Even though Ilulissat lies far beyond the Arctic Circle, it is very accessible.

The local airport is one of only 5 in Greenland with regular international services, and there is a wide range of boat connections to the surrounding towns, as well as to the capital Nuuk or Sisimiut.

By air

Just 4 km from the city centre is Ilulissat JAV Airport.

It is the second busiest airport in Greenland in terms of passenger numbers.

Air Greenland has an important regional base here, with several daily flights to the main airport in Nuuk and onwards to Aasiaat, Sisimiut, Kangerlussuaq, Upernavik and many other places in the northern regions of Greenland.

Icelandair offers a summer seasonal direct international service to Ilulissat from Keflavik Airport.

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Flight prices to Ilulissat

In general, flight prices to and within Greenland are very high.

Average prices for domestic flights are around 300 eur and for international flights (for example to Copenhagen with a connection in Nuuk or Iceland) from 800 eur.

Shipping

Right in the centre of Ilulissat there is a major harbour serving mainly fishermen, but it also serves regular passenger shipping lines.

However, you won't find any waiting room or building here. Boats always dock at the pier without any facilities for passengers.

Always secure your boat tickets online through the official websites of the shipping companies. Especially in the summer season, it could happen that tickets are no longer available on the spot from the ship's crew, as they will be completely full.

Arctic Umiaq Line ferry

Ilulissat is the northernmost town served by the regular Arctic Umiaq Line ferry, which connects all the major towns in West and South Greenland.

The service is available once a week for most of the year except for January and part of February.

Book tickets at the official website book.aul.gl.

As travelling on the Arctic Umiaq Line ferry always means a minimum of 5 hours of sailing, only places on deck chairs (couchette) or in private cabins are available.

	Sailing time	Price Couchette	Price Private cabin
Aasiaat	4.5 hours	890 dkk	2 980 dkk
Sisimiut	16 hours	1 290 dkk	3 190 dkk
Maniitsoq	28.5 hours	1 690 dkk	4 290 dkk
Nuuk	33 hours	1 990 dkk	5 190 dkk
Narsaq	74 hours	3 690 dkk	9 390 dkk
Qaqortoq	73 hours	3 690 dkk	9 390 dkk

Prices in July and August are approximately 5 to 10% higher.

We tried this ferry for ourselves from Ilulissat to Sisimiut. How did we like the cruise and what to expect? Find out in our Arctic Umiaq Line cruise review article.

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Disko Line Ferries

Smaller towns in the surrounding area can be reached by Disko Line's small ships (with seating only).

Book your tickets on the official website diskoline.gl.

Most routes only sail from the second half of June to mid-September.

Examples of the most popular tourist routes:

• Aasiaat
  • 7-8 times a week
  • Price - 830 dkk
  • Sailing time - 2.5 hours
• Qeqertarsuaq
  • 2-4x daily
  • Price - 830 dkk
  • Cruise time - 2 hours
• Qasigiannguit
  • 2-3x daily
  • Price - 615 dkk
  • Cruise time - 1.5 hours