Anyone been to Greenland?

[sunshinedaydreams]

We're thinking of going in early September for our anniversary.  How long should we stay?  What are must see/do?  I know there's stunning scenery, but aside from that not really sure what to plan on doing.  How easy is it to get around?  We don't typically like cruises, but might be willing to do one here since you have to fly or boat everywhere.  I'm just now starting to research, so any tips or advice would be awesome.

[GilliC]

I haven't been, but I'm dying to do an expedition cruise from Svalbard over to see the northwest coast. I've heard it's stunning (and that's from a crew that regularly sails Antarctica)! Unfortunately I don't have the $8K pp to cough up for it.

I know there are some overland skiing and kayaking expeditions you can join, but I don't think I have the experience and stamina for them.

Most of the independent trips I've heard about centers around the southwest, since that's where most of the towns are. I've read about people taking the ferry, but it can take a lot of time and I believe the air routes have more frequent service. The Greenland tourism site has a bit of information on planning an independent trip if you don't want to go with a package.

As for length of time, it basically depends on how many places you want to visit and what you want to do. You only need a few days if you just want to make a quick hop from Iceland or Denmark. A week will let you visit a couple of towns. Most trekking/adventure trips are in the 10-14 day range, and making your way up and down the coast by ferry would probably take a few weeks depending on the schedules.

[frlcb]

Here are some great blogs on Greenland. I would LOVE to go there.

munichbavaria.blogspot.com/search/label/Greenland

www.hecktictravels.com/?s=greenland

[sunshinedaydreams]

Thank you both. I did a bit more searching today and found some more information. What I'm hung up on now is whether I want to stay in one place or try to move around a bit. I'd sort of like to see both the east and the west, but not sure how much of a difference there actually will be. And all I keep reading is how insanely expensive it is to move around (although from my research it looks like it's only ~$200 for flights...)

GilliC, I'm feeling the same as you with regards to the skiing and kayaking. I'd love to do it, but I'm afraid 2-3 days into it I'd be tired and over it. I think I'd rather do some day hiking and day trips out of one of the cities.