to plan around the dark.

How much daylight does Greenland get in December?

In short: around the shortest day, 21 December, Qaqortoq in the south gets about 5½ hours of daylight, Nuuk about 4, Tasiilaq about 3, and Kangerlussuaq about 1½. Ilulissat and everywhere further north have polar night: the sun doesn’t rise at all.

Greenland stretches from about 60° north to beyond 83°, so December daylight depends on where you are. The Arctic Circle, at about 66.5° north, is the line above which the sun stays below the horizon for at least one day a year. Nuuk lies just south of it, so even on the shortest day the sun rises, crosses low over the mountains and sets about four hours later. Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut sit just north of the line; thanks to the way the atmosphere bends light, they still see the sun for a short while. In Ilulissat, at 69° north, it disappears for several weeks from late November to around mid-January. Tap a town below to compare.

Daylight hours undersell how much you can see. For an hour or more before sunrise and after sunset there is civil twilight, when the sky glows blue and pink and the snow reflects every bit of light. Even in polar night, Ilulissat gets a few hours of twilight around midday. For photographers this low, soft light is one of the reasons to come in winter. Plan outdoor activities for the hours around midday and leave the museums, cafés and Christmas events for the dark.

What is the weather like in Greenland in December?

In short: Nuuk is usually a few degrees to around ten degrees below zero, with wind that makes it feel colder. Inland Kangerlussuaq and the north are much colder and can drop below −20 °C. Snow is common everywhere, and storms can delay flights and boats.

The coast of West Greenland is milder than its latitude suggests, because the sea holds some warmth into the winter. That makes Nuuk’s cold manageable with proper clothing, but the wind is the part visitors underestimate: a breeze off the fjord at −8 °C feels far colder than still air at −15 °C inland. Weather also changes quickly. A clear, still morning can turn into a snowstorm by afternoon, which is why local operators cancel boat trips at short notice and why you should check the forecast every day.

Can you see the northern lights in Greenland in December?

In short: yes. December has the longest nights of the year, so there are more dark hours for the aurora to appear. You need a clear sky and some solar activity. Kangerlussuaq’s dry inland climate gives more clear nights than the coast.

Greenland lies under the auroral oval, the ring around the magnetic pole where the northern lights are most frequent. In practice, the two things that decide whether you see them are clouds and luck. On a clear night in Nuuk, walk away from the street lights to the shore or the edge of town, look north, and give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust. The lights often start as a pale grey-green arc that a phone camera picks up better than your eyes, and then brighten and move. Activity tends to peak in the hours around local midnight, but it can come at any time from late afternoon.

Check two forecasts before you go out: the cloud cover for your town and the aurora forecast (the Kp index), which tells you how active the lights are expected to be. A low Kp is often enough this far north. Dress as if you will stand still for an hour, because you will. Our northern lights in Greenland guide covers the best spots around Nuuk and tips for photographing them with a phone.

Christmas in Greenland

In short: Greenlanders celebrate on the evening of 24 December, as in Denmark. Lit stars hang in almost every window, churches hold Christmas services with Greenlandic choirs, families hold kaffemik, and traditional food includes mattak (whale skin) and kiviaq.

From late November, illuminated paper stars appear in windows across Greenland, many of them red or orange, and in a dark town they are the first thing you notice. The Christmas tree arrives by ship, since almost nothing grows tall enough here. Christmas Eve, 24 December, is the main celebration: a church service in the afternoon, then dinner and presents at home. Church services are sung in Greenlandic, and the choir music, with its Inuit melodies and harmonies, is something visitors remember long after the trip. You are welcome to attend; arrive early, because the churches fill.

Christmas food mixes Danish and Greenlandic traditions. Next to roast pork, duck and rice pudding, many families serve mattak, raw whale skin with a layer of fat, cut into small cubes, and in some places kiviaq, little auks fermented whole inside a sealskin, a dish for the brave. Through December, families and workplaces hold kaffemik, the Greenlandic open house with coffee and cake. In Nuuk, a giant red Santa Claus mailbox collects letters from children around the world.

Taste Christmas without a family invitation: the Old Town Walk & Kaffemik takes you to coffee and homemade cake with a local host, and the Greenlandic Food Tasting serves reindeer or lamb and smoked seafood by the light of a traditional oil lamp. Both run indoors, whatever the weather.

New Year’s Eve in Greenland

Greenlanders start the fireworks early. Many celebrate the new year when it arrives in Denmark, a few hours before local midnight, and then again at midnight in Greenland, so the sky over Nuuk lights up twice in one evening. Between the two there is food and family. If you are in Nuuk on 31 December, find a spot with a view over the town and the fjord, dress very warmly, and stay out for both rounds. Restaurants are often fully booked or closed that night, so reserve well ahead or plan a meal at your accommodation.

Greenland tours in December compared

In short: indoor and city tours work best in December: the museum walking tour, kaffemik, food tastings and the city tour by car. Boat trips depend on calm weather and the short daylight. Filter the table by what suits a December day.

Two listings are left out on purpose. The Arctic Circle Trail is a summer trek and is closed by snow in December, and the trail run into the hills behind Nuuk is a summer and autumn activity. For the full year-round list, see our Greenland tours and tickets overview.

What to do in Nuuk in December

In short: walk the old town in the midday light, spend an afternoon in the Greenland National Museum, see a film or concert at Katuaq, eat Greenlandic food, join a kaffemik, and look for the northern lights at night.

Nuuk is the easiest place in Greenland to spend December. It has the most hotels, restaurants and indoor sights, and the airport takes international flights. Use the light hours for the Colonial Harbour, Nuuk Cathedral and the Mother of the Sea sculpture on the shore, which looks especially striking with ice around it. The cathedral’s Christmas services are the most atmospheric in town.

When it gets dark, which happens mid-afternoon, go indoors. The Greenland National Museum shows the Qilakitsoq mummies and the kayaks, clothing and tools that let people live through winters like this one for thousands of years; seeing them in December, when you have just walked in from the cold, makes them easier to understand. The Katuaq Cultural Centre runs films and concerts, and its café is a warm place to wait for the evening. In the run-up to Christmas, look for choir concerts and Christmas markets announced around town.

Our things to do in Nuuk guide covers every sight and has a one- and two-day plan. In December, swap the summer hike for the guided running tour or the city tour by car, and book the fjord boat trip for a midday slot early in your stay, so a day lost to wind can move.

Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq and the north in December

In Ilulissat December means polar night. The icebergs of the Icefjord are still there, glowing faintly in the midday twilight, but there is little light to see them by and sea ice is only starting to form. Dog sledding and most winter activities in the north depend on stable snow and sea ice, which usually come later in winter. If your goal is icebergs and dog sleds, February to April gives you light, snow and ice together.

Kangerlussuaq, inland at the head of a long fjord, has a dry climate with many clear nights, which makes it one of the better places in Greenland for the northern lights. It is also very cold and has only an hour or two of sun. Most winter tours in the north are sold directly by local operators rather than through booking sites, so contact them before you travel and confirm what runs in December.

Is December a good time to visit Greenland?

In short: December suits travellers who want the northern lights, Christmas atmosphere and quiet towns, and who don’t mind the dark. For winter activities like dog sledding, or for icebergs in daylight, February to April is better. For boat trips and hiking, come in summer.

Our best time to visit Greenland guide compares every month, including daylight, temperature and which tours run.

What to wear in Greenland in December

Dress in layers: a thermal base layer of wool or synthetic fabric, a fleece or down middle layer, and a windproof, ideally insulated, outer jacket and trousers. Cotton holds sweat and makes you cold, so leave it at home. You will move between heated buildings and freezing streets all day, and layers let you take something off indoors.

Full packing lists for every season are on our what to wear in Greenland page.

Flights and planning a December trip

In short: fly into Nuuk, which has direct international flights. Book early for Christmas and New Year, when Greenlanders living in Denmark fly home. Leave a spare day at the end of your trip in case storms delay flights.

December is a busy month for flights even though it is quiet for tourism, because many Greenlanders who live or study in Denmark come home for Christmas. Flights around 20 to 24 December and after New Year fill up early, so book as soon as you know your dates. Weather causes more delays and cancellations in winter than in summer, especially on domestic routes to smaller towns. Build in at least one spare day before any onward international flight, and buy travel insurance that covers weather delays. Our getting to Nuuk page lists the routes.

Over Christmas itself, from the afternoon of 24 December to 26 December, and again on 31 December and 1 January, many shops, restaurants and tour operators close or run shorter hours. Book restaurant tables and tours in advance, stock up on food before the holidays if you have a kitchen, and check opening times for the museum and Katuaq on those days.

Questions about Greenland in December

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