Fewer tourists, wilder landscapes – this Nordic wonderland is the new Iceland

Iceland is the well-established pole star of Nordic travel sites, known for its geysers, Blue Lagoon and mighty Hallgrimskirkja church – but its pristine, glacial neighbour Greenland is set to be overlooked no more, not least thanks to two new transatlantic airports, expected to open in 2024, and a couple of Michelin stars.

The two islands have plenty in common: they both have beguiling, otherworldly natural beauty; they are both fabulous places to visit if you’re keen to see the Northern Lights; and their respective capitals, Nuuk and Reykjavik, are colourful, vibrant, environmentally sustainable cities.

They are also, in many ways, poles apart. So how to choose? By pitting them head to head, of course.

Food

Both countries are disciples of New Nordic Cuisine, doing delicious and delicate things with produce that has a narrow growing season. Dill restaurant in Reykjavik is a Michelin-starred exemplar – hay-smoked ice cream with dill, reindeer moss and sea salt, anyone? For a less expensive option, Chickpea is the hottest lunch spot in town, preparing salads and falafel wraps from scratch.

Over in Greenland, the town of Ilulissat might soon become home to the world’s most northerly Michelin stars, thanks to the award-winning chefs from KOKS restaurant relocating there from the Faroe Islands last summer. There really isn’t much these guys can’t do with fermented lamb tallow, which they use in savoury and sweet dishes alike. Greenlandic cuisine otherwise is strong on reindeer and salmon, with a penchant for coffee spiked with Kahlua, the Mexican liqueur.

Wildlife

Only nine mammal species roam the Greenland ice sheet, the biggest draw being the polar bear, though you’re more likely to see – and eat – reindeer and musk ox. But here, it’s really all about the sea life. Whale watching is big in Iceland, too – humpbacks (right) are your best bet – but Greenland pips it to the post by also boasting narwhals.

Building-sized icebergs form a jaw-dropping backdrop for whale watching and there are plenty in Greenland’s Disko Bay. The Ilulissat Guesthouse (ilulissatguesthouse.com) offers a day-long Disko Bay Explorer tour for ￡200, which includes whale watching in Unesco-protected Icefjord.

In Iceland, whale tours setting off from Reykjavik are overpriced and oversubscribed, but the determined will find better value outside the capital, in places such as Grundafjordur and Olafsvik in the west. LakiTours (lakitours.com) offers a three-hour trip to see sperm whales and orcas for ￡60.

Nightlife

Nuuk is hardly the Balearics, but Greenlanders like to party, especially in the summer, when the sun rises at 3am. The Garage is a grungy honeypot for live bands and cocktails, while a more laidback option is the Skyline Bar in the Hotel Hans Egede (hhe.gl), which offers a live piano performance every night.

But Iceland’s capital is really where the nightlife is at. Kaffibarinn (facebook.com/kaffibarinn) is a Reykjavik staple with good music, relaxed vibes and lots of locals, while the bright and exotic Monkeys (monkeys.is) offers cocktails and Peruvian-Japanese cuisine.

Culture

Iceland is quirky, creative and European. Museums and galleries abound across the country, with Reykjavik the cultural heart. In Grandi, the vibrant industrial area by the city’s harbour, the Marshall House cultural centre (marshallhusid.is) contains a restaurant, three galleries and the studio of the installation artist Olafur Eliasson. Nearby is Kiosk (kiosk-clothing-store.business.site), an independent store selling clothes by young Icelandic designers. For something a bit more out there, the Library of Water, north of Reykjavik in Stykkisholmur, is just what it promises: an art installation that forms an aquatic record of melt water from Iceland’s 24 glaciers.

Of course, Greenland has a modern art scene too, but its heritage offers something more thrilling. Suppressed for centuries, its Inuit language and culture, so interwoven with the environment, is gradually returning to the fore. Let your introduction to it be via dogsled: wrap up warm, learn the art of mushing, and fish for halibut in ice holes on one of the country’s many dog-sledding tours. Albatros Arctic Circle (albatros-arctic-circle.com) offers a two-day excursion from Kangerlussuaq, 200 miles north of Nuuk, for ￡1,030 – though you will need to be reasonably fit and mobile.

Family fun

When it comes to travelling as a family, Iceland wins hands down – for the simple reason that in Greenland there are no roads, or at least none that link major towns. If you want to take in every corner of the largest island in the world, you will need to prepare for an exhausting amount of air travel and toddler seat-kicking.

Iceland, however, boasts one of the most stunning road trips in the world: the Golden Circle, a 186-mile route taking in waterfalls, volcanic baths and glaciers that is a hire-car holiday in itself. If you don’t fancy venturing too far, a short drive from central Reykjavik brings you to the dripping lava cave of Viogelmir, where little ones can smear themselves silly with silica mud at the Blue Lagoon.

Capital cities

In close competition for the globe’s most northerly capital city, Greenland’s Nuuk beats Reykjavik by just one mile. The former is more Arctic in climate, the latter slightly wetter.

Nuuk is the smaller of the two – with a population of 19,000 compared with Reykjavik’s 131,000 – and consequently has less of a cosmopolitan feel. It still packs an urban punch, however, with boutique shops, Nordic gastronomy and a busy skyline – 47 cranes at the last count, most building the new airport.

Both cities sit on the cusp of their country’s robust nature: Reykjavik an igneous stone’s throw from lava fields and a volcano; Nuuk sitting within the second largest fjord system in the world. But (whisper it) these two Arctic metropolises needn’t compete.

Why not visit both? They are connected by a direct flight (icelandair.com, ￡479 return) that takes three hours and 20 minutes – making the trip the London-to-Paris of the Nordics.

Essentials

Iceland

Scott Dunn (020 8682 5000; scottdunn.com) offers a private seven-day Ultimate Iceland tour, taking in Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, from ￡5,900 per person, based on two sharing and including international flights.

Covid rules All Covid-related travel restrictions were lifted on February 25. There is now no need to pre-register before or upon arrival in Iceland and no need to provide proof of your vaccination status for entry.

Greenland

Black Tomato (0808 280 8279; blacktomato.com) offers a bespoke eight-night Best of Greenland tour, including Nuuk, Qooqqut Fjord, Ilulissat, Disko Bay and the Eqi and Isua Glaciers, from ￡15,000 per person, excluding flights.

Covid rules You must show proof of being fully vaccinated or proof of recovery, though it is no longer necessary to provide a negative PCR test. Children 11 years and younger are exempt.