Greenland by Ferry: Slow Travel from Ilulissat to Nuuk
11pm somewhere on the Baffin bay — priceless
There’s something quietly radical about sailing down the coast of Greenland. In a world obsessed with faster, flashier, and flatter, boarding the Sarfaq Ittuk ferry from Ilulissat to Nuuk felt like a deliberate act of slowing down. Like trading in your high-speed train for a wandering polar bear. Or, say, skipping the flight in favor of a three-day odyssey past glaciers, fishing villages, and the kind of endless horizon that recalibrates your sense of scale.
We hate cruises. This has nothing to do with one. Welcome aboard!
Before you board that ferry, make sure to get a travel guide. We’re very vintage and love paper guides — funny for travel bloggers, isn’t it?
First, the basics: What is the Arctic Umiaq Line?
The Arctic Umiaq Line (AUL) is Greenland’s only passenger ferry, winding up and down the west coast from Qaanaaq in the north to Narsarsuaq in the south. We hopped on for the most iconic stretch: Ilulissat to Nuuk, the capital. This journey takes roughly 2.5 days, and if you’re lucky (we were), you’ll get a front-row seat to some of Greenland’s most cinematic coastlines — with a steaming bowl of reindeer stew in hand.
This ferry isn’t just for dreamy tourists with questionable budgeting skills. It’s also how locals get around — students returning to university, grandmas visiting family, workers headed to the next port. That mix is part of the magic! You’re not in a bubble. You’re in Greenland.
You can pay a reasonable fee for Wi-Fi — which is surprisingly fast considering you’re in the middle of nowhere! — but try to switch it off from time to time. That’s the whole purpose of slow traveling!
Stops along the way
The Sarfaq Ittuk doesn’t just sail — it hops.
As you glide down Greenland’s west coast from Ilulissat to Nuuk, the ferry makes a handful of brief but unforgettable stops at remote towns and settlements. Some are so small they feel like secrets — we wanted off-the-beaten track, we got it! Others, like Sisimiut, give you a real peek into daily life in the Arctic.
Most stops are very short and you can’t get off the boat, but you can still watch from the deck and we highly recommend it!
🛥️ Aasiaat
First stop out of Ilulissat. Painted houses scattered across a rocky island, often surrounded by floes. Blink and you might miss it — unless you're up top watching the cargo crane ballet unfold like a very cold, very precise Tetris game.
🛥️ Sisimiut
Greenland’s second-largest city and the busiest stop on the route. We could go for an hour-long walk — it’s usually a 2-hour stop, but we were late due to ice conditions. We bought delicious pastries at J/Z Tiggaliorfik and just walked around, amazed at the incredible mountains around us.
🛥️ Maniitsoq
This was one of our favorite stops — not because we got off (you don’t), but because of the connection. The first Greenlandic person we ever met was from Maniitsoq — we sat next to her on the plane from Copenhagen. It made this stop feel personal — Aluu Sophie if you’re reading this!
We passed through Maniitsoq in the evening, and it was stunning: a little cluster of color against a wild backdrop of jagged peaks, as if someone had hand-painted a town into the rocks.
🛥️ Kangaamiut (occasionally)
A smaller settlement often skipped depending on the schedule or ice conditions. If you do stop, it feels like the ferry’s pulling up to someone’s backyard — which, honestly, it kind of is. And they bring passengers on a tiny boat since they can’t dock there!
🛥️ Nuuk
The final stop — and the only place you’ll see traffic lights in all of Greenland. It’s a strange sensation docking in a place with bars and actual roundabouts after days of slow sea silence and snow-strewn stillness.
A Greenlandic success story
While marveling at the landscape from the deck, we met a 23-year-old woman training to become a ship captain — who seems as excited as us to be there. She told us this was her dream job, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Born and raised in Greenland, she was navigating not just the coastline, but a path fewer women take.
Floating accommodation with a view
We booked a private cabin with a bathroom, and we’d do it again in a heartbeat. Sure, it’s more expensive than the bunk beds, but it was money well spent. Plus, in April, it was a bit cheaper than in high season. Now, if you’re a solo traveler, the bunk beds are surprisingly comfy — you also have the couchette premium option for more privacy and comfort.
Our cabin was a junior suite and surprisingly spacious for a ferry! We had a window view — so cool to fall asleep while watching the icebergs go by — and enough space to feel cozy. There was even a chair, space for the suitcase underneath the bed, plugs, and a kettle with coffee and tea! It’s not luxury, but it’s way better than any experience we had on a ferry. It was clean, warm, and charming in that “Arctic train carriage with fjord views” kind of way.
And yes — there’s hot water. And a real shower. And when you're docked next to an iceberg the size of a shopping mall, that feels like winning the hygge lottery.
Let’s talk about food
We pre-booked all the meals, which we’d recommend unless you’ve packed 14 protein bars and enjoy subsisting on them while watching others eat musk ox meatballs.
The food on board is canteen-style — hearty, unfussy, and surprisingly excellent. We loved everything, since we love Arctic food! Each day had a rotating menu featuring local Greenlandic dishes and global comfort food: reindeer or musk ox stew, lamb soup, fish, etc. The portions were generous, and the staff? Angels in aprons. Always smiling, and super accommodating.
One even taught us how to say “delicious” in Kalaallisut (hint: it’s “mamartuuvoq”).
The cafeteria also sells snacks and open sandwiches (Smørrebrød) outside of meal times.
A sustainable cuisine
While you won’t find seal or whale meat on board, you’ll have musk ox and reindeer specialties. These are not exotic curiosities but everyday staples. In Greenland, all these animals aren’t hunted for sport or status. They’re part of a deeply rooted, community-led tradition that blends survival with respect. Every part is used: the meat feeds families, the fat becomes oil, the fur warms bodies through Arctic winters, and the bones? Tools, art, and memory. It’s not about trophies — it’s about living in balance with the land and sea.
The not so-glamorous parts
Seasickness
Now, let’s address the walrus in the room: sea sickness.
The Sarfaq Ittuk is not a cruise ship with stabilizers the size of Texas, and it’s precisely why it’s so cool. It’s a sturdy ferry, but the Arctic Ocean can get a little frisky, especially near Sisimiut.
If you’re sensitive, they sell medication and wristbands on board. Honestly? We only needed them for about half a day. The rest was surprisingly smooth since the sea was partially still covered in ice this time of year.
Penguin Trampoline tip:
Sea sickness pills, wristbands, and ear patches can only do so much. The only thing that worked for us was to lay down flat for a while, and then we were good to go again for an hour or so.
Delays
Greenland, and any Arctic region, makes its own schedule. Delays happen. Sometimes it’s because the harbor’s too icy. Sometimes it's fog, like when we landed in Nuuk.
It’s frustrating if you’re on a tight itinerary. But if you surrender to it, it becomes part of the story — a reminder that you’re in one of the last truly wild places on Earth.
And on the boat, they keep you posted on the regular and try to catch up when they get a chance. We actually arrived on time despite very icy conditions at the beginning and delays the first day!
Pro tip: Don’t book a same-day flight out of Nuuk. Just in case.
The advantages of taking the ferry in Greenland
We could’ve flown to Nuuk in a few hours. But we chose the Sarfaq Ittuk, and here’s what we got instead:
Accommodation for two nights (no hotel needed).
All meals included (yummy local food).
Transport between towns, with zero baggage fees.
A chance to meet real Greenlanders.
A slow, cinematic, meditative glide past icebergs and rainbow-colored villages, which is like a free sightseeing tour you didn’t pay for. And the sunsets…
It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth every kroner. And, when you add up what you’d spend on accommodation, restaurants, and internal flights, the value starts to shimmer like a glacier in the midnight sun.
And the best part? That in-between time — the hours watching the water, scanning for whales, trying to stand on the deck with a hot drink while petting a sled dog — that’s where Greenland really gets under your skin.
What to pack on the ferry in Greenland
Sea sickness tablets, wristbands, whatever works for you. But if you don’t, they sell the basics on board at a decent price.
Layers (indoor heating is strong, but outdoor decks can get wild and you’ll WANT to be outside!) Even if the temperature is not that low (it wasn’t in April), sea ice is all around you, and the wind chill is real. We got awesome jackets in Nuuk, but we had packed our usual down jackets, of course — like this one.
Snacks (not essential, but nice)
A good book or three — Although, the view was so nice we didn’t want to read or watch anything.
Patience. She’s the real MVP on Arctic time.
A good travel insurance (get up to 15% with our partner HeyMondo with seasonal offers) — Jack Dawson wished he had one… Oops, too far?
An offline playlist. Below is our favorite travel playlist, but you can also search for Kalalissut music!
So, shall you take the ferry in Greenland? If you’re in a rush, hate boats, or expect infinity pools and champagne — maybe not. That being said, Greenland in general is probably not for you anyway!
But if you’re the kind of traveler who thinks the journey is the destination, who likes foggy mornings and local meals and bunk beds with ice-cube views, then yes. Take the ferry.
Better yet, linger.
Greenland doesn’t reward those who rush through it. But for the ones who stay a while, who let the silence do the talking — it gives you stories you’ll carry for a lifetime.
And for the full visual ride, check out our Instagram, where Bob the Seal may or may not be lurking on deck.
Greenland just got added to your bucket list? Keep reading our ultimate guides!
🧭 Greenland Travel Guide
🏘️ Nuuk Travel Guide
🧊 Ilulissat Travel Guide
🧳 Packing for Greenland
💸 How to travel cheaper in Greenland and anywhere else
