About half of Greenland's 55,000 inhabitants live in the large towns along the country's west coast, including Nuuk the capital. Enormous fjord systems and skerries are typical of the whole region and during most of the year; whale and seal spotting tours are on offer.

The Gulf Stream reaches this part of Greenland, preventing the sea from freezing over. The airport at Kangerlussuaq has regular scheduled flights to Canada, Iceland and Denmark throughout the year, and also is the hub for domestic flights in the West. An extensive network of unpaved roads around the airport offers possibilities of cycling or travelling in 4wd vehicles to the edge of the inland ice. On such trips reindeer and musk oxen roaming the mountains usually are spotted.

The musk oxen around Kangerlussuaq were imported from an East Greenland during the 1960s. The livelihood of the coastal towns is mainly based on prawns and Greenland halibut, but visitors are more interested in the many fine char rivers. The arctic char spend the winter in the lakes, but run for the fjords in the spring to fatten up, before returning in August and September. You may have the opportunity to catch a record-sized shark in the area around Maniitsoq, which is also an ideal place for kayaking. Greenland's National Museum is in Nuuk, one of the smallest capitals in the world, and among its exhibits are the well-preserved mummies of a group of women and children who are thought to have died around 1475 when their boat capsized. The museum is in the old part of town, where the buildings date back to 1728, the time when the Norwegian missionary Hans Egede lived here. His former residence is now used for official receptions by the government.

The mixture of old and new, fascinates tourists. Urban buses and Internet cafés have arrived, and you cannot fail to notice the many snow scooters parked by the roadsides and on the outskirts of town during winter and spring. In Sisimiut, immediately north of the Arctic Circle, dog sledges are used the traditional way, and the sledge drivers are ready to take guests on long or short tours.

The whole region offers many exciting activities during spring, all connected with snow and ice. Every year a Snow Sculpture Festival is held in Nuuk, with the participation of both novices and experienced snow sculptors from Greenland and abroad. The powder snow at Maniitsoq is ready and waiting for the skiers who are carried up to the mountain tops by helicopter. The Arctic Circle Race - the world's longest cross-country skiing race (over 160 kilometres/100 miles) - takes place at Sisimiut each year, with competitors spending the night in tents. In Kangerlussuaq you can spend the night in a hotel made of ice, where the drinks are served in glasses made from ice as well.