Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VIGUR ISLAND
From Ísafjörður's Sundahöfn harbour you can take a
boat tour to Vigur
(mid-June to Aug
daily 2pm; 7500kr), a small, elongated island west of Ísafjörður in Ísafjörðardjúp. The ride over
takes about thirty minutes, and you have a couple of hours to explore the grassy, flat island
before enjoying refreshments served up by the local farmer and heading back to town. You'll
definitely see swarms of pu
ns, arctic terns and eider ducks, plus Iceland's one and only
windmill, making for a great afternoon's trip in good weather. You can
book tours
through
Vesturferðir at the tourist o
ce (
T
456 5111,
W
vesturferdir.is).
greenery here for several decades, the park is a pleasant place to sit and admire the
soaring fjordsides surrounded by angelica and flowering pansies - ultimately, a pure
West Fjords experience.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
By plane
The airport, connected by daily flights to
Reykjavík, is 7km out of town on a narrow stretch of land on
the eastern edge of the fjord; a bus into Ísafjörður meets all
flights, and taxis (1200kr) are also available. A minibus
(500kr) runs out to the airport from the
Hotel Ísafjörður
on
Pollgata around 45min before flight departures, and
returns to town after flight arrivals. If you intend to take it,
inform the hotel reception and they'll make sure it comes
to get you.
Destinations
Reykjavík (2 daily; 40min).
Long-distance buses
Long-distance buses terminate
outside the tourist information o
ce at Aðalstræti 7, and
operate between June and August only.
Destinations
Brjánslækur (3 weekly; 3hr); Hólmavík
(3 weekly; 4hr); Hrafnseyri (3 weekly; 2hr); Látrabjarg
(3 weekly; 4hr 40min); Patreksfjörður (3 weekly; 3hr 40min).
Local buses
Ísafjörður is linked to four neighbouring
villages year-round by local buses, which run on weekdays
only. Services to Bolungarvík (see
W
nat.is/travelguideeng
/bus_schedule_bolungarvik_isafjordur.htm for timetables)
depart from the stop outside the
Hamraborg
restaurant
off Hafnarstræti; those to Flateyri, Suðureyri and Þingeyri
(see
W
isafjordur.is/thjonusta/straetisvagnar for timetables)
leave from the Pollurinn bus stop behind
Hotel Ísafjörður
on
Pollgata.
By ferry
Hornstrandir ferries
(see p.194) use Sundahöfn
harbour, at the eastern end of Mjósund, which leads down
to the harbour from the tourist o
ce.
4
INFORMATION
Tourist information
There's an o
ce at Aðalstræti 7
(June-Aug Mon-Fri 8.15am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm;
Sept-May Mon-Fri 8am-4pm;
T
456 5121 or
T
450 8060,
W
westjords.is).
Services
Most of Ísafjörður's shops and services are within
one block of
Hótel Ísafjörður
on the main street, Aðalstræti,
including the Eymundsson bookshop (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm,
Sat 10am-2pm) and the main shopping centre, with a
supermarket (Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun noon-8pm),
post o
ce (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm) and ATM. The
vínbúð
is
at Aðalstræti 20 (Mon-Thurs 11am-6pm, Fri 11am-7pm,
Sat 11am-4pm). Bike rental is available from Vesturferðir
at the tourist o
ce (5000kr for 24hr), and there's internet
access at the library
(Mon-Fri 1-6pm, Sat 1-4pm), which
is beside the church.
ACTIVITIES
Sea kayaking
Adventure tourism leaders Borea Adventures
(Aðalstræti 22B,
T
456 3322,
W
borea.is) offer sea kayaking
trips, both in the harbour and out in Ísafjarðardjúp, which
vary from 2-3hrs to several days; prices start at 7900kr. They
also run a boat service across to Hornstrandir and can arrange
organized tours on foot and by kayak around the area.
Yachts to Greenland
Between late July and early Sept,
Borea Adventures also operates a handful of trips by yacht
across to Greenland, with sailing time around 30hr (the
same as from Ísafjörður to Reykjavík); tours last 11 days
and return by plane: the cost is 420,000kr per person with
all meals and guiding included.
Swimming pool
The indoor pool (June-Aug daily
7-9am & 2-9pm; rest of the year limited opening),
Austurvegur 9, has a small sauna (men only Mon, Wed, Fri
and Sat; women only Tues, Thurs & Sun).
ACCOMMODATION
Campsite
Skutulsfjarðarbraut
T
456 4485.
Located
behind the
Edda Ísajörður
, the town's small and simple
campsite has access to washing and toilet facilities but
little else. Closed mid-Aug to mid-June.
1000kr
Edda Ísajörður
Skutulsfjarðarbraut
T
444 4960,
W
hoteledda.is.
The forty simple rooms in Ísafjörður's
