The best time to visit Greenland is the summer months, June, July, and August, when the temperature is relatively mild and the days are long.
Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is the world’s largest island, with dramatic climate variations from one end to the other. Its southern tip, which has a subarctic climate and is where most of the population is concentrated, is at a similar latitude to Oslo, Norway.
Its northernmost reaches, though, where the temperature barely rises above freezing point, are close to the North Pole. Much of the interior is covered by a permanent ice sheet, nearly one and a half miles thick in places, draped like a vast, gray-white blanket over the mountains.
Visiting Greenland is always an adventure; a chance to meet the Inuit people who live on the edge and who have adapted impressively to the harsh conditions. It’s also a place of spectacular beauty, from enormous, blue-white icebergs to towering cliffs and fjords.
Visiting Greenland By Season
Summer
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June, July, and August in Greenland are cool months. Meltwater from the ice sheet causes chunks of ice to break off in the form of enormous bergs, some the size of cathedrals, in curious and spectacular formations. Unsurprisingly, the sea is bitterly cold.
In the far south, July is the warmest month, with average temperatures of 52.9°F (11.6°C) and two inches (50mm) of precipitation, which in summer falls as rain. The landscape, mainly tundra, is green in the summer as the snow melts. From early June until mid-July, the sun doesn’t set in most of Greenland, skimming the horizon at midnight. June 21, the summer solstice, is Greenland’s national day, the midnight sun celebrated with music, dancing, and feasts.
Fall
Summer is brief in Greenland, and as fall advances, temperatures quickly drop below freezing. From September, you can spot the Northern Lights shimmering in the sky. By November, communities around the south coast are experiencing daily averages of 26.1°F (-3.3°C) and the ground is covered with snow. While precipitation is spread fairly evenly throughout the year, September and November are the wettest months.
In the far north, daily averages by November are -8.3°F (-22.4°C). By November, there are just a few hours of daylight, dropping to no daylight at all, and the sea in the fjords has frozen over.
Winter
Winter in Greenland is bitterly cold and at the same time, beautiful. The landscape is cloaked with snow and the sea remains frozen. At the winter solstice, December 21, there are just four hours of daylight in the far south. In the north, the sun is not seen between the end of November and mid-January, when its reappearance, albeit brief at first, is celebrated with music and dancing.
Temperatures are unimaginably low; in January, the north averages 19.6°F (-28.6°C). February is the coldest month in the south, with daily averages of 20.2°F (-6.5°C).
Spring
Musk ox
In spring, March, April, and May, wildlife shakes off the freezing winter and becomes active. You could spot musk oxen, Arctic foxes, and reindeer, while bowhead whales arrive at their summer feeding grounds. This is a good time for husky sledding, as there’s still plenty of snow on the ground.
While March still sees daily averages below freezing point, by May, the mercury has crept up to an average of 43.5°F (6.5°C) in the south. Precipitation is low; in May, expect 1.4 inches (35mm) in the south, by now falling as rain, not snow. In March and April, you can still see the Northern Lights, depending on where you are.
When Is Rainy Season?
Greenland is so huge that precipitation varies from one place to the next. Generally speaking, though, precipitation is surprisingly low and fairly evenly spread throughout the year.
The wettest month in the south is September, with 3.1 inches (80mm) of what would fall as rain rather than snow. March and May have the least precipitation, both receiving 1.4 inches (35mm). So if there were to be a rainy season, as such, it would be considered the fall.
In the far north, precipitation would fall as snow even in the middle of summer, as temperatures only just creep above freezing.
When Is High Season?
Understandably, Greenland’s high season is the short summer, from June to August. Getting around is easier as the sea is not frozen and there’s little snow on the ground in the coastal areas of the southern half of the island.
Hvalsey Church Ruins
This is the best time to go to Greenland for cruising the fjords, sea kayaking, spotting whales, looking out for polar bears and walruses, and observing the many species of seabird. It’s also a wonderful time for learning about the proud history of the Vikings and for hiking, the tundra covered in tiny flowers. But dress for changeable weather and never forget when venturing into the wilderness that even in summer, you’re immersed in nature at its most raw.
When Is Shoulder Season?
May and September are shoulder season in Greenland, once the spring snows have melted and the fall freeze is yet to arrive. Both months see tourist arrivals and the wildlife is active, whether you’re looking for polar bears or whales. September is a popular time to travel for the tail end of the hiking and wildlife-watching season and Northern Lights spotting.
When Is Low Season?
Low season in Greenland is without doubt the freezing winter months. There are barely any tourist arrivals and for December and January, near permanent darkness. This is really only a time for truly adventurous dog sledding trips and scientific expeditions.
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