Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Grundarjörður
Once across the small bridge over Hraunsfjörður, Route 54 swings into
GRUNDARFJÖRÐUR , 45km west of Stykkishólmur and dominated by the neighbouring
Kirkjufell mountain. Established in 1786 by the Danish king as one of six commercial
centres in Iceland, the place exerted a strong influence on the west coast; in the early
1800s, for example, traders could only operate in the region if they had a branch in
Grundarfjörður. From 1800 to 1860, French fishermen also profited from the excellent
harbour here and used the town as a base, owning the church, hospital and shipping
operations. When they left, they dismantled their buildings and even exhumed their
dead, shipping the bodies back to France. Today the village and its 850 inhabitants
depend on their position as the commercial centre of western Iceland, and on the local
freezing plant, for prosperity.
Sögumiðstöð
Grundargata 35 • Mid-May to mid-Sept daily 10am-6pm • free • W sagan.is
Although Grundarfjörður isn't bursting with attractions, the Sögumiðstöð (Heritage
Centre) on the main road is worth a quick look for its lowdown on life in twentieth-
century Iceland, though the exhibition featuring a reconstruction of a worker's home
from the early 1900s and a local store fail to set the pulse racing.
3
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
GRUNDARFJÖRÐUR
By bus Buses stop at the filling station on Grundargata,
the main road.
Destinations Borgarnes (1 daily; 1hr 30min); Hellissandur
(1 daily; 35min); Ólafsvík (1 daily; 25min); Reykjavík
(1 daily; 2hr 30min); Stykkishólmur (1 daily; 30min).
Tourist information The o ce inside the heritage centre
(mid-May to mid-Sept daily 10am-6pm; T 438 1881,
W grundarjordur.is) also has internet access and a small café.
Services The local swimming pool (Mon-Fri 7am-8pm,
Sat & Sun 10am-5pm) with an outdoor pool, two hot pots
and sauna is located at the southern end of Borgarbraut. If
you want to buy alcohol, you'll have to time things
carefully, since the vínbúð at Grundargata 30 has ludicrously
short opening hours (Mon-Thurs 5-6pm, Fri 2-6pm).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Campsite T 562 6533. Located 1km east of the village at
the farm by the Kverná river, this is a very basic campsite
with just one sho wer and one toilet; the ground is rather
rocky in parts, too. 1000kr
Hótel Framnes Nesvegur 8 T 438 6893, W hotel
framnes.is. Pleasant waterfront hotel originally built as a
fisherman's hostel in the 1950s. It's now completely
refurbished and looks smart and modern; all rooms have
en-suite facilities. There's a hot tub and sauna for guests'
use, too. The hotel restaurant offers upmarket dining; the
speciality is gourmet seafood, freshly caught and landed in
Grundarfjörður. There's usually also a couple of vegetarian
dishes on the menu, and mains around 3500kr. Restaurant
daily 6.30-9pm. 25,500kr
Ka 59 Grundargata 59 T 436 6446. Complete with a
motley collection of old teapots and kettles above the bar,
this glorified truckers' café-cum-bar serves up burgers from
1300kr, fish mains such as fried cod for 3100kr and a decent
lamb breast with rösti potatoes at 3600kr. Mon-Thurs
10am-11pm, Fri & Sat 11am-1am, Sun noon-10pm.
Youth hostel Hlíðarvegur 15 T 562 6533, W hostel.is.
Open all year round, the town's hostel has rooms in several
locations in Grundarfjörður which come in various sizes,
both with and without private facilities. Check-in is
between 3 -9pm. T The main buildin g also h as two kitchens.
Dorm beds 3500kr ; double rooms 9200kr
Ólafsvík
The most productive fishing town on Snæfellsnes, ÓLAFSVÍK is also Iceland's oldest
established trading town, having been granted its charter in 1687. Squeezed between
the sea and the towering Enni peak (415m), it's a quiet working village whose
population goes about its daily business seemingly unmoved by the groups of travellers
who turn up here in search of Snæfellsjökull , the nearby glacier (see box, p.173).
Indeed, Ólafsvík is the starting point for the summer-only buses around the glacier .
he church on Kirkjutún is worth a quick look for its three-legged detached bell tower
and its sharply pointed spire.
 
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