West Iceland

West Iceland is the region of Iceland north of the capital. It is basically the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Towns

Snæfellsbær is comprised of the towns Ólafsvík, Rif, Hellissandur, Arnarstapi and Hellnar. The towns are located around Snæfellsjökull glacier at the tip of the peninsula. Snæfellsbær has a population of 1.699 (October 2007)

Grundarfjörður is located on the north side of Snæfellsnes peninsula and has a population of 912.

Stykkishólmur is as well located on the north side of the peninsula with a population of 1.100. Many buildings in the center are Danish and Norwegian colonial houses, but Stykkishólmur was one of the main commercial towns in the 18th and 19th centuries.

During the summer, Ólafsvík, Hellissandur, Grundarfjörður and Stykkishólmur all have their independent town festivals. Ask around for excact dates.

• Ólafsvík
• Rif
• Hellissandur
• Arnarstapi
• Hellnar

Other destinations

• Snæfellsjökull National Park - Located on the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in southern Iceland, this park is home to the ice covered volcanic crater that was the setting for Jules Verne's book Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Travel to West Iceland - Visa Requirements

The best way to get there is by renting a car in Reykjavik. We did see some buses coming through the area very infrequently but once you get there you pretty much would have no way of getting around on your own, though hiking and camping would appear to be feasible (and we saw one guys doing that).

Tours and Getting around West Iceland

There is a road which hugs the coast all around the peninsula. In most areas it is paved but in the far west portion it is gravel. There also is a road which cuts over Snæfellsjökull which is the large extinct volcano on the west part of the peninsula. This road is steep and somewhat dangerous if you aren't careful. Also, there is a very narrow winding road that heads out to the westernmost point of Iceland. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape otherwise you could get stuck out there and nobody would find you for a while.

West Iceland tourist attractions and sightseeing

The natural beauty is the main attraction. The trip around the peninsula edge will allow you to see both the ocean and the mountains. There are many waterfalls out of the mountain cliffs. Also, there are a number of rivers which run from the mountains to the ocean which are beautiful. Around the countryside you will see sheep (in the spring/summer) everywhere just roaming.

Drive around the peninsula and then cross over the volcano. This will allow you to see up on the mountain and the glacier. Going around the peninsula, stopping at Arnarstapi is a good place to see a nice picturesque cove. At Hellnar there is a nice old state Lutheran church and graveyard as well as a visitor center that has information about the area. It also is a fun drive to see the westernmost point.

West Iceland city tours

In Lysholl (basically a small road on the south-center part of the peninsula) there is a horse farm. You can rent Icelandic ponies. They will then take you on a ride for as long as you want really (they have day trips and multi-day trips). You can go in the mountains or along the coast or through lava fields. It was by far the highlight of my time in the area. They let you ride as fast as you want (i.e. it isn't some dumb trail ride). We took the coastal route and it was amazing. They also have some cottages there where you can stay. Lysholl also has a geothermally heated pool house.

Walk up into the mountains and find a waterfall. There really are no fences in the area so you can walk as much as you want in the green fields. It is so sparsely populated that it also could be a great spot to get intimate in the grass if that is something you are interested in.

West Iceland Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Olafsvik is the best town for getting food and alcohol. There is a decent grocery store and also the only state liquor store in the area. The town also has a good bakery and pizza shop. It also looked like Arnarstapi had a restaurant.

West Iceland nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Anyone in Olafsvik should be able to point you to the liquor store. Interestingly enough, it is a combination liquor store and baby clothes store! Seeing that is fun enough since it leads to plenty of jokes about how one thing can lead to another.

As far as water, drink it out of the tap.

Stay safe

Don't worry about crime - you probably won't see very many people at all. The biggest risk is falling off the road. Especially going up the mountain, be careful and watch for oncoming traffic.

Destinations in West Iceland:

• Snæfellsjökull National Park

This page was last edited by James Yolkowski. Based on work by Ryan Holliday and Todd VerBeek and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license