Isafjordur

Capital of the Westfjords on a curling sand spit — 18th-century timber houses, avalanche country, and Iceland's remote northwest.

Isafjordur is the capital of the Westfjords at 2,700 people, wedged onto a curling sand spit inside a deep fjord with 700m mountain walls on three sides. The old harbour has some of the oldest timber houses in Iceland — Faktorshusid (1765), Krambud (1757), Tjoruhusid (1781) — and the town is small enough to walk in 30 minutes. It's spectacularly remote: 5.5 hours from Reykjavik by car, 45 minutes by plane, and the road in involves the country's longest tunnel (Bolungarvik-Hnifsdalur, 5.4km).

The Westfjords are Iceland's forgotten region — no Ring Road, so few visitors — and Isafjordur is the base to explore them. Doubles ISK 18423-ISK 28249. Winter is serious here: avalanches close roads, ferries stop, and the sun disappears behind the mountains for eight weeks. Suits summer adventurers (June-August is the season), kayakers, and travellers who want to feel far from other tourists. Skip in deep winter unless you have Arctic experience.

By 9pm in July the light is still full and the harbour cafe terraces stay busy — locals and off-duty fishermen linger while hikers drift back from day trips to Hornstrandir. Edinborg, the old timber trading house on the harbour, hosts concerts and the town cinema, though much of the programme is Icelandic-language only, so check before you plan an evening around it. The town pool, Sundholl Isafjardar, is a short walk from Silfurtorg and open most of the day for a modest entry fee. Isafjordur feels like a working fishing town rather than a resort, and that is exactly its appeal.

Isafjordur is also the departure point for Hornstrandir, the uninhabited nature reserve across the fjord with no roads at all — West Tours runs the passenger boat from the harbour to Hesteyri and Adalvik from June to August, and independent hikers use the town to stock up before crossing, since nothing is resupplied once you land. Day-trippers can do Hesteyri and back in about eight hours; multi-day hikers should book the boat weeks ahead in July. This detail marks Isafjordur as a gateway rather than a destination in itself, and most visitors plan around that.

Where to sleep

The old harbour area around Adalstraeti and Silfurtorg is the walkable centre — 18th-century timber houses, Tjoruhusid restaurant, the harbour, the small museum. Expect ISK 18423-ISK 27020. Hotel Isafjordur is right on the main square. Smaller guesthouses on Silfurgata and Fjardarstraeti in the ISK 17195-ISK 22108 range. Avoid places advertised as Isafjordur out in Hnifsdalur or Bolungarvik — they're 10-20 minutes' drive and cut off in bad weather. High season (June-August) pushes rates to the top of that band and rooms sell out weeks ahead given how little stock the fjord holds; low season drops the same rooms by 20-30%, though several close entirely once the ferry and boat tours stop for winter. Book the harbour cluster around Silfurtorg first and treat anything further out as a fallback only.

The essentials

Isafjordur old harbour walk (3 km)

Start at Silfurtorg (the main square), walk down Adalstraeti past the oldest timber houses in the country to the harbour. Loop around the sand spit past the small boat marina, along the outer shore for views of the fjord walls. Return via the coastal path past the Tjoruhusid restaurant and the heritage museum. Best in evening light.

Getting there & around

Isafjordur airport (IFJ) has 2-3 daily flights from Reykjavik (45 minutes, ISK 22108-ISK 31933 return). The drive from Reykjavik is 450km, 5.5-6 hours via Route 60 or the ferry from Stykkisholmur to Brjanslaekur then 2 hours' drive. No buses from Reykjavik direct. Once in town everything's walkable in 20 minutes. A rental car is essential to see the rest of the Westfjords. The airport sits about 4km from the centre; a taxi into town costs roughly ISK 2500, and airline coaches sometimes meet arriving flights. There is no local bus network — day trips to Bolungarvik, Suoureyri, or the Hornstrandir boat all require your own car or a booked tour pickup from the harbour.