Sisimiut

The pearl of the coast
Arctic landscapes, surety of snow, dog sledding, world-class hiking, deep fjords, amazing trout streams and ice-free sailing routes. The colourful town of Sisimiut, just north of the Arctic Circle, is rightfully known as the Pearl of the Coast.

Sisimiut offers you easy access the whole year round to the landscape of the Arctic Circle Region, and in the town you’ll find a number of local operators and guides who can all ensure you experience a tour that matches your own needs and interests.

A town of culture
If it’s shopping and culture you’re after, Sisimiut certainly has much to offer. You’ll find many different shops and grocery outlets, a range of accommodation options, a splendid museum, many clubs and societies, a number of prehistoric monuments and cultural-historical tours, and guides can take you to functioning artisans’ workshops, kayak demonstrations and dog sled shows.

A growing colony
A little over 250 years. This is how long the town of Sisimiut (“the settlement by the foxholes”), at the foot of the Kællingehætten mountain, has been in existence. Sisimiut is today Greenland’s second-largest town, but in 1756 the landscape around the Amerloq Fjord was sparsely populated, and the local population was a limited group of European whalers and missionaries, as well as descendants of immigrant Inuit, who lived off whaling and fishing.

The first settlement was a whaling colony at Sydbay, around 30 kilometres north of the present town. However, the colony was relocated to a more suitable place, a church was built, a proper town established, and since then Sisimiut has grown to 5500 inhabitants.

Western Greenland’s centre
But Sisimiut is not only Greenland’s second-largest town, it’s also a centre for vocational training and the development of technologies for Arctic environments. With its active harbour, large-scale sea-fishery and a growing tourist industry, you’ll arrive in a modern town community blending local strengths and international character.

Sisimiut also offers sea and air travel all year round, and it’s never far here from adventures and activities for all, no matter what the season.

We look forward to seeing you in Sisimiut!