Greenland Discovery

In the centre of Iceland’s sprawling capital city, the modern organ-pipe-shaped Hallgrimskirkja church dominates the top of town. Cosy bars, cafes and shops line the surrounding streets heated by Iceland's geothermal waters. The regenerated harbour is home to a striking modern concert hall. Popular trips include to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa near the village of Grindavik, and the Golden Circle tour taking in Gullfoss Waterfall and the mighty Strokkur geyser in Thingvellir National Park.

As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

On the craggy east coast of Greenland, the stunningly scenic, U-shaped Skjoldungen Fjord is surrounded by lofty snow-capped mountains, dwarf birch, Arctic wildflowers and willow forests with the Thrym Glacier at one end. High rock walls, serpentine rivers and large crevasses of ice pillars known as seracs give way to carved icebergs in the fjord that gleam in a white to blue spectrum. You also have the opportunity to see whales under pure blue skies.

The small, colourful and pretty Nordic homes of Aappilattoq, the only settlement in Prins Christian Sund, stand stark against snow-tipped mountain ridges in this icy wilderness. A beautifully dramatic fjord in the south of Greenland, in Prins Christian Sund we move among fin, blue and minke whales, while you may also see muskox, polar bears and bearded seals. Enjoy these unspoilt, picturesque waterways where magnificent glaciers tower and granite cliffs yield to crystal-clear waterfalls.

On a small island, surrounded by soaring peaks, Nanortalik is Greenland’s most southerly town. Charming coloured houses in bright turquoise, magenta, lime green and orange make the ‘Place of Polar Bears’ an enchanting stop, with an historic quarter and distinct wooden church surrounded by woodlands and floating sea ice to the west. Uunartoq is famed for its natural hot springs with a stone-dammed pool that is warm enough to bathe in bringing together three naturally heated springs.

Formerly known as Julianeha, Qaqortoq is the largest city in South Greenland and sits at the base of the excellent UNESCO listed Kujataa World Heritage Site with its Norse (Viking) ruins. It has an outdoor sculpture gallery, Stone and Man, with a spouting whale fountain. Hvalsey (‘Whale Island’) northeast of Qaqortoq houses Greenland's largest and best-preserved Norse ruins site ‘Eystribyggd’. Its 12th century Norwegian style church is constructed from stones weighing more than 5 tons individually.

Viking explorer Eric the Red sailed into Eriksfjord in AD 985 and made Brattahlíð his private estate. It became a large Viking settlement of around 5,000 people, known as the Eastern Settlement. Today sheep farmers make a living much like the Norse did more than 1,000 years ago, boasting the oldest church built in the Americas. These river valleys and hillsides bear traces of Norse relics and overlooking the village is a bronze statue of Erik the Red himself.

As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

Home to more than a third of Greenlanders, the capital of Nuuk can easily deceive you that you’re travelling through such a wild and secluded country. Also known by its Danish name of Godthåb (Good Hope), you’ll see the busy old Colonial Harbour with Nuuk Cathedral prominent, colourful wooden houses, avant-garde architecture and a wonderful array of fjords with clear ice waters and an unspoiled mountain backdrop. Look out for whales and on land arctic foxes, arctic hares and reindeer.

Kangaamiut is a port village located on a small island in Davis Strait - a settlement founded in 1755 - and is located impressively beside the openings of two, long and spectacular fjords. The original name of Sukkertoppen (Sugarloaf) came from the nearby pinnacle-shaped mountains and today is a characterful town set up on the area’s many hills. The scenery here is jaw- dropping as fjords reach endlessly between jagged cliffs and white-tailed eagles and black- legged kittiwakes take flight.

At the head of one of the longest fjords in western Greenland, Kangerlussuaq has a history as a World War II airbase. Visit the 60-metre tall face of the Russell Glacier on the edge of the Greenland ice cap to hear and see it crack and break off into the meltwater. Other popular activities include kayaking on the fjords and wildlife tours of the glacial areas that attract muskoxen, reindeer, arctic foxes and gyrfalcons.