Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Tours
rents bikes and scooters.
Bolungarvík
Pop 933
Despite its stunningly dramatic position at the end of the fjord, Bolungarvík is run-down
and uninspiring. It has a couple of cool sights, though, and is a good place from which
hikers can launch into the Hornstrandir Reserve. Bolungarvík used to be connected to
Ísafjörður by a perilous
track
around the mountain Óshlíð, but now there is a 5.4km tunnel,
and the other path is unused.
Sights
Ósvör Maritime Museum
MUSEUM
(Ósvör Sjóminjasafn; 892 5744;
www.osvor.is
;
adult/child Ikr950/free; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri,
10am-5pm Sat & Sun Jun-Aug, by appointment Sep-May)
Ósvör Maritime Museum, housed in a series of old turf-and-stone fishing shacks, down a
turn-off just after the tunnel into town, is well worth a visit. A guide in a typical lambskin
fisherman's outfit shows you around (his English isn't tops), explaining the history of the
area and traditional seafaring life from Settlement to the era of plastics. The cramped fish-
ermen's hut is full of interesting relics. A traditional rowing boat is also on display.
Natural History Museum
MUSEUM
( 456 7507;
www.nabo.is
;
Vitastígur 3;adult/child Ikr950/free; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat
& Sun Jun-mid-Aug, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri mid-Aug-May)
In the town's main shopping arcade, the Natural History Museum has a comprehensive
collection of minerals (lignite from when Iceland was covered in forests) and taxidermied
animals - including a giant blue whalebone over 100 years old and a polar bear shot by
local fishermen while swimming off the Hornstrandir coast.
Sleeping
