Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Dalvík has lost its buzz, and its quiet
harbour
front, lined by the main road,
Hafnarbraut
, stands guard over the familiar cluster of uniformly shaped modern homes
that are so prevalent in the country's smaller communities. Dalvík's lack of older
buildings is due to a devastating
earthquake
of 1934, measuring 7.2 on the Richter
Scale, which demolished half the structures in the village and caused serious damage to
the ones that did survive - two thousand people lost their homes.
Byggðasafnið Hvoll
Karlsrauðatorg 7 • June-Aug daily 11am-6pm; Sept-May Sat 2-5pm • 800kr
Most people only pitch up here en route to Grímsey or to go whale watching (see below),
but should you find yourself with time to kill take a quick look inside the folklore
museum,
Byggðasafnið Hvoll
, one block back from the harbour. Of the four small
sections, it's the collection of photographs and personal belongings of Iceland's tallest
man,
Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson
, born in nearby Svarfaðardalur valley in 1913, that
catches the eye. Measuring a whopping 2.34m in height (7ft 7in), Jóhann the Giant, as
he was known locally, spent most of his life performing in circuses in Europe and
America before retiring to Dalvík, where he died in 1984. he museum also contains a
collection of birds' eggs, several species of stuffed seabirds and a stuffed polar bear.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
DALVÍK
By bus
Buses to and from Akureyri and Ólafsfjörður stop at
the filling station on the main road, Hafnarbraut.
Destinations
Akureyri (Mon-Fri 3 daily; 45min);
Árskógssandur (Mon-Fri 3 daily; 10min); Ólafsfjörður
(Mon-Fri 3 daily; 15min).
By ferry
The
Sæfari
ferry (
T
458 8970,
W
land
flutningar.is/saefari/english; 8000kr return) runs year-
round three times a week (Mon, Wed & Fri) from Dalvík
to Grímsey.
Destinations
Grímsey (3 weekly; 3hr 30min).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information
The desk (Mon-Thurs noon-6pm,
Fri noon-5pm;
T
460 4000) within the new Berg cultural
centre on Goðabraut has limited tourist information,
otherwise check online at
W
dalvik.is.
Services
The library in the Berg building (Mon-Thurs noon-
6pm, Fri noon-5pm) has internet access, while the
supermarket (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun
1-5pm) is opposite the harbour at Hafnartorg. On
Hafnarbraut, the post o
ce (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm) is at
No. 26, and the
vínbúð
(June-Aug Mon-Thurs 11am-6pm,
Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-2pm); Sept-May Mon-Thurs
2-6pm, Fri noon-7pm at No. 7. The excellent outdoor
swimming pool (Mon-Fri 6.15am-8pm, Sat & Sun
10am-7pm) has a couple of hot pots and a mixed steam
room; it's at Svarfaðarbraut 34, which runs roughly parallel
with Hafnarbraut.
Whale watching
From Dalvík harbour, Arctic Sea Tours
(
T
771 7600,
W
arcticseatours.is) operates up to four daily
tours (May-Sept; 3hr; 8000kr) out in Eyjafjörður to see
humpback and minke whales as well as dolphins and
harbour porpoises. Warm clothes are provided.
ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND DRINKING
Campsite
Svarfaðarbraut
T
466 3233.
Dalvík's campsite
is nicely situated just 100m from the swimming pool
and
has a service building wit
h hot w
ater, showers and toilet
facilities. Closed Oct-May.
Tues-Thurs 6-11pm, Fri & Sat 7pm-3am, Sun 4-9pm.
Við Höfnina
Hafnarbraut 5
T
466 2040.
This waterside
restaurant has a pleasant outside terrace overlooking the
harbour, and serves a couple of fishy mains, such as deep-
fried haddock and pan-fried plaice (around 2550kr), as well
as 12-inch pizzas from 1750kr.
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm &
6-10pm, Sat & Sun 11.30am-10pm.
Youth Hostel
Hafnarbraut 4
T
466 1060,
W
hostel.is.
Situated above the harbour, this grand old stone structure
is easily Dalvík's most imposing building. Inside, there are
four three-bed dorms, one five-bed, one double and one
single r
oom, plu
s a fully
equipped shared kitchen. Dorms
3500kr
; doubles
9200kr
1500kr
Fosshotel Dalvík
Skiðabraut 18
T
466 3395,
W
fosshotel.is.
This rambling hotel just off the main road is
located in the local boarding school and offers thirty-odd
rather institutionalized r
ooms wit
h shared or private
facilities. Closed Oct-April.
12,100kr
Gregor's Pub
Goðabraut 3
T
847 8846.
Opposite the
Berg cultural centre and complete with billiards table, this
is Dalvík's newest drinking establishment. In summer it
also serves a rather good traditional fish soup for 1500kr.
