Stykkisholmur (Stykkishólmur) Town
Stykkisholmur (Stykkishólmur) Town
Stykkisholmur is an attractive town of carefully restored timber houses clustered over a rocky outcrop around a picturesque harbor. There are restaurants and cafes, handicraft shops and a couple of quirky museums.
Established by renowned volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson, the Volcano Museum has an eclectic collection of artwork depicting eruptions worldwide and is as much about art as it as about science.
The town’s original library building houses Vatnasafn ‘the Library of Water’, an art installation by artist Roni Horn dedicated to Iceland’s 24 glaciers. Walk among its columns of water arranged in a room with a panoramic view of the harbor.
Stykkisholmur’s modern church is highly unusual and much admired for its architecture. The town’s swimming pool has hot tubs and a water slide, perfect for a family outing on a rainy day.
From the harbor take a walk up to the lighthouse and enjoy lovely views of Breidafjordur and its 3,000 islands. If you’d like to see more of the islands, take a boat trip run by Seatours and get close to the cliffs, almost eye to eye with shags, puffins and other seabirds. white-tailed eagles can also be seen on the tours.
A ferry departs from here crossing the bay to the West Fjords, calling in at the island of Flatey, a living museum.