The Westfjords
Craggy mountains, precarious sea cliffs and plunging waterfalls make up Hornstrandir, one of Europe’s last true wilderness areas, covering some of the…
Must-see attractions in The Westfjords
The Westfjords
Tumbling in a broad sweep over a 100m-rocky scarp at the head of Dynjandivogur bay, Dynjandi is the most dramatic waterfall in the Westfjords. The bumpy…
Ísafjörður
Part of a cluster of historic wooden buildings by the harbour, this museum is in the Turnhús (1784), which was originally a warehouse. It's crammed with…
The Westfjords
The old turf-and-stone fishing shacks of the Ósvör Maritime Museum powerfully evoke a past age. A guide in a typical lambskin fisher’s outfit shows you…
-
Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft
The Westfjords
The multilingual displays at this award-winning museum brilliantly convey dark, dramatic tales. Unlike the witches of New England's Salem trials, most of…
-
The Westfjords
At the tip of the Arnarfjörður, local artist Samúel Jónsson lived out his remaining years at a remote farm in Selárdalur, and filled his days by creating…
-
The Westfjords
Stunning Rauðasandur beach stretches out in shades of pink and red sands on the southern edge of the peninsula. Pounded by surf and backed by a huge azure…
-
The Westfjords
Crumbling plaster, towering chimneys and vast water tanks ensure Reykjarfjörður's old herring factory is an atmospheric place. The trappings of old…
-
Ísafjörður–Suðureyri–Flateyri Tunnel
The Westfjords
Completed in 1996, this 9km-long tunnel network beneath the mountains becomes an unusual one-lane tunnel in parts of the 6km stretch from Ísafjörður to…
-
Ísafjörður
Celebrating the magic of the mundane is the aim of the powerful, creative displays here, where shoes, books and mini-movies each come with personal…
-
The Westfjords
An enormous and stunning golden-sand beach, framed by rocky cliffs and the turquoise waters of the bay. Certainly one of Iceland’s best beaches, the…
-
The Westfjords
Charming Vigur is a popular destination for day trippers from Ísafjörður. In season it's a nesting site for hundreds of puffins, and the rest of the year…
-
The Westfjords
The study of the Arctic fox has been underway on nearby Hornstrandir for years, and this locally loved exhibition details the life of the creatures, their…
-
Jón Sigurðsson Memorial Museum
The Westfjords
Farmstead Hrafnseyri is the birthplace (on 17 June 1811) of Jón Sigurðsson, the architect of Iceland’s independence. The interesting, modern Jón…
-
The Westfjords
The three-room turf-roofed Sorcerer’s Cottage is part of the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft in Hólmavík and shows what living conditions were…
-
The Westfjords
Legend has it that this stumpy rock stack is the remains of a petrified troll and Uxi, her bull, is the formation out at sea near the island of Grímsey…
-
The Westfjords
On the northern edge of Dýrafjörður, Rte 624 forks off west from Rte 60. It turns into a dirt road and passes an abandoned farmhouse before swerving…
-
The Westfjords
Gvenderlaug is a landmark, 42°C miracle-producing pool (no bathing) that was blessed by the bishop Gvendur the Good in the 13th century and is now a…
-
Skrímslasetur Icelandic Sea Monster Museum
The Westfjords
Moody, fun, elaborate and dramatic exhibits about Icelandic and foreign monster legends fill the rooms here. The interactive multimedia table tells 180…
-
The Westfjords
The White-Tailed Eagle Centre highlights the attempts to increase the population of the struggling species, which peaked in 2011 at 66 nests. It also has…
-
The Westfjords
One of Iceland's most famous poets, Steinn Steinarr (1908–58), is commemorated at this museum set in his former homestead. It details, in Icelandic and…
-
Ísafjörður
The intensely close-knit nature of Westfjords life is evoked in the 2nd-floor displays in what was once the town hospital. Look out for vintage scales for…
-
The Westfjords
It was the first of its kind in Iceland when it was created in 1913, and today Þingeyri's atmospheric Old Blacksmith's Workshop is still crammed with…
-
Minjasafn Egils Ólafssonar Museum
The Westfjords
In Hnjótur, about 10km west of Sauðlauksdalur, it’s worth stopping at the Minjasafn Egils Ólafssonar Museum. The eclectic collection includes salvaged…
-
Ísafjörður
More than 740 clay birds, arranged in flight soar above the altarpiece of this modernist church.They were made by locals during a group art project. Look…
-
Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður's historic quarter borders it's eastern edges. Start explorations in Tangagata to see gabled, tin-clad homes, often brightly painted in…
-
The Westfjords
Features a comprehensive collection of minerals (lignite from when Iceland was covered in forests) and taxidermied animals – including a giant blue…
-
The Westfjords
At the tip of the Látrabjarg Peninsula, the Bjargtangar Lighthouse, Europe’s westernmost point (if you don’t count the Azores), comes into view. Just up…
-
The Westfjords
The small Sheep Farming Museum, 12km south of Hólmavík, details the region’s farming history through photos and artefacts.
-
The Westfjords
One of Iceland’s oldest botanic gardens sits on the lower slopes of the fjordside valleys on Dýrafjörður's northern edge. Teeny Skrúður was established as…
-
Reykhólar Tourist Office Museum
The Westfjords
The well-managed tourist office has a little museum with antique boats, stuffed birds and a movie of local life in the 1950s and '60s. There's a small on…
-
The Westfjords
Eight kilometres west of Breiðavík, the tiny hamlet of Hvallátur has a gorgeous white-sand beach, but no services.
-
The Westfjords
Displays at this small museum cover fishing, farming and collected knick-knacks. Handicrafts are for sale and staff offer information about the area.
-
The Westfjords
Peruse Iceland's oldest original store – a well-preserved historic bookshop and its attached apartment, which feel wonderfully trapped in amber.
-
Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður's big bronze Seaman's Monument depicts two fishermen with their nets and commemorates those who've lost their lives at sea.
-
The Westfjords
Norður Salt, on the point in Reykhólar, processes sea salt from the local salt bays. You can peek in its windows.
-
Ísafjörður
Of minor interest is the whalebone arch made from a whale’s jawbone in the central town park.
