How to spend 3 days
This is a recommendation of a three-day tour around the Westfjords. It is intended as a part of a tour around Iceland, and assumes you are touring clockwise around the island in a car.
Day 1
If you stayed in Stykkishólmur, wake up early to get the ferry Baldur across the fjord. If you slept in Reykjavík, wake up a little bit earlier (however early you wake up, the sun will be up before you, plus, you beat the traffic). You are on the other side around noon, ready to drive to Látrabjarg cliffs. Stay near Látrabjarg or in Patreksfjörður/Tálknafjörður/Bíldudalur village.
Day 2
Wake up early, a long day waits. Today, drive with as many stops as possible to Ísafjörður, where you’ll stay the night. One obligatory stop is waterfall Dynjandi. Others include the maritime trail in Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík (see chapter on History).
Day 3
Wake up early (starting to discern a pattern?). Drive in and out of innumerable fjords to Hólmavík. There, visit The Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft. From there, drive further south and continue your journey around Iceland. We would like to see you again, hopefully not in such a rush!
How to spend 5 days
This is a recommendation of a five-day tour around the Westfjords. It is intended as a part of a tour around Iceland, and assumes you are touring clockwise around the island in a car.
Day 1
Start the day somewhere in West Iceland or even Reykjavík. Driving through region Dalir, stop at Reykhólar. Stay at or near Látrabjarg.
Day 2
In the morning, check out Látrabjarg cliffs and Rauðisandur. Now change direction and head towards Ísafjörður, stopping at least at Dynjandi waterfall. Stay in Ísafjörður.
Day 3
Today, pick from the smorgasbord of tours available in the Ísafjörður area. Tours to bird island Vigur and day tours to Hornstrandir nature reserve are the ones to check out first. Stay another night in Ísafjörður.
Day 4
Before heading south, finish up your checklist of things to do around Ísafjörður. One might check out the two important museums (see chapter on History). Sleep in Heydalur or Reykjanes or near Hólmavík.
Day 5
In the morning, dive into centuries past when sorcery was common, and witches were burned for allegedly casting spells on their neighbours at Holmavik’s Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft. After lunch; head down south to continue your tour around the island. Welcome back!
How to spend 7 days
This is a recommendation of a seven-day tour around the Westfjords. It is intended as a part of a tour around Iceland, and assumes you are touring clockwise around the island in a car. We keep the description short for each day not wanting to repeat what is said in other parts of this brochure.
Day 1
The ferry Baldur goes from Stykkishólmur in the morning with destination Brjánslækur. When the ferry stops in island Flatey, hop off but leave the car keys on board. Cars are useless in the island, so the ferry staff will park your car at Brjánslækur. You have six hours in Flatey to wander around this movie set of charming old-style houses. Stay the night in Flókalundur.
Day 2
Drive to Látrabjarg cliffs. You have enough time to walk along the edge, take it slow and enjoy. Also, check out Rauðisandur and museum Hnjótur. Stay on either side of fjord Patreksfjörður or nearby in villages Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur.
Day 3
Counting Patreksfjörður, and the end point, Ísafjörður, today’s itinerary can include up to 6 villages (Tálknafjörður, Bíldudalur, Þingeyri, Flateyri), although visiting some of them requires a short detour from the main road. On the way, be sure to stop at Dynjandi waterfall and, if time allows, Hrafnseyri museum, reopened year 2011 to celebrate the birth of an important leader of the movement of independence, Jón Sigurðsson.
Day 4
In the Ísafjörður area, wide arrays of day tours are available. Most prominently, there are tours to bird island Vigur and Hornstrandir nature reserve, but others might be more interested in kayaking, or a day of postcard writing. Stay another night in Ísafjörður.
Day 5
In the morning, go through the new tunnel to Bolungarvík and visit Ósvör museum. If the skies are clear, you might even want to venture up to Mt. Bolafjall. After lunch, drive to Heydalur and soak in the natural hot pool up the valley or go for a horseback ride.
Day 6
Today, you will be visiting the most remote settlement in Iceland. Often during the winter, the road there is closed for weeks, even months. Today, Árneshreppur has 50 inhabitants. Stay the night in or near Hólmavík.
Day 7
Once in Hólmavík, nothing compares to a healthy dose of witchcraft in the morning. The Museum of Sorcery provides a memorable insight into nifty tricks to get the much-loathed neighbour sick or lure the cutie at work into a relationship. From there, drive south and continue your journey around Iceland.