#Norse History

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BIE - Plan your own holiday in Greenland

Blue Ice Explorer: Plan your own holiday in Greenland

Are you dreaming of going to Greenland and would you prefer to plan your own trip?

Blue Ice Explorer: South Greenland - Short and Intensive

Experience Greenland on a getaway from Iceland. Wonderful day-hikes with easy access to South Greenland's blue icebergs and history.
BIE - Backpacking and hiking in Greenland

Blue Ice Explorer: Backpacking and hiking in Greenland

A backpacking trip where you get off the beaten track! Experience life at sheep farms, settlements and the town Narsaq.
BIE - Easy hiking package

Blue Ice Explorer: Easy hiking package

Tour package for individual travellers in the best hiking area in Greenland! Accommodation at farms and in settlements.
BIE - Round trip & hiking. 10 days

Blue Ice Explorer: Round trip & hiking. 10 days

A cocktail that includes all of the highlights of South Greenland.

Tasermiut Expeditions: Hiking and Kayaking Adventure

8 days trip, kayaking and on foot: complete contact with nature, kayaking and hiking activities, discover Viking ruins in South Greenland.

Tasermiut Expeditions: South Greenland Explorer

Tasermiut fjord Big Walls called "the Arctic Patagonia", hot springs, glacier camp, navigation among icebergs. 15 day trip from June to Sep.

Tasermiut Expeditions: Exclusive Adventure

Hotel&Adventure 8 day trip: Impressive hikes, viking ruins UNESCO World Heritage, navigation among icebergs, glacier trek. Dates: July, August
BIE - unesco 4 days

Blue Ice Explorer - UNESCO sites 5 days

Visit Hvalsey, Igaliku and Qassiarsuk – 3 of the UNESCO sites – together with South Greenland’s colourful town Qaqortoq.
BIE - south greenland - easy going

Blue Ice Explorer - South Greenland 4 days – easy going

South Greenland is famous for its Norse history and blue icebergs, and you can easily reach both on daytrips from the airport in Narsarsuaq.
BIE - south greenland 5 days

Blue Ice Explorer - South Greenland 5 days – active

A 5-day getaway from Iceland for the active traveller with hiking around Igaliku, Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq.
BIE - towns and settlements

Blue Ice Explorer - Towns & settlements 8 days

Explore the 2 towns of Narsaq and Qaqortoq together with the delightful calmness, warmth and undisturbed paradise of the village of Igaliku.
Coastal Ship - South & West-Greenland_s_passenger_ferry_Sarfaq_Ittuk_among_icebergs_in_the_Disko_Bay_near_Ilulissat_logo

Greenland Tours: Coastal Ship - South & West

13 days in the south & west of Greenland incl. 5 days on board Sarfaq Ittuk

Tasermiut Expeditions: Leif Eriksson Marathon

8 days trip surrounded by glaciers, ice-walk, viking ruins UNESCO sites , sailing among icebergs and the best Marathon. Flight from RKV/CPH

Providers

Saling vessel between icebergs in Greenland. Photo by Blue Ice Explorer, Visit Greenland.

Blue Ice Explorer

Blue Ice Explorer specialises in package tours and also organises other travel arrangements for individuals and groups in southern Greenland.
Guests at Hvalsey church ruin in South Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland

Greenland Sagalands

Greenland Sagalands is a tour operator and tourist information site with local roots in Qaqortoq in South Greenland.
An evening view of the white church in Nanortalik in South Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland

Nanortalik Tourism Service

Nanortalik Tourism Service has existed since 1999, and thereby has many years of experience of dealing with guests and developing both short trips and trips lasting several days.
Entrance view of Narsaq Museum located in South Greenland in Winter. Photo by Narsaq Museum

Narsaq Museum

Narsaq Museum is situated at the old harbour. Collections and exhibitions are fitted out in some of the town's oldest houses that date back to 1830.
Tasermiut 3

Tasermiut South Greenland Expeditions

Tasermiut is the specialist in adventure travel in South Greenland, the best place for adventure due to mild weather conditions and the safest fjords full of icebergs and glaciers fronts.

Arctic Hiking and Expeditions

We are a passion driven travel company operating hiking tours and expeditions in Greenland. Join us for unforgettable and unique experiences in pure nature.

About Greenland

Tjodhilde's church - a reconstruction of church from the norse presence in Greenland 1,000 years ago. By Mads Pihl

Tjodhildes Church

Tjodhilde was credited for Erik the Red’s conversion to Christianity and the building of the first church on the North American continent.
The axe of Leif Erikson - the statue overlooking Qassiarsuk in South Greenland, by Mads Pihl

Leif Eriksson

Leif Eriksson made ​​amazing discoveries and was the first European to reach North America. Nearly 500 years before Columbus.

Hvalsey Church Ruin

Ruins of Hvalsey or Hvalsø church can be found in the lush surroundings of southern Greenland and was built in about 1300.

Gardar Cathedral

Greenland got its first bishop in 1124. The ruins of the impressive Gardar bishopric and the cathedral can be seen at Igaliku.
A rune stone on a hill in Qassiarsuk in South Greenland. By Mads Pihl

Erik the Red

Read more about Erik the Red’s saga; how he got exiled; his travels as well as his discovery and establishment of the first settlements on Greenland.
The axe of Leif Erikson - the statue overlooking Qassiarsuk in South Greenland, by Mads Pihl

The Viking period of Greenland

The Vikings settled in southern and western Greenland about 1,000 years ago. Brattahlid is the best preserved of Old Norse settlements.
Houses in Radiofjeldet & Tuapannguit. Photo - Rebecca Gustafsson, Visit Greenland

Architecture in Greenland

When you arrive in Greenland, you quickly realize that Greenlandic architecture is very distinct, with its many colored houses placed on sloping hillsides. The big apartment blocks may have scared you off a little, and sometimes you stumble upon amazingly beautiful buildings, including some of the churches of Greenland.

Things To Do

A museum guest at Tasiilaq Museum in East Greenland testing her kayaking skills on a practice log

Museums

The museums of Greenland are like a modern voyage of discovery through the history of culture and artistic expression.
Cast iron figures inspired by norse runes in Qassiarsuk in South Greenland

Vikings in Greenland

The Vikings inhabited Greenland for more than 400 hundred years and created a tradition of farming which today has become a corner stone of everyday life in Southern Greenland.

Articles

Hikers approaching Hvalsey church ruin one of several norse historical sites in south greenland. By David Trood

Following in the footsteps of the Vikings in Greenland

Read about one of Greenland's most exciting historical locations taking one back to when the vikings first came ashore more than 1000 years ago.
Mother of the SeaMother of the Sea. By Mads Pihl

Greenland myths and legends

The northern lights, Mother of the sea, The wandering spirit known as Qivittoq. Wonders, and myths were a vital part in the daily life of Greenlanders.
A rune stone on a hill in Qassiarsuk in South Greenland. By Mads Pihl

Experience Greenland like the Vikings did

Experience the history of Greenland's vikings and find out how the country got its name so long ago by the chieftain Erik the Red.
A lone traveller stands in Qassiarsuk and looks over Tunulliarfik Fjord toward Narsarsuaq. Photo by Stacy William Head

Greenland’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites are pure nature

Here is a peek at what you will find up here plus how to get the experience
A Chinese traveler writing a journal entry on a dog sledding trip in the Disko Bay in Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl

Editor’s pick: 12 real reasons to visit Greenland

So Greenland’s on your bucket list for the new year - but when is the best time to go? That’s one of the most common questions we get here at Visit Greenland. In order to help you make your decision, visitgreenland.com editor Tanny Por has hand-picked 12 reasons why she loves this polar wonderscape. Enjoy!
Northern lights over the Leif Ericson statue in Qassiarsuk in South Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl

What really happened to Greenland's vikings?

Many of us have heard the tale of troublesome Erik the Red, who found his way to Greenland after being exiled from Norway and Iceland for murder.
Disko Bay Steam in Ilulissat Ice Fjord. Photo - David Trood, Visit Greenland

Greenland vs Iceland: The Arctic Travel Battle

10 basic differences between Greenland and Iceland you should know before booking your vacation.

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Photo by Tasermiut South Greenland Expeditions

In the spotlight: Tasermiut South Greenland Specialists

Get active in South Greenland and experience some of the Arctic’s most magnificent natural wonders in one place.
The statue of Leif Ericson, son of Erik the Red in Qassiarsuk in South Greenland. By Mads Pihl

All About Greenland's Vikings

In Vikings: Valhalla (2022), a historical series on Netflix, the two Greenlandic Vikings, Leif Eriksson and Freydís Eiríksdóttir immediately caught our eyes. As descendants of Erik the Red, they proudly say that they are from Greenland. In Greenland, not only Inuit people but also Vikings had been living in South Greenland for more than 400 years.