A fountain where bronze whales spout jets of water: that's surely the last thing you'd expect to find in Greenland. Yet this basin has stood in Qaqortoq's central square since 1932, surrounded by colonial buildings and multicoloured houses that climb like an amphitheatre above the harbour. With some 3,000 residents, the largest town in the south of the country brings together, in a very walkable space, the essence of what makes Greenland's coasts so charming.

From the anchorage to the fountain square

Ships drop anchor in the bay and tenders bring passengers ashore between fishing boats and warehouses. A three-minute walk takes you to the main square and its Mindebrønden, the oldest fountain in the country. Around it are the market, a few shops and 18th-century Danish façades: the town was founded in 1775 under the name Julianehåb by the Norwegian merchant Anders Olsen. At the small covered market, hunters and fishers sell the day's catch; at a glance, you grasp what it means to live from the sea at this latitude.

Stone and Man, an open-air museum

Qaqortoq has a feature unique in Greenland: its rocks speak. In the 1990s, Greenlandic artist Aka Høegh invited sculptors from across the Nordic world to carve directly into the town's bedrock. The "Stone and Man" project includes some forty works scattered among the houses: faces emerging from the granite, whales, seals and motifs inspired by Inuit myths. Tracking them down turns a stroll into a treasure hunt, map in hand or simply wandering the lanes.

The museum and the black houses

Near the harbour, the former colonial manager's residence, a building of black tarred wood dating from 1804, houses the town museum. Kayaks, national costumes, objects from the Thule culture and mementos of the Danish era are carefully displayed. Right next door, the Church of Our Saviour, raised in 1832 with timber shipped from Norway, watches over the old quarter. A few streets away is the national tannery, where sealskins from traditional hunting become clothing and accessories: its shop attracts the curious and connoisseurs alike. Heading up toward Lake Tasersuaq, which supplies the town with fresh water, the views over the colourful rooftops and the fjord multiply.

Hvalsey, the memory of the Vikings

About twenty kilometres away by boat, the Hvalsey ruins are the best-preserved Norse remains in Greenland. The stone walls of the church, still standing after six centuries, hosted a wedding in 1408 that remains the last written record of the Scandinavian settlers before they vanished. Several cruise lines offer this excursion by Zodiac or speedboat when the port call allows; other outings lead to the Uunartoq hot springs, where you can bathe facing the icebergs.

Practical pointers

• Tender landing in the heart of the harbour: fountain, museum and church less than ten minutes away on foot.
• "Stone and Man" sculpture trail: allow one to two hours, with a few steep climbs.
• Excursions to Hvalsey or Uunartoq: booking recommended, spaces limited.
• Craft shops and worked skins near the docks; Danish kroner come in handy.

Back on board

There's something endearing about this small southern capital, where contemporary art grows right out of the rock and students from the seminary cross paths with the morning's fishers. As the tender pulls away, the sculptures melt back into the granite, the square and its basin disappear behind the masts, and you catch yourself hoping the ship will one day return to this fjord.