🏨 Hotel Søma Nuuk

Hotel Søma Nuuk: a harbourside hotel with fjord views and a good breakfast

Everything you need to decide whether to stay at Hotel Søma Nuuk: location, rooms, breakfast and restaurant, guest ratings, prices, how to get there, and the tours you can reach from the harbour.

⭐ 8.3 on Booking.com⚓ At the harbour🍳 Breakfast from 6 am

⚡ Short answer

Hotel Søma Nuuk is a 3-star hotel with 41 rooms at Marinevej 3, by Nuuk’s harbour, about 15 minutes’ walk from the centre and 4 km from the airport. Guests rate it 8.3 out of 10 on Booking.com, with the staff (9.0) and the breakfast scoring highest.

• Rating ⭐ 8.3 / 10 (622 reviews)
• Location ⚓ Harbour, Marinevej 3
• Included 🍳 Breakfast, Wi-Fi, parking
• Check-in / out 🕒 15–20 h / 7–10 h

Check prices on Booking.com 🏨

Hotel Søma Nuuk stands on Marinevej, right by Nuuk’s working harbour. From many of its rooms you look out over trawlers, supply ships and the fjord, with Sermitsiaq on the far side of the water. Its name comes from sømandshjem, the Danish word for a seamen’s home, and it still feels like a place built around the harbour: unpretentious, practical, with a cafeteria where local people eat lunch alongside hotel guests. Travellers on Booking.com rate it 8.3 out of 10, praising the friendly staff, the breakfast that starts at 6 am and the views. This guide covers the rooms, food, location, prices and what to do nearby, and helps you decide if it is the right base for your stay in Nuuk.

What is Hotel Søma Nuuk?

In short: a mid-range, 3-star hotel by Nuuk’s harbour with 41 rooms, a cafeteria restaurant, a shared lounge and conference rooms for up to 30 people. It belongs to the First Hotels partner collection and has a sister hotel, Hotel Søma Sisimiut, further north.

For much of its history the building was known as the seamen’s home, a place where fishermen and sailors could stay while their ships were in port. Today it is a regular hotel open to everyone, but the harbour is still its neighbour: from the windows you watch trawlers come and go, cargo being unloaded and, in summer, passenger ships at the quay. Visit Greenland describes it as a hotel where you can follow life in the harbour and still sleep well, and guests often mention how quiet the rooms are.

The hotel suits travellers who want a comfortable, well-run base rather than luxury: hikers, people on business, couples on a first trip to Greenland, and anyone with an early boat tour from the harbour. The 24-hour front desk and the shared lounge with a communal feel make it easy to ask for tips and meet other travellers.

The view from your window

Many rooms at Hotel Søma Nuuk have sea, mountain or landmark views. Pick a time of day to see how the harbour view changes.

When you book, check the room description for “sea view”, “mountain view” or “landmark view”. The Deluxe rooms list all three on Booking.com, while the smaller single rooms usually face the mountains. If the view matters to you, add a request in the booking; the hotel accepts special requests.

Where is Hotel Søma Nuuk?

In short: at Marinevej 3, by Nuuk’s harbour, south of the city centre. The centre, the Colonial Harbour and the National Museum are about a 15-minute walk away, the airport is about 4 km away, and the port where cruise and supply ships dock is on the doorstep.

Being by the harbour rather than in the centre is the main trade-off. You are close to the water, the boats and the view, and further from shops, bars and restaurants. Nuuk is small and the walk is pleasant in summer, but streets are steep and icy in winter, so plan on taxis after dark from about November to April. For what to see in town, read things to do in Nuuk.

Rooms and prices

In short: the hotel has single and double rooms, from simple singles to Deluxe rooms of 25 m² with sea, mountain and landmark views. All rooms have a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi and breakfast included. A sample stay in early November cost about €176 a night for a single and €266 for a Deluxe twin.

Rooms are practical rather than designer: a comfortable bed, a desk, a kettle in some rooms for tea and coffee, good heating and blackout options that help in the bright summer nights. Guests regularly mention spacious, clean rooms and very comfortable beds. Children of all ages are welcome; cots are free on request, and extra beds cost DKK 395 per night. Children from 4 years are charged as adults. Pets are not allowed. In summer, Nuuk’s few hotels fill up, so book several months ahead for July and August.

Breakfast and restaurant

In short: a continental breakfast buffet is included and starts at 6 am. The hotel’s cafeteria serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is popular with local people as well as guests.

Breakfast is the hotel’s strongest point in guest reviews. Booking.com labels it “fabulous”, and guests describe fresh ingredients, plenty of choice and an early start at 6 am, which suits early flights and morning boat trips. Several guests also praise the restaurant for lunch and dinner as unpretentious and tasty, a useful option on cold winter evenings when you don’t want to walk into town. The cafeteria style means quick, filling meals at prices that are reasonable by Nuuk standards. For Greenlandic specialities beyond the hotel, see Greenlandic food or book the food tasting and storytelling experience.

Facilities and practical information

Check-in closes at 20:00, so tell the hotel in advance if your flight lands late. Check-out is by 10:00, earlier than in many European hotels; ask the front desk about storing luggage if your flight leaves in the afternoon. The conference rooms make the hotel a common choice for courses and business meetings, so weekdays can be busier than weekends.

What do guests say about Hotel Søma Nuuk?

In short: 8.3 out of 10 from 622 reviews on Booking.com. Staff score highest at 9.0, followed by cleanliness (8.7) and comfort (8.5). Value for money scores lowest at 8.1, which is typical for Greenland’s high prices.

Reading through the reviews, the same points come up again and again. Guests from Poland, the UK, Australia, Switzerland and Sweden praise friendly, helpful and generous staff. Breakfast gets constant mentions, especially the fresh food and the 6 am start. The harbour location is a plus for anyone with a boat trip or a cruise ship, and several guests loved the fjord view from their room. One guest called it the best hotel of a two-week trip around Greenland. The main criticism is the distance to the centre: one guest took a taxi into town and walked back, another estimated about 15 minutes on foot. If you want to be in the middle of things, a central hotel may suit you better; if you want quiet nights and a view of the water, Søma is a good fit.

Pros and cons

How to get to Hotel Søma Nuuk

From Nuuk Airport, the hotel is about 4 km away. The quickest way is a taxi from the stand outside arrivals, or the hotel’s paid airport shuttle, which you should book ahead. The airport shuttle run by Greenland Excursions and city buses also connect the airport with the centre. If you arrive by cruise ship, the hotel is right by the port. Flights to Nuuk from Copenhagen, Reykjavik and, in summer, New York are covered in getting to Nuuk.

Tours you can do from Hotel Søma Nuuk

In short: boat trips start from the harbour close to the hotel, and many Nuuk tours include hotel pickup. Filter by tours with pickup, boat trips, or food, and sort by price.

The 2-hour fjord trip and the picnic cruise have their own guides: Nuuk Fjord Sightseeing Boat Tour and Nuuk Fjord cruise with picnic. For a taste of local life, read about kaffemik. In winter, the harbour is a good place to start looking for the northern lights, away from the brightest street lights.

What to do near the hotel

You don’t need a tour to enjoy the area around Hotel Søma. Walk along the water towards the old town and you reach the Colonial Harbour, with its red and yellow wooden houses, Nuuk Cathedral, Hans Egede’s House and the Mother of the Sea sculpture on the shore, which is best seen at low tide. The Greenland National Museum, with the Qilakitsoq mummies, is in the old warehouses by the water. Uphill, the Katuaq Cultural Centre shows films and hosts concerts. On a clear winter night, step outside the hotel and walk a few minutes along the harbour, away from the brightest lights, to look for the aurora over the fjord. In summer, the long evenings are perfect for watching boats come in from the quay.

Shops and supermarkets are in the centre, so stock up on snacks and drinks on your way back from town. Taxis are easy to call from the front desk if the weather turns.

Who is Hotel Søma Nuuk best for?

Søma suits travellers who value a good breakfast, friendly service and a quiet room with a view over a central address. It works well for couples and solo travellers on a first trip, for hikers and photographers who are out all day, for business travellers using the meeting rooms, and for anyone with a boat trip or a ship to catch at the harbour. Families are welcome, though children from 4 years pay adult rates. If you want to step out of the door straight into shops, bars and restaurants, or if walking uphill is difficult for you, a hotel in the city centre will be more convenient.

Staying at Hotel Søma in summer and winter

In summer, the harbour is at its busiest. Light nights mean you can walk along the water late in the evening, and cruise ships and the coastal passenger ship call at the port. Book early: July and August are the hardest months to find a room in Nuuk. In winter the hotel is quieter, the days are short, and the restaurant becomes more useful, since walking into town in the dark and on icy streets is less tempting. Bring ice spikes for your boots, or use taxis. For the seasons in detail, see best time to visit Greenland and what to wear in Greenland.

Travelling on to Sisimiut, north of the Arctic Circle? The town has a sister hotel, Hotel Søma Sisimiut, near the harbour there, with an outdoor wellness area looking over the mountains.

Questions about Hotel Søma Nuuk

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