❄️ Greenland in winter

Greenland in winter: northern lights, dog sleds and frozen fjords

Winter in Greenland runs from November to April and has two very different halves: dark weeks around Christmas, then bright, snowy weeks from February to April. Here is what each brings, where to go, and which tours you can book.

🌌 Northern lights🐕 Dog sledding🧊 Sea ice

⚡ Short answer

For a winter trip, go between late February and early April. You get long days, deep snow, firm sea ice for dog sledding in the north, and dark nights for the northern lights. November to January is darker and quieter, better suited to Nuuk, the aurora and Christmas.

• Best month ☀️ March
• Dog sledding 🐕 Feb – Apr, in the north
• Northern lights 🌌 Nov – Mar
• Easiest base 🏙️ Nuuk

See a warm city tour 🎫

Most visitors come to Greenland in summer, for boats, whales and hiking. In winter the country turns into something else. The sea freezes in the northern bays and becomes a road for dog sleds and snowmobiles. The northern lights move over towns covered in snow. In March the sun is already high, the air is dry and still, and the light on the ice is so bright you need sunglasses. Winter is also when Greenlanders do the things they are best known for: sledding with their dogs, ice fishing through holes in the fjord, and travelling across land with no roads. This guide explains when to come, where to go, what to do, and what you can book in advance.

When is winter in Greenland?

In short: winter runs from about November to April. Early winter, November to January, is short on daylight, and the far north has polar night. Late winter, February to April, brings fast-growing days, the deepest snow and the firmest sea ice. Most winter activities happen in late winter.

Snow can fall in September, and in the north the sea ice can last into May, but the months that feel like winter are November to April. They split into two halves. In early winter the days shrink to a few hours in Nuuk, and in Ilulissat the sun disappears completely for several weeks around Christmas. The sea is only starting to freeze, so dog sleds and snowmobiles have little to run on yet. From late January the sun comes back, and by March Ilulissat has more than eleven hours of daylight. Sea ice is then at its thickest, the snow is deep and dry, and winter travel is at its best. Press play to see the winter change month by month.

How cold is Greenland in winter?

In short: on the west coast, in Nuuk, winter days are usually a few degrees to around ten degrees below zero. Inland and in the north it is much colder: Kangerlussuaq and Ilulissat regularly drop below −20 °C. Wind makes any temperature feel colder.

Greenland’s winter cold depends on two things: how far north you are and how far from the open sea. The southwest coast, including Nuuk, is the mildest, because the ocean releases heat through the winter. Kangerlussuaq sits at the head of a long fjord, next to the ice sheet, and has a continental climate: dry, often clear, and very cold, especially on still nights. In Ilulissat and Disko Bay the sea freezes, which cuts off the ocean’s warmth, and temperatures fall further.

Wind is the bigger danger. On the coast, a wind of 10 m/s at −10 °C feels like around −20 °C on exposed skin. East Greenland has the piteraq, a cold wind that pours down from the ice sheet and can hit Tasiilaq with hurricane strength with little warning. Dry cold, on the other hand, is easier to bear than you might think: −20 °C on a still, sunny March day in Ilulissat can feel more comfortable than a damp, windy −5 °C in a European city.

Frostbite risk: on cold, windy days, cover every bit of skin, including your face, and check each other for pale, waxy patches on cheeks and noses. Go outside with a guide if you are leaving town.

Northern lights in winter

In short: the northern lights are visible on clear, dark nights from about September to early April. November to March has the most dark hours. In April the nights in the north become too light. Kangerlussuaq’s dry inland air gives more clear nights than the coast.

All of Greenland lies under or near the auroral oval, so the lights appear often. What stops you seeing them is cloud and city light. In Nuuk, walk ten minutes from the centre to the shore or to the edge of the newer districts and look north. In Ilulissat, the edge of town towards the Icefjord is dark enough. In Kangerlussuaq, you only need to step away from the airport buildings.

Late winter has an advantage that early winter doesn’t: you can see the aurora at night and do something in daylight the next day. In December there is little light to sled or hike in. In March there is half a day of sun, and the nights are still long enough for the lights. Check the cloud forecast and the aurora forecast (Kp index) each afternoon, and see our northern lights in Greenland guide for the best spots.

Dog sledding in Greenland

In short: dog sledding is Greenland’s classic winter activity. By law, sled dogs are kept only north of the Arctic Circle and in East Greenland, so you go sledding from towns like Ilulissat, Sisimiut and Tasiilaq. There is no dog sledding in Nuuk. The season runs from about February to April, when snow and sea ice are firm.

Greenlandic sled dogs are their own breed, one of the oldest dog breeds in the world, and to protect them no other dogs are allowed in the sled dog areas. In the north, sledding is still a working way to travel and hunt, and many hunters keep a team of a dozen or more dogs. On a tour, a local musher drives and you sit on the sled, wrapped in skins, while the dogs pull in a fan shape, each on its own line. That fan formation is typical of Greenland and lets the dogs spread out on open ice.

Trips range from an hour or two near town to multi-day expeditions across sea ice and mountains, sleeping in huts or hunting cabins. Ilulissat’s sleds run across the frozen land and bays near the Icefjord. Sisimiut, just north of the Arctic Circle, is the southernmost sled dog town on the west coast and has a long sledding season. Tasiilaq, in the east, offers sledding among steep mountains. These tours are sold by local operators directly rather than on booking sites, so contact them weeks in advance and ask what the snow and ice are doing. Read more in our dog sledding in Greenland guide.

Other things to do in Greenland in winter

In short: besides dog sledding and the northern lights, you can ride snowmobiles, go ice fishing, try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, visit the edge of the ice sheet near Kangerlussuaq, and see icebergs frozen into the sea ice in Disko Bay.

Kangerlussuaq is the one place in Greenland where a road leads to the ice sheet, and winter tours drive out to its edge, where the ice rises in frozen waves above the tundra. In Disko Bay, icebergs calved from the Icefjord freeze into the winter sea ice, and in late winter you can stand on the ice beside them, with a guide who knows where it is safe. Snowmobiles cover more ground than dog sleds and take you into the hills behind Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq. On a smaller scale, most towns have marked cross-country ski tracks or simple trails for snowshoeing once the snow settles in March. For anything that leaves town, go with a local guide: whiteouts, thin ice and sudden wind are real risks.

Greenland winter tours compared

In short: the tours you can book online are in Nuuk and run in winter too. City tours, the museum walk, kaffemik and food tastings work in any weather. Boat trips run on calm days. Filter by what suits a cold day, or sort by price.

Dog sledding, snowmobiling and ice sheet tours aren’t in the table because they are sold by local operators in the north rather than on GetYourGuide. The Arctic Circle Trail listing is left out too: it is a summer trek. The year-round list is on our Greenland tours and tickets page.

Nuuk in winter

In short: Nuuk is the easiest winter destination: international flights, the most hotels, and tours that run all year. Spend the light hours in the snowy old town and on a scenic drive or boat trip, and the dark ones in the National Museum, at Katuaq and over Greenlandic food.

Under snow, Nuuk’s Colonial Harbour looks like a Christmas card: red and yellow wooden houses, the small cathedral and the Hans Egede statue on its rock above the frozen shore. The Mother of the Sea sculpture is often ringed with ice at low tide. Pavements and steps get icy, so put spikes on your boots or book the city tour by car, which drives you between the sights and ends with a tasting of musk ox, Arctic char and berries in a warm café. The guided running tour lends ice spikes and covers the city in an hour.

Fjord boats keep running through the winter on calm days, and a trip in March, with snow on Sermitsiaq and sea smoke rising off the water on cold mornings, looks very different from the summer one. The Greenland National Museum explains how people survived Arctic winters for thousands of years, with kayaks, skin clothing and the Qilakitsoq mummies. For a full list of sights see things to do in Nuuk, and for the darkest month read Greenland in December.

Where to go in Greenland in winter

In short: Nuuk for an easy city break with tours, Ilulissat for icebergs in sea ice and dog sledding, Kangerlussuaq for the ice sheet and clear aurora nights, Sisimiut for sledding and skiing, and Tasiilaq for wild East Greenland.

For a first winter trip, combine Nuuk with one town in the north. Nuuk gives you the city and its tours, and Ilulissat or Sisimiut gives you the sled dogs and the frozen sea. Kangerlussuaq is a natural stop between them, since many domestic flights pass through it.

Should you visit Greenland in winter or summer?

In short: come in summer for boat trips, whales, hiking and the midnight sun in the north. Come in winter for dog sledding, sea ice, snow and the northern lights. Late winter, February to April, gives you both snow and daylight.

Our best time to visit Greenland guide goes through every month.

What to wear and how to stay safe

Dress in three layers: thermal underwear of merino wool or synthetic fabric, a fleece or down jacket, and a windproof insulated outer jacket and trousers. On a dog sled or snowmobile you sit still in the wind for hours, so operators often lend extra outer clothing such as overalls, skin coats or insulated boots; ask when you book. Avoid cotton, which stays wet and cold.

Never walk onto sea ice or frozen lakes without a local guide: ice that looks solid can be thin near currents, river mouths and icebergs. Tell your accommodation where you are going if you leave town, and turn back if the wind picks up or visibility drops. Our what to wear in Greenland page has full packing lists.

A week in Greenland in late winter

In short: two days in Nuuk, three in Ilulissat or Sisimiut for dog sledding and sea ice, and two in Kangerlussuaq for the ice sheet and the northern lights.

Winter weather delays flights more often than summer weather, especially on domestic routes. Keep a spare day before your international flight home, and book the northern legs early, because planes to smaller towns are small and fill quickly. Routes are on our getting to Nuuk page.

Questions about Greenland in winter

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