The Westfjords of Iceland

The Westfjords are a remote peninsula in northwest Iceland, shaped by deep fjords, steep mountains, and small fishing villages. The region sits far from Iceland's main tourist routes, which is exactly why it stays uncrowded. Travelers come here for towering sea cliffs, free-roaming Arctic foxes, hot springs, and trails you can walk for hours without passing anyone.

• The Westfjords are Iceland's least-populated region, a large landmass in the northwest that faces Greenland across the Denmark Strait.
• Just over 7,000 people live across the whole region, and many roads stay quiet even in peak summer.
• Top nature sights include Dynjandi waterfall, the Látrabjarg bird cliffs, Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, and Rauðasandur beach.
• Best done as a multi-day summer road trip, with extra days built in for weather and gravel roads.
• Ideal for travelers who want empty landscapes, wildlife, and hiking over headline attractions and crowds.

The Westfjords sit far from Reykjavík and the main Ring Road, so the real question is how much of Iceland you fold in around them. A short trip focuses on the region itself, basing around Ísafjörður and the southern cliffs, while longer routes pair it with the south coast or a full loop of the island. Each option below is guided, with transport, hotels, and the long drives handled for you.

The map below plots the main towns and attractions in this guide, so you can group nearby stops into a realistic route. Distances feel short on a map but take longer here, because roads wind around every fjord.

Summer, from June to August, is the best time to visit the Westfjords, when most roads are open, daylight is long, and the weather is mildest. Spring and fall bring fewer travelers but less reliable road access, and winter suits only those comfortable with snow, ice, and frequent flight cancellations.

Driving here in winter is demanding, and mountain roads close without much warning. Joining a guided winter trip removes the stress of icy passes. The region is also known for downhill and cross-country skiing once the snow sets in.

Summer also opens up sea kayaking and camping, and several festivals run across the region, including the Aldrei fór ég Suður music festival held in Ísafjörður each Easter.

Westfjords travel conditions by season, with road access and what each window does best:

In the shoulder seasons, check the latest Westfjords road conditions before any drive, since access changes fast.

Our tip: Don't trust the map's drive times. The Westfjords road hugs every fjord, so a 100 km hop can take two hours, and most travelers underestimate how much of the day driving eats.

The Westfjords are dotted with small coastal towns and fishing villages, and each one gives you a different way to experience the Westfjords. Some work as practical bases with fuel, food, and beds, while others are worth a stop for their setting or a single standout sight. Where you base yourself depends on which half of the region you're exploring.

Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjords and the region's capital, home to around 2,700 people. Ísafjörður sits on a sandy spit in Skutulsfjörður fjord, ringed by steep, flat-topped mountains. Its old trading post holds the oldest cluster of timber houses in Iceland, dating from the late 18th century. You'll find hotels, restaurants, kayaking, and winter skiing here, and it's the main base for reaching Hornstrandir. It's also the one Westfjords town you can fly to from Reykjavík, on a flight of under an hour.

Patreksfjörður is the westernmost town in Iceland and the largest in the southern Westfjords, home to around 780 people. It's the natural base for the southern trio, with Látrabjarg, Rauðasandur, and Dynjandi all reachable on day trips. The town has hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and a fjord-view outdoor pool, so it works well as an overnight stop. Fishing built the town and still drives it, which gives the harbor a working feel rather than a touristy one.

Hólmavík is best known for the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, which pulls roughly 11,000 visitors a year to a village of just around 375 people. The museum sits here for a reason, as Strandir was the heart of Iceland's 17th-century witch-hunts, and the area's isolation kept those folk traditions alive. Set along Steingrímsfjörður fjord on the quiet eastern coast, it's the main service stop in Strandir and a natural base for exploring the area.

Djúpavík is built around the abandoned shell of a 1930s herring factory, which was the largest concrete building in Iceland when it opened in 1935. The factory ran until 1954 and now serves as an exhibition space, with the original machinery preserved inside, so you can step in rather than just photograph the ruin. It sits at the head of Reykjarfjörður fjord in Árneshreppur, the least-populated municipality in the country, with around 53 residents spread across 780 km² (301 mi²). The road in is long and rough and goes uncleared in winter, but few places in Iceland feel this far from everything.

Bolungarvík is the northernmost village in the Westfjords, set on an exposed cove beneath steep mountains about 13 km (8 miles) from Ísafjörður through a tunnel. Its main draw is the Ósvör Maritime Museum, a replica 19th-century fishing station by the water, where the curator greets visitors in the leather skin suit Icelandic fishermen once wore. A summer-only road climbs Bolafjall, a 638-meter (2,093 ft) clifftop with views over Ísafjarðardjúp, the Jökulfirðir fjords, and Hornstrandir. The short hop from Ísafjörður makes it an easy half-day trip rather than an overnight.

The Westfjords pack waterfalls, sea cliffs, a colored-sand beach, and a roadless nature reserve into a region too big to cover in one trip. Where you start usually decides what you reach, since the southern sights and the northern ones sit a full day's drive apart. The six attractions here are the ones worth building a route around.

Dynjandi, sometimes called Fjallfoss, is the largest waterfall in the Westfjords, dropping about 100 meters (330 ft) over a wide staircase of rock in Arnarfjörður. The steps form because the cliff is layered into hard lava and softer rock between, and the river has worn away the soft layers while the lava holds, which gives the falls their tapering, fan-like shape. Dynjandi and the smaller waterfalls below it have been protected as a natural monument since 1981. A marked path climbs past those lower falls to the main drop.

How to get there: Dynjandi sits on the shore of Arnarfjörður, reached over the Dynjandisheiði heath, a gravel pass that usually opens in summer and once formed the first car route through to Ísafjörður. From the parking lot, a path climbs to the foot of the main waterfall in about 15 minutes. The walk is short but uneven and often wet, so wear proper footwear.

Látrabjarg is the westernmost point of Iceland and one of Europe's largest bird cliffs, running about 14 km (8.7 mi) and rising up to 441 meters (1,447 ft). In summer it holds seabirds in vast numbers, including up to 40% of the world's razorbills, alongside puffins, guillemots, and gannets. Because no foxes reach the cliffs, the birds show little fear, which makes this one of the best places in Iceland to photograph puffins at close range, usually along the grassy upper edge. That same edge is fragile and unfenced with a sheer drop below, and strong winds blow straight off the sea, so stay well back and dress for the cold.

How to get there: Látrabjarg lies at the far southwestern tip of the Westfjords, about a 6-hour drive from Reykjavík and best reached from a base in Patreksfjörður. Follow Route 62 toward Patreksfjörður, then Route 612 out to the cliffs and the Bjargtangar lighthouse, which marks the westernmost point. The final stretch is gravel and fuel stops are sparse, so fill up before you set out.

Rauðasandur, the red sand beach, stretches about 10 km along the southern coast of the Westfjords, east of Látrabjarg. Its sand sets it apart from Iceland's black beaches, shifting through yellow, gold, and red as the light and tide change. Across the bay you can see the Snæfellsjökull glacier on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The beach and its quiet coves are a haven for seals and seabirds.

How to get there: Rauðasandur sits on the south side of the Westfjords near Patreksfjörður. Follow Route 62, then turn onto Route 614, a steep, narrow gravel road that descends to the coast. The road is maintained in summer only, so many travelers prefer a higher-clearance vehicle or a guided trip from Patreksfjörður.

Hornstrandir is a roadless nature reserve at the northern tip of the Westfjords, covering 580 km² (220 mi²) of tundra, fjord, and cliff. Uninhabited since the 1950s and protected since 1975 under strict conservation rules that ban vehicles and construction, it has been left almost entirely to nature. It is Iceland's main sanctuary where the Arctic fox is fully protected from hunting, so the foxes here are a common sight and unusually tame. With no infrastructure, visits range from half-day boat trips to multi-day treks across pathless terrain. Three things define it: the bird cliffs around Hornvík bay, the bold foxes, and a remoteness where you can hike for days without seeing another person.

How to get there: Hornstrandir has no roads and is reached by boat, with most day tours and trekking trips departing from Ísafjörður, and independent hikers also taking boats from Norðurfjörður. The reserve is managed by the Environment Agency of Iceland, and its visitor centre in Ísafjörður, Hornstrandastofa, has rangers who help you plan a route. During the fragile seasons, from March 1 to June 15 and again from September 1 to November 1, you must register your trip in advance with the Environment Agency of Iceland.

The Arctic Fox Centre in Súðavík is a non-profit research and exhibition center devoted to the Arctic fox, Iceland's only native land mammal. It grew out of the fieldwork of the country’s leading fox researchers, who began studying the animal in nearby Hornstrandir in 1998, which gives the science here real depth. The exhibition traces the fox's biology and the roughly 1,000-year history of hunting that shaped its place in Iceland. It sits in one of the oldest houses in Súðavík, a late-19th-century farmhouse the municipality restored, and includes a small café.

How to get there: the centre is in Súðavík, about 20 km from Ísafjörður on Route 61 along Álftafjörður fjord, an easy drive on a sealed road. The Arctic Fox Centre opens daily from May through September, with shorter hours in May and September and off-season visits by request, so check current times before you go.

Hornbjarg is the signature sea cliff at the northern tip of Hornstrandir, where green slopes break off and drop more than 500 meters straight into the sea. Its highest point, Kálfatindur, reaches 534 meters. The cliff's northernmost headland is called Horn, and it's from Horn that the whole reserve, Hornstrandir, takes its name. The cliffs are a busy seabird nesting ground, and just west across Hornvík bay stands a second sheer cliff, the 521-meter Hælavíkurbjarg.

How to get there: Hornbjarg sits inside roadless Hornstrandir and is reached by boat to Hornvík bay from Ísafjörður, or on a multi-day trek through the reserve. There are no facilities and no marked safety infrastructure at the cliffs, so go with a guide or solid experience, allow a full day, and watch the weather closely.

The Westfjords have more small museums than most visitors expect, and the standouts lean into the region's odder history rather than standard fishing-heritage displays. Two are worth planning around: the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hólmavík and the Sea Monster Museum in Bíldudalur. The rest work best as a break on a long driving day or in poor weather.

Opened in 2000, the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft tells the story of Iceland's 17th-century witch-craze through real cases from the records, alongside the folk magic that grew up around it. The exhibits get genuinely strange, including necropants, trousers said to be made from a dead man's skin and worn to draw money, plus spells to catch a thief or wake the dead. It's open year-round, with longer summer hours.

The Sea Monster Museum sits in Bíldudalur on Arnarfjörður, a fjord with a long reputation for monster sightings. Rather than a few display cases, it runs the stories through a multimedia exhibit that sets real eyewitness accounts beside academic attempts to explain them, with supposed relics shown as evidence. It's open from mid-May to mid-September and has a café, which makes it a good break on the long drive around the southern fjords.

Hnjótur Museum sits in Örlygshöfn near Patreksfjörður, on the road out to Látrabjarg, and it's the place to understand everyday life in the southern Westfjords beyond the landscapes. Its collection of old local items traces the area's fishing and farming history. The standout is an exhibition on the 1947 rescue of the British trawler Dhoon, which stranded at the Látrabjarg cliffs. It's open daily from May 1st to September 30th, and a café, souvenir shop, and information center round out the stop.

The Westfjords Heritage Museum sits in Turnhúsið, a 1784 timber storehouse in Neðstikaupstaður, a preserved group of Danish trading houses and one of the oldest such clusters in Iceland. Its core is maritime: old boats, fishing gear, diving equipment, and objects divers have recovered from shipwrecks in the fjords. The surprise is a large collection of accordions, the oldest dating to the 1800s, many once owned by well-known Icelandic musicians. The museum is open daily from May 15 through September 15, which makes it a convenient stop on a day in Ísafjörður.

The Westfjords are scattered with natural hot springs, most of them simple stone-and-turf pools rather than developed spas. A few sit right by the road, while others take a rough drive or a short walk to reach. Most charge little, if anything, and the trade-off is basic or no facilities.

Gvendarlaug, the Pool of Gvendur the Good, sits beside Hotel Laugarhóll in Bjarnarfjörður, in the Strandir region. It's a naturally warm geothermal swimming pool at around 32°C (90°F), with a hotter natural pool of about 42°C (108°F) next to it. The area is steeped in Strandir folklore, which pairs it naturally with a route through Hólmavík and the witchcraft museum.

Hellulaug is a small geothermal pool right on the shore of Vatnsfjörður, in the southern Westfjords. The water sits at around 38°C (100°F) and the pool is shallow, about 60 cm (24 in) deep, so it's a sit-and-soak spot with a clear view over the fjord. It's just off Route 60, though you can't see it from the road, so look for the parking lot and the short path down. There are no facilities, which is part of its appeal.

Reykjafjarðarlaug sits in Reykjarfjörður, a side fjord of Arnarfjörður, with a full-size geothermal swimming pool right by the road on Route 63 in the southern Westfjords, kept warm all year by natural heat. Just above it lies a smaller natural hot pool, almost hidden, for a wilder soak. Unlike most wild pools in the region, this one has changing facilities by the swimming pool. It makes a simple, well-marked stop on a drive through the southern fjords.

Heydalur is a green valley off the southern shore of Ísafjarðardjúp, known for birdlife and a hot natural pool a few minutes' walk from the country hotel there. The pool sits in quiet countryside surroundings, which makes it a calm place to soak after a day on the road. The valley is a draw for birdwatchers and photographers, and you can arrange horseback riding through the area. It's off Route 61, about 130 km from Ísafjörður.

The Westfjords work best as a multi-day summer trip rather than a quick detour, and the region splits cleanly into two halves. The south, based around Patreksfjörður, puts Látrabjarg, Rauðasandur, and Dynjandi within reach. The north, based around Ísafjörður, opens up Hornstrandir and the Arctic fox. Choosing one half to focus on usually beats rushing both.

Before you set out, line up three things: a vehicle suited to gravel roads, a spare day for weather, and confirmed road or boat status for the season. Get those right and you'll have Iceland's empty roads and still fjords largely to yourself.