Strandgata 7
Travel directory for The Icelandic Sea Monster Museum
The official travel index of Iceland
The old blacksmith shop in Bíldudalur dates back to 1895 to when Pétur Thorsteinsson, one of the most sucessfull entrepreneur for business in Iceland, built his empire here in Bíldudalur.
The shop was used for over a 100 years and today guests are welcome to visit the shop and get a feel on how life was here in the old fishing village years ago.
Open on specific hours over the summer. Guided tours on request for groups or visitors outside of opening hours.
The swimming pool in Reykjarfjodur, a fjord that is part of the Arnarfjörður fjord system, is a full size swimming pool heated by natural water that runs through the pool all year around.
A small shed beside the pool where guests can get changed into their bathing gear.
Just above the swimming pool there is a smaller natural pool.
The hot natural pools close to the town of Talknafjordur are called "Pollurinn" by locals. It is in good use throughout the year by the local people who love to visit the pools to admire the extraordinary view over the fjord.
The Pools are situated few minute drive from town just above the road number 617. A small cabin is besides the pools for undressing and storing your clothes.
Admittance is free but there is a donation box.
There are no restrooms on the location and camping is forbidden.
Samúel Jónsson´s outstanding naive sculptures and buildings in Selárdalur valley in Arnarfjordur had been rapidly decaying when a society for it´s restoration was founded in 1998. This society is a non-profit organization and has had collaboration with the German sculptor Gerhard König and some others to work on the restoration during the past years in cooperation with the landowner, the ministry of agriculture. Groups of volunteers from Germany have been working together with Gerhard König during the past summers. In the summer of 2008 the plan is to pull down Samúel´s living house in order to build there a new house with a similar front that can serve as a guesthouse for artists and scholars. It´s planned to have the museum ready in 2009.
The sparsely populated Westfjords region is home to more towns and villages than you might imagine – and each has its own unique atmosphere and attractions.
Get to know more about them here.
To make travel in Iceland safer - for your safe return
Safetravel.is is run by ICE-SAR and is part of a bigger project, simply named Safetravel. In that project a number of companies, public institutions and individuals join hands and the goal is to lower the rate of accidents in travel and tourism in Iceland.
The 112 Iceland app can be used for two things, both for added safety on your Iceland trip.
First of all you can call for help by pressing the red Emergency button. Your location will be sent by text message to the 112 response center. Remember that even though your phone shows no signal there is a possibility that you can send text message.
The green Check In button is for you to leave your location with us so if something happens we have more information to work with. Only the 5 last locations are stored and we recommend you use this – don’t worry – you are not disturbing anyone – except for our big computer who wants to be disturbed.
On Safetravel.is you can find extensive amount of information which can help you plan your travel to and around Iceland in more safe and secure way.
When to see the Northern Lights in Iceland?
The best time is between 21:00-03:00 although they can often be seen early evening or during the night. The official Northern Lights season in Iceland is from October till March. The more activity the more likely it is that you will see the northern lights but that is not all. There is never a guarantee of spotting the northern lights, but northern lights forecast by vedur.is are good. Clear skies are necessary, when we have clear skies in Iceland It is usually cold. So be sure to wear the right clothing.
Northern Lights Forecast
The Icelandic Met Office does Northern Lights Forecast which is good to use.
Visit the Icelandic Met Office www.vedur.is, for more info.
Always check the road conditions
The weather is not the same in different regions of Iceland. Here below are good websites to use when traveling in Iceland in winter. Vedur.is is the official website for weather in Iceland. But it doesn’t always give the right picture road.is, the website for the Icelandic Road Administration, is the best website to use if you use it right.If you are unsure then you can call 1777 and ask for the conditions (open 06:30-22:00) or 1778 an automatic telephone service open all day.
Driving in Iceland can be tricky - but if you listen carefully to Elfis you should be fine.
Vakinn is the official quality and environmental certification run by the Icelandic Tourist Board. The aim of Vakinn is to strengthen quality, safety and environmental awareness within Icelandic tourism and support and promote social responsibility of tourist service providers
Vakinn certification is a confirmation that companies operate in a professional and responsible manner, with quality and environmental focus.
Only tourism businesses that maintain high standards in all aspects of business practices and meet Vakinn´s comprehensive assessment criteria have earned the right to carry the Vakinn logo.
Certified companies are listed on our website vakinn.is
