Ilulissat all year round
There is no single best time to visit Ilulissat. There are four. Here is what each season offers, and how a car helps you make the most of it.
Midnight sun (late May to mid-July)
The sun never sets, and the softest light comes at night, when the tour boats are done and town has gone quiet. Drive out at 1 am, have the viewpoints to yourself, and sleep in the next day. This is the season where a car turns the quietest hours into the best ones.
Summer: whales and hikes (June to September)
High season in Disko Bay: boat tours, hiking trails from Sermermiut, and with a bit of luck whales visible right from the coast. The car takes you to the trailheads and the coastal viewpoints with your gear, and back again when the fog rolls in.
Northern lights (September to April)
As soon as the nights turn dark again, the northern lights are back. You need a clear sky and as little street light as possible, and that is exactly what the car solves: drive a few minutes out of town, keep the engine warm, and watch the sky from the front seat instead of freezing in one spot.
Polar night and the return of the sun
In December and early January the sun stays below the horizon, and the town lives in a deep blue twilight. Then comes 13 January: the day Ilulissat gathers at Holms Bakke (Seqinniarfik) to greet the first sun of the year. If you are here for it, it is a memory for life, and a warm car to return to makes the waiting easy.