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Siglufjordur is a colorful and historic fishing village in North Iceland. Renowned for its awards winning Herring Era Museum and delicious restaurants this picture perfect community is truly a must visit!
Siglufjörður is likely one of the most beautiful villages you will ever visit. With colorful corrugated iron and timber houses and the newly renovated moss green hotel by the pier, this historical gem is well worth going out of your way to explore.
Once one of the most important ports in Iceland for herring it is now a cultural hub with wonderful restaurants and incredible hiking opportunities. With a population of only about 1300 people the town still manages to keep museums, a local swimming pool, a beer brewery, a sinfully yummy bakery. Siglufjörður’s Herring Era Museum has won the European Museum Award for its incredible displays and detailed keeping and should undoubtedly be on your Siglufjörður Bucket List.
In 2010 a tunnel named Héðinsfjaraðargöng were opened up and since then access to the town has been a lot easier and more people have been able to visit the beautiful fjord. Since the opening of the tunnel, the closeby town of Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður have together formed the municipality of Fjallabyggð e. The Mountain Settlement. The area surrounding Siglufjordur offers endless hiking trails and opportunities to explore nature along with the most peaceful picnic spot only moments out from the fishing town.
GPS POINTS N66° 8′ 57.108″ W18° 54′ 52.986″
Siglufjordur is located way up on the North Coast in Iceland in a narrow fjord named the same, Siglufjordur. It is one of the settlements in Iceland closest to the Arctic Circle.
The nearest settlements are Ólafsfjörður (16,6 km or 10,3 mi) and Dalvík (34,4 km or 21,3 mi).
There are a few ways of going about getting to Siglufjordur. Let’s go over them.
Public Buses are available from Reykjavík to Akureyri (number 57) and from there you would change buses to Siglufjörður (number 78). The transfer is very easy as the bus stops at the same stop as you will catch the next one. The stop is named Hof. The bus leaves from Reykjavík at 9 am and 5:30 pm. The bus leaves from Hof, Akureyri at 8:15 am, 1:15 pm and 4:30 pm.
Flying The nearest airport to Siglufjordur is at Akureyri and the flight from Reykjavik is only about 45 minutes. The drive from Akureyri to Siglufjörður is then about an hour. You can either get a rental car to catch the public bus number 78.
Driving from Reykjavík to Siglufjordur should take about 4 hours and 50 minutes without stops but we can not recommend driving the route in that way. There is simply too much to see on the way. Driving out of Reykjavík you pass mt. Esja and continue on road 1 through Hvalfjarðargöng under sea level tunnel.
The next settlement will be the town of Borgarnes and many stops at its bakery to grab some baked goodies for the trip. After about 2,5 hours you enter the region Húnavatnssýsla known for its seals and agriculture.
Now you take a turn to road 76 and enter the valley/fjord named Skagafjörður home to the Icelandic horse and incredible history, a good stop to make here would be at the turf museums Glaumbær! Next up is Hofsós where one of the most beautiful swimming pools in Iceland is found, why not take a dip and admire the marine views from the pool. From Hofsós you have about an hour to go before reaching Siglufjörður.
Hotels
Hostels
Guesthouses, B&Bs and Farmstays
Photo from Hotel Siglo
The campground is located right at the center of the town, next to the harbor and the main square. Facilities include running hot and cold water, electricity a playground, toilets, camper van garbage disposals and washing machines. In walking distance, you can find restaurants, a golf course, and the local swimming pool!
Open from the 15th of May until the 15th of September.
Siglufjordur is one of the most snow-heavy places you can find in Iceland and this can, of course, affect road access to the town. Make sure to check the road conditions before you set off.
The remote location of the town makes it an excellent spot for Northern Lights watching and visiting in winter is well worth the effort once the dark night sky gets dancing with green, purple and red colors. Make sure to dress warmly, not only are you in Iceland, you are in one of the northernmost settlements in the country named after ice.
Trapped (Ófærð) – the Icelandic television series directed by Baltasar Kormákur starring all of Iceland’s best actors. A weather-based thrilled you can not miss. The show has the most amazing shots of the town and has now been renewed for a second season. Season one can be found on Amazon.
