The colourful houses
Timber around calm water.
Mustang Joe — CC0 · Mustang Joe — CC0 · AleWi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AleWi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AleWi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0
Seyðisfjörður is a small town at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name in east Iceland, surrounded by high mountains and waterfalls. It is known for its artistic culture and colourful houses, for the LungA Art Festival, and as the port for the Norröna ferry linking Iceland with the Faroe Islands and Denmark, which makes it an important sea gateway. The first settler is said to be Bjólfur, who took the whole fjord. Excavations in 1998 and 1999 found the remains of a burned-down stave church at Þórunnarstaðir. One road reaches the town over the 600-metre Fjarðarheiði pass, leaving it isolated in winter. Above it stand Bjólfur at 1,085 metres and Strandartindur at 1,010 metres. You come down from the pass past a chain of waterfalls to colourful wooden houses around the calm fjord. The shore has a walkway and benches, with small art galleries and cafés. In summer purple lupins flower on the valley sides. Beyond town the road runs along both sides of the fjord, toward puffin colonies and old ruins at Vestdalseyri. The town is 17.9 km in a straight line east of Egilsstaðir and 27 km by road. Snow can close the pass in winter, so check road conditions. Also check ferry arrival days, when streets get busy. Weather is cold and damp, so bring a jacket. Respect the privacy of homes and do not enter private gardens for photos.
Timber around calm water.
Waterfalls along the road.
Purple in summer.
East Iceland, head of the Seyðisfjörður fjord
Yes, the Norröna ferry comes from the Faroe Islands and Denmark.
Snow can close it, so check the road first.