Guided Short Walk & Visit with Local Family

Get a firsthand account of what it’s like to live in Nuuk by visiting a local family.

The tour starts with a 5 of 10 minutes transfer from shipside to your host family. The most meaningful way to learn about the Greenlandic culture is to visit a local family in their home. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget because Greenlanders are typically friendly, open and eager to share their life stories. Over coffee and cake, you will discover what it’s like to live in Nuuk and cope with the harsh winter weather. Feel free to ask about the culture and customs, as your hosts welcome questions. After about 1 hour at the family the group is guided to the city center or National Museum where the tour ends and you may explore the city on you own or come back to the ship by shuttle bus.

Nuuk, the world’s smallest capital and Greenland’s biggest town, means “headland,” a reference to its location at the tip of a peninsula at the mouth of an extensive fjord system. Missionary Hans Egede officially founded the city in 1728, although Inuits, Vikings and various other groups had lived here on and off for about 4,000 years. The town slowly developed around the colonial harbor, where a statue of Egede now overlooks the sea.

After a home you may wish to visit the National Museum on your own, as the museum’s interesting collection includes ancient dog sleds, kayaks and several remarkably preserved Inuit mummies that are about 500 years old. During your independent exploration of the historic area of Colonial Harbor you may also pass the Mother of the Sea. This seaside statue depicts an Inuit legend which at low tide is fully visible, but at high tide nearly completely covered.