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…
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…
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
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…
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
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
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
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
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
Peruse Iceland's oldest original store – a well-preserved historic bookshop and its attached apartment, which feel wonderfully trapped in amber.
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…
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…
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…
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
The small Sheep Farming Museum, 12km south of Hólmavík, details the region’s farming history through photos and artefacts.
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.
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.
