Stykkisholmur Iceland
5
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
HX Expeditions (1 Cruises)
Silversea Cruises (2 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
At the town quay, a few minutes' walk from the centre: the call begins at the gangway. The ship first threads between the islets of Breiðafjörður — so many that Icelanders joke no one has ever managed to count them — before the dark cliff of Súgandisey closes the bay.
The historic core is among the best preserved in Iceland. Walking up the main street you pass nineteenth-century houses repainted in red, ochre and blue, often identified by the name of their first owner.
The town's most notable building, built in 1832 from timber imported from Norway: it was the country's first two-storey residence. It now houses the regional museum and recreates the daily life of a merchant family of the period.
It surprises: completed in 1990, its white curves suggest both a wave and an upturned hull. From its forecourt the view takes in the coloured roofs, the bay and the multitude of islands rolling to the horizon.
Yes, it is the simplest walk in town: a causeway links the quay to the basalt islet, then stairs climb between lava columns to the small orange lighthouse. Allow about fifteen minutes from the ship for a panorama that sums up western Iceland on its own.
Tidal currents swirling between the reefs, seabird colonies and, with luck, the heavy flight of a white-tailed eagle. Some trips haul up a scallop dredge and offer a taste of the shellfish straight from the water.
A contemporary art installation on the edge of the harbour, where glass columns hold water from Icelandic glaciers. It is a short, unexpected stop a few minutes from the quay.
Yes, the town guards the northern gateway to the peninsula and organised excursions cover the essentials in half a day: Mount Kirkjufell, the basalt columns of Gerðuberg, the black beach of Djúpalónssandur and Snæfellsjökull National Park, under the glacier Jules Verne chose as the entrance to his Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
No. The roads are good, but the distances force a choice: better to enjoy one or two sites than chase them all. A single call cannot cover the peninsula without spending the day on a coach.
At the harbourside tables, which serve scallops and cod from the fjord. The bakery looks after those sailing early with a cinnamon bun. Take time for a last turn along the quay too: fishermen unload their crates and children fish from the end of the pier.
