Stykkisholmur

Photogenic port on Snaefellsnes peninsula — ferry to the Westfjords, Roni Horn's Library of Water, and Breidafjordur islands.

Stykkisholmur is a fishing port of 1,100 on the north coast of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, and it's another candidate for prettiest small town in Iceland. Old timber merchant houses in yellow, red and blue climb up from the harbour to Roni Horn's Library of Water — a Bauhaus-inflected building housing glass columns of water from Iceland's glaciers. The harbour looks across Breidafjordur bay to the Westfjords, with 3,000 (they say) tiny islands scattered between. By 9pm in July the light is still gold on the water and the cafes on Adalgata are still half full; in November the same streets empty out fast.

It's the natural base for Snaefellsnes — 90 minutes from Reykjavik, and the peninsula loop (Kirkjufell, Djupalonssandur, Arnarstapi, Snaefellsjokull glacier) is doable in a day. Ferry connections to the Westfjords depart here for Brjanslaekur (2h45, cars carried). Doubles ISK 17195-ISK 25792. Skip if you’re not into small fishing towns. Suits Snaefellsnes drivers, birdwatchers, and anyone using the ferry to reach the Westfjords. It's also the quietest overnight stop on the whole peninsula loop, which is exactly the point if Grundarfjordur's Kirkjufell crowds have worn you out by mid-afternoon.

Stykkisholmskirkja, the white concrete church shaped like a breaking wave, sits on the hill above town and is visible from most of the harbour — it's newer than it looks, finished in 1990, and worth the five-minute walk up for the view alone even if the building itself divides opinion. The town has traded on fish and, for centuries, on the Breidafjordur eider down and scallop beds; Norska Husid, the 1832 Norwegian-timber merchant's house on Hafnargata, tells that older story in more detail than most visitors bother to absorb before heading back to the harbour for coffee.

If you're only doing the peninsula as a day trip from Reykjavik, you don't need to sleep here at all — Stykkisholmur earns its keep as an overnight base rather than a sightseeing target in its own right, and a rushed afternoon visit will leave you wondering what the fuss is about. Come for a night, not three: one evening covers the harbour, the Library of Water and dinner, and by the second morning most visitors are ready to push on toward Snaefellsjokull or double back to Reykjavik. Winter visits depend entirely on Route 54 staying open, so check road conditions before committing.

Where to sleep

Anywhere between Adalgata and the harbour puts you in the walkable core — restaurants, the church, the ferry terminal. Expect ISK 17809-ISK 25792. Hotel Stykkisholmur on the hill has fjord views and hot pots. Hotel Egilsen is a restored 1867 timber merchant house with 10 rooms — atmospheric, mid-range. Guesthouses on Silfurgata are cheaper. Avoid places 10-20km out unless you specifically want a farmstay. High season (June-August) pushes doubles toward the top of that band and rooms fill up around ferry departure times, so book at least a few weeks ahead for July weekends. Low season (November-March) can drop to ISK 15000 or less at the same guesthouses, though a handful close entirely between November and April. For a first visit, book something within the Adalgata-harbour core rather than a farmstay you'll need a car to reach after dark.

The essentials

Stykkisholmur harbour and Sugandisey walk (2.5 km)

Start at Adalgata, walk down through the old timber houses to the harbour, passing the 1832 Norska Husid museum on Hafnargata on the way. Cross the causeway to Sugandisey island and climb to the orange lighthouse for the panorama. Return via the harbour, up Bokhlodustigur to the Library of Water, and back through the residential streets past Stykkisholmskirkja on the hill. About 90 minutes with stops.

Getting there & around

Stykkisholmur is 170km from Reykjavik on Route 54, about 2h15 by car. Straeto bus 58 runs from Reykjavik Wed/Fri/Sun in summer, ISK 3685, 2h45. The Baldur ferry from Stykkisholmur to Brjanslaekur in the Westfjords runs twice daily in summer, once in winter, ISK 6141 foot passenger, ISK 15967 with car. From Keflavik airport, most visitors pick up a rental car at the terminal and drive straight through Reykjavik rather than backtrack into the city first, adding roughly 30 minutes to the Route 54 drive time. There's no local bus network in town — once in town everything's walkable in 15 minutes, and the harbour, church hill and Library of Water are all within a 10-minute walk of Adalgata.