E ven by Icelandic standards the small village of Vopnafjordur is pretty remote. Almost two hours away from the next big town makes Vopnafjordur in fact a nice place to visit should you require rest from it all.
By nice we mean as a place to get away from the hustle and bustle. Not just in your homeland but also in Iceland where most major tourist places and bigger towns offer peace and quiet for no one. Sure, there will be people going about their business in Vopnafjordur, literally Fjord of Arms, but overall the aura of the town is laid back and life flows slowly.
The tradeoff for this is that services here are very limited and to be honest the town itself does not offer anything extra special. It is a simple fishing village and fishing pretty much the only industry in town.
This being said the fjord in which the town lies on a small peninsula is pretty famous for its great salmon rivers. Two beautiful rivers, Selá river and Hofsá river, run through here and both tempt anglers from all over the world. Naturally, these tend to be pretty expensive and hardly a stop for others than hardcore, super-wealthy fishermen. Indeed, fishing licenses in both rivers owned by a tax-avoiding British multi-millionaire by the name of James Radcliffe. In fact, that dude, owns almost half of all the land area in the whole fjord thanks to super-lax regulations from a government whose financial minister loves tax-avoiding himself. At the time of writing this British dude is building himself a “fishing lodge” in the area and you´ll only miss it if you are blind. At 1400 square feet it is easily the largest private building in the whole fjord and then some.
Of special note regarding Vopnafjordur is the fact that of all the thousands of people from Iceland that emigrated to the U.S., Canada and Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th century most started their journey from exactly this place. Therefore smaller groups of descendants from these countries make regular stops here during summertime.
That said, the Vopnafjordur surroundings are also pretty impressive. Smjorfjoll mountain range, literally Butter Mountains, towers over much of the area. Miles of trekking available in all directions and the chance of seeing another soul about as likely as witnessing a snowball in hell.
Without doubt the most impressive man made thing to see in Vopnfjordur is a very old Icelandic farm called Burstafell. This really beautiful building built using only wood and turf has been turned into a fine museum should you have interest in how locals lived centuries ago. Burstarfell is about ten minute drive away from Vopnafjordur village itself. You can also locate it on our map below. There is a decent coffee shop onsite but take note the museum is only open during summertime between June and September. Opening hours are 10 to 18 daily and admission is 1200 ISK / 9$ / 8€.
Few tour operators offer trips to Vopnafjordur for the Northern Lights in wintertime but Vopnafjordur is no better than other places to witness this wonderful phenomenon. Vopnafjordur in wintertime also is way too depressing to have a nice time and the place is one of very few in the country that can get totally snowed in for days on end.
The national airline, Icelandair, in cooperation with a another small airlines, Norlandair, offers indirect flights to Vopnafjordur from Reykjavik. You will have to make a stop and change planes at Akureyri airport.
Two different roads to take if you have your own car and driving the Ring road. Either route 917 should you be coming from Egilsstadir or route 85 from Akureyri. Route 85 is much better and actually quicker in both instances. But route 917 is way more exciting if you have time on your hands.
Route 917, over a high mountain pass called Hellisheidi East, is actually listed on many foreign websites as being one of the most dangerous roads in the world. That is a load of crap in our opinion. It is certainly high up, 660 meters, but in summertime all cars can pass without much difficulty (camper-vans loaded with gold excluded.) Care should be taken when winter starts to set in and never, ever attempt a crossing in wintertime as this route is not serviced at all over that period. You will get stuck pretty soon, the wait for any help can easily take half a day if not more and you´ll probably have to pay a huge fine for attempting to drive a road that is, in essence, a closed one.
Staying here can present some problems though. Some smaller guesthouses all around the fjord are welcoming visitors. Among those Guesthouse Síreksstadir around 20 kilometres away from town. Guesthouse Sydri-Vik and Guesthouse Under the Mountain. In addition there is also a small guesthouse in town itself: Guesthouse Mavahlid. One can also rent small cabins at Asbrandsstadir guesthouse.
Apart from that there is but one small and rather run down and rather awful small hotel in town. Hotel Tangi stands rights across the road from the often foul-smelling fish factory and the operators do not know the meaning of service. Lastly, you have a really decent campsite here with excellent views, toilets and electricity. Problem is its size as you can only park seven or eight camper-vans or caravans here and that is it. If full, you will have to seek shelter away from town.
There is a small but nice geothermal pool, Selarlaug, about ten minute drive from town and a small 9-hole golfcourse is here also at the town´s periphery. Horseriding tours and boat trips also available in town or nearby. Birdlife is varied here and Vopnafjordur a nice place to birdwatch but mostly so in summertime or very warmly dressed.
The town does boast of a really beautiful old renovated building called Kaupvangur in the very “center” of town down by the harbor. The current building is a replica of a place built here in 1884 which is seriously old by Icelandic standards. Inside, you´ll find a small cafe and restaurant, a tourist information center and on the second floor there are often exhibits about this and that and often free of charge. The very next building houses the official wine store and a local grocery. Be aware, opening times vary quite a lot depending on the season.
Bear in mind that over wintertime most tourist services here close down and over that period there are usually no open restaurants. You can get some rather basic food at the local gas station but otherwise grab something edible from the grocery store.
Five minutes away from town you´ll find a farm called Svinabakkar. Whilst not many folks know this the local farmer here is an avid collector of small old things and has put together an interesting museum onsite. Whilst not formally open yet, it is often possible to call ahead and if the time is right, you´ll be more than welcome. Free admission as far as we know.
View Interesting things in and around Vopnafjordur village in Iceland in a larger map