Greenland: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Greenland feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 47 written places.
Calm, understated and utterly unhurried; the weather makes the plans and everyone accepts it.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept a kaffemik invitation - drop in, take coffee and cake, and stay only briefly
- Take your shoes off when entering a home
- Build spare days into any itinerary - weather rewrites flight schedules routinely
- Let silence sit in conversation - it is comfortable here, not awkward
✗ Better avoided
- Complain when the plane or coastal ferry is delayed - everyone waits together
- Expect roads between towns - travel is by plane, boat or dog sled
- Overstay at a kaffemik - the custom is a short visit so others can take your seat
- Turn down offered food without at least tasting it
Worth knowing
- The currency is the Danish krone and cards are accepted almost everywhere, even in small shops
- Supermarkets sell alcohol only during limited daytime hours - until 18:00 on weekdays, early afternoon on Saturday and not at all on Sunday
- Tipping is not expected anywhere
- Sealskin and bone souvenirs may need CITES export papers - ask the shop before buying
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.