Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq is the largest town in southern Greenland, home to about 3,000 people. Ships anchor offshore, and tenders take passengers to a waterfront lined with brightly painted houses rising up the hillside. Mindebrønden, the oldest fountain in Greenland, sits in the town centre, a small lead basin dating to 1932. The tourist office near the landing has maps and information about the surrounding area. The Stone and Man outdoor sculpture project, with carvings cut into rocks around the town by artists from across the Nordic countries, is an easy walking trail. A boat trip to Hvalsey Church ruin, the best-preserved Norse ruin in Greenland, takes about an hour each way and passes through fjord scenery with icebergs and rocky shoreline. Shops sell sealskin products, soapstone carvings, and Greenlandic jewellery. The currency is the Danish krone, and credit cards are accepted in most shops.