Holsteinsborg, Greenland

Sisimiut (Danish: Holsteinsborg) is a town in southwestern Greenland within Greenland's Kitaa (West Greenland) county, and is the second largest town in Greenland. It lies 75 km north of the Arctic Circle and is Greenland's northernmost year-round ice-free port.

Sisimiut has been a settlement site for around 4,500 years, with the Inuit - the majority of the present population - arriving around a thousand years ago.Facilities in Sisimiut include a range of shops, bank, high school, youth hostel, hotels, conference centre, several churches, library, post office and a hospital.

Things to See & Do

* Icebergs and glaciers (especially the Ilulissat Icefjord)
* Whales, seals, walruses, musk oxen, reindeers and polar bears.
* Driving a dog-sled
* Hiking & mountain climbing
* The Midnight sun

General information

Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - Danish krone (DKK)
Language – Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Land Area – 2,166,086 sq km’s Greenland
Population – 5,965
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time –GMT minus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 299

Port Location – The Port of Sisimiut is located in the town centre.

Transport Links - The airport at Sisimiut has a short runway suitable only for smaller planes, and travel outside of Greenland is routed with a change of planes at nearby Kangerlussuaq airport. There are regular air links to destinations including Nuuk. Additionally Sisimiut is served several times weekly in summer by Arctic Umiaq Lines coastal ferries which link the communities of the west coast. There is also a weekly ferry to Itilleq and Sarfannguaq. In winter, dog sled routes are a key transport link to settlements further north.

There is no road or rail system. The easiest way to get around Greenland is by plane, particularly Air Greenland. In the summer, Arctic Umiaq Line passenger ships provide service to destinations between Narsarsuaq and Uummannaq along the west coast.