A pair of British sisters kicked off a two-week Arctic trip in the least glamorous way possible — a packed Ryanair flight from London Stansted — before working their way through Greenland, Iceland and Norway. What started as a girls-only holiday turned into a snapshot of three Nordic destinations at very different stages of their tourism stories.
Greenland came first, via a stopover in Copenhagen, and Nuuk left the strongest impression. The capital is eerily quiet for a national capital: few cars, no honking, barely a siren. Bright midnight skies, blue mini-icebergs and mountains rising straight out of the water give it an almost sci-fi feel — filmmakers and shows like Borgen: Power & Glory have already caught on. But the political mood is impossible to miss. Donald Trump's interest in acquiring Greenland came up in restaurants, shops and museums, with locals split between seeing the attention as a boost for tourism and resenting the idea entirely. Nuuk Art Museum's current exhibition, Nuna, greets visitors with a pointed message: 'Greenland is not for sale.' Underneath the geopolitics there's a visible tension with Denmark over identity and autonomy, explored openly in the city's museums rather than glossed over.
The numbers show why the outside interest matters: roughly 149,000 international tourists visited in 2024, two-thirds of them by cruise ship, in a country of fewer than 60,000 people. Nuuk's new international airport is set to change access further.
Iceland, by contrast, is a tourism machine. Reykjavík recorded 10.16 million overnight stays in 2025, up 9.1%, and tourism now directly accounts for 8.8% of GDP. Everything is organised, bookable and polished — excursions, design shops, woollen jumpers (surprisingly soft, but they shed). The food is a genuine highlight: cod so fresh it bears no resemblance to the UK version, smoked salmon, soup in bread bowls, and braver options like horse, whale and smoked puffin. The catch is the price; Iceland is seriously expensive. Beyond the city, the scenery justifies the hype — fissures, geothermal activity, volcanoes and waterfalls that have doubled as locations for Game of Thrones, Interstellar and Star Wars.
Norway closed the trip, starting with torrential rain in Bergen. With direct trains to Myrdal sold out, the sisters rerouted via Voss and joined the famous Flåm Railway — 20 kilometres of waterfalls, wild rivers and tiny settlements under enormous peaks. Hollywood keeps coming back too, from Mission Impossible's Preikestolen cliff finale to No Time to Die. Despite Norway's pricey reputation, international guest nights hit a record 14.2 million in 2025, up 14%, with Germans leading the way. Visit Bergen argues favourable exchange rates and the nature appeal keep visitors coming; local hoteliers maintain the quality justifies the cost, and cheaper options exist for everyone else.
Three countries, three versions of the north: Greenland raw and unsettled, Iceland slick and commercial, Norway expensive but polished. For travellers, the takeaway is simple — Greenland is at the cusp, before the crowds properly arrive, while Iceland and Norway reward you if your budget can take the strain.