The Snaefellsnes Peninsula (pronounced like snī-fells-nes) is in West Iceland, a few two-hour drive from the capital metropolis of Reykjavik. Since many vacationers head within the different path — both southeast alongside the coast or by way of the Golden Circle — you received’t discover fairly the crowds in Snaefellsnes that you may see in different elements of the nation.
The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is just 90 kilometers lengthy, so technically you might drive your complete factor in a few hours. However, it would be best to give your self not less than a full day to scratch the floor of all of the issues to do one the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Snaefellsnes is considered one of my favourite areas in Iceland and it actually has every little thing you may wish to see…glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, fishing villages, black and golden sand seashores, dramatic cliffs, spectacular rock formations, you title it!
There is sufficient to do on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula to spend a number of days, however since many individuals go to as a day journey from Reykjavik, I’ve put collectively a one-day Snaefellsnes Peninsula itinerary.
Getting to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
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I not too long ago took a women’ journey to Iceland and we spent at some point on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and stayed in a single day within the city of Stykkishólmur earlier than heading north to the West Fjords. If you might have already visited the south coast of Iceland like me, visiting West Iceland makes an ideal second or third journey to Iceland.
If you’re driving to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula from Reykjavik, it’s possible you’ll wish to make a pit cease for restrooms and snacks on the N1 in Borgarnes. The roads round Snaefellsnes are in good situation (though look ahead to deep potholes in parking tons that may strand your automobile and destroy the undercarriage so a 4WD may be preferable.)
However, if you’re visiting after August, I might extremely advocate following my suggestions for Iceland within the winter and verify the Safetravel.is app for street circumstances and closures earlier than you head out.
While it’s simple to self-drive on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, we determined to ebook a personal tour with Hidden Iceland of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the West Fjords. It was nice to tour these areas with a neighborhood and we obtained a lot nice information about volcanic exercise, Icelandic folklore, and geology — plus we didn’t want to fret about driving or discovering our manner round.
Receive 10% off scheduled group excursions from Hidden Iceland with promo code We3TRAVEL.
Most Snaefellsnes day excursions will journey counterclockwise, beginning in Stykkishólmur. However, since we had been staying there in a single day after which heading north the next day, it made extra sense for us to go to the southern facet of the peninsula first and finish in Stykkishólmur.
Map supply: Google My Maps
This timing labored out properly as a result of it meant we obtained to Kirkjufell earlier than sundown, which is a extremely popular time for photographers to collect to seize an iconic photograph. Of course, it was fairly overcast once we had been there so we weren’t going to get wonderful sundown photos anyway.
Things to do on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
If you observe this itinerary and take this route alongside street 54, the primary “must-visit” cease is in Búdir. If you might have extra time, you possibly can cease on the Bjarnarfoss waterfall or the Ytri Tunga seaside, however to present your self extra time to benefit from the stops on this Snaefellnes itinerary, I might say to skip them if you’re taking a day journey.
If you’re spending a few days on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, I might additionally advocate spending an evening at Hotel Búdir and taking your time exploring the various trails and pure sights close by.
Budakirkja / Black Church
As troublesome because the Icelandic language is to pronounce (can I inform you the variety of instances I jokingly referred to Snaefellsnes as Snuffaluffagus?), it will get simpler to decode when you be taught a number of fundamentals. For instance:
- Kirkja = church
- Vik = bay
- Foss = waterfall
- Kull = glacier
Get it? That’s why so most of the names sound alike. So Budakirkja is a church in Búdir. A fairly well-known one too due to its black shade. Many of the church buildings in Iceland are white with pink roofs, however there are a number of of those black church buildings scattered all through the nation.
While the church and the hooked up graveyard make for a fairly photograph alternative, the true shock at this cease is the mountaineering trails that go right down to the seaside and throughout the dunes. You might spend hours right here you probably have the time, however remember to not less than go away your self an hour to soak within the views.
Raudfeldsgja Gorge
Raudfeldsgja will not be included in most excursions of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, however it’s properly definitely worth the cease if you’re self-driving or taking a personal tour. It is a slender canyon within the cliff wall, which jogs my memory plenty of the Gljúfrabúi waterfall simply down the trail from Seljalandsfoss waterfall on the south coast.
It is a little bit of an uphill climb from the parking zone to the gorge, however you’ll be rewarded with beautiful views on the return hike. In the summer season it’s doable to enter this slender ravine, however you have to to stroll by way of a shallow stream so it is best to plan on sporting waterproof mountaineering boots.
Once inside, you possibly can climb over some rocks to get to a small waterfall, however you have to actually good mountaineering footwear and a few waterproof gear. Gloves are additionally helpful for gripping rocks. You can go so far as you’re feeling comfy earlier than turning again. You will most likely want not less than an hour at this cease as properly, relying on how far you wish to climb.
Arnarstapi Cliffs
By this time, you’ll possible be getting hungry and there are a few meals choices at Arnarstapi. There is a fish and chips meals truck, the place you possibly can eat exterior (or in your automobile), or the Snjófell Restaurant on the Arnarstapi Center. We opted for the restaurant for an opportunity to take a seat and chill out for a couple of minutes and in addition use their restrooms. The meals was good and the ambiance was pretty.
After lunch, it’s good to take a stroll alongside the cliffs. You can observe the trail out to the stone big. It appears to be like historic however is comparatively new, and put there in honor of a neighborhood man who was very tall. I might advocate heading left alongside the cliffs. Just be ready to cease each few toes and marvel on the views.
There are attention-grabbing cave formations inside the basalt cliffs and the view jogs my memory of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. As you stroll across the cliffs to the left, additionally, you will come to a land bridge. I might use warning strolling throughout this in the event you select, nevertheless it does make for a enjoyable photograph alternative.
Keep in thoughts that in Iceland, issues will not be fenced off and also you received’t discover any railings. You will wish to look out for cliff edges, free gravel, and rogue waves.
If you proceed alongside, you’ll come to a cute harbor, which is an efficient spot to show again. You can even stroll within the different path to Hellnar, or drive to Hellnar and stroll alongside the cliffs there. But if you’re brief on time, they’re comparable experiences and you’ll simply decide one.
If you do wish to prolong your time in Snafellsnes, you too can in a single day in Hellnar on the Fosshotel Hellnar. Fosshotel is an Icelandic resort chain that could be very dependable and never overpriced.
Lóndranga
The subsequent cease alongside the street can be Lóndranga, which is a volcanic plug that juts up from the shoreline. You can even see the place the lava has flowed into the see. The panorama is sort of dramatic.
It generally is a fast 30-minute cease if all you wish to do is stroll as much as the overlook and take some photographs. However, give yourselves not less than an hour if you wish to observe the trail alongside the cliff. If you stroll alongside the cliffs, keep away from strolling on the sting as it’s topic to erosion and is fragile.
After Lóndranga, you might cease and take a tour of the Vatnshellir lava cave. However, if time is restricted, there’s a higher cave expertise nearer to Reykjavik at The Lava Tunnel.
Djúpalónssandur
There are many black sand seashores throughout Iceland, attributable to the volcanic ash from over 130 volcanoes. One of probably the most well-known is Reynisfjara, alongside the south coast. However, you possibly can go to a black sand seaside on the Snaefellsnes peninsula at Djúpalónssandur.
Just understand that whenever you go to seashores in Iceland, there might be massive rogue waves and a powerful undertow that may sweep you out to see. Stay alert and don’t get too near the sting, particularly along with your again turned for a selfie. If you see a warning signal, it’s there for good purpose!
At Djúpalónssandur, there are lots of areas to discover however undoubtedly observe the trail right down to the seaside. Watch your step among the many rusted stays of an previous shipwreck. You will discover this seaside principally fabricated from volcanic pebbles. While they appear gray, in the event you polish them sufficient to take away that layer of volcanic ash, they shine up a deep black.
You will wish to allot for not less than an hour at this cease, particularly in the event you love photographing the black sand seaside and rock formations!
Saxhóll Crater
Saxhóll is a volcanic crater left by a volcanic eruption 3,000 years in the past. Be cautious within the parking zone because it has its personal craters and we noticed one automobile caught hanging because the undercarriage was caught on a rock and the tires had been off the bottom.
The crater rises 109 meters above sea stage, so the climb up the steps to look into the highest is a bit steep. The stairs are additionally an odd form, too broad to take two steps at a time however too brief for a pure climb. The views from the highest are neat, however if you’re getting drained and less than a climb, you might skip this cease. Personally, I discovered the crater at Grábrókargigum in West Iceland extra attention-grabbing. If you do cease, it shouldn’t take greater than half-hour to discover.
Snaefellsjökull
Snaefellsjökull is the volcano with the glacier on high that dominates the panorama as you loop across the Snaefellsnes peninsula and the National Park. That is when it isn’t obscured by clouds, which is it a lot of the time.
We by no means obtained a transparent view on our journey, which was disappointing, as I used to be wanting ahead to seeing the place that so impressed Jules Verne that’s the place the characters in Journey to the Center of the Earth enter the earth’s core.
It is feasible to hike the volcano to the Snaefellsjökull Glacier on a guided tour, however that takes a full day.
Kirkjufell / Arrow Mountain & Kirkjufellsfoss
Kirkjufell, additionally known as Arrow Mountain because of its form, is that iconic picture that folks affiliate with Snaefellsnes and probably the most photographed mountain in Iceland. You will see photographers lining up with their tripods on the far facet of the waterfall (Kirkufellsfoss) an hour or two earlier than sundown to seize the picture of the solar taking place behind the mountain.
You can even see this mountain in Game of Thrones in Season 7, episode 6 the place they head north of the wall, and in Season 6 the place they present the creation of the White Walkers. This after all has made an already widespread spot much more closely visited.
After a protracted day, we wished to proceed on to Stykkishólmur and verify into our Airbnb earlier than the eating places closed so we didn’t wait round for sundown. Even with out hanging out for sundown, you’ll possible wish to spend not less than half-hour right here.
Pro tip: Keep in thoughts that the parking zone could be very small and in the event you park on the road or within the discipline throughout the road, you’ll be ticketed. If you’re going for sundown, I might get there very early to be sure to can get into the parking zone.
Stykkishólmur
I utterly fell in love with the small city of Stykkishólmur. The colourful homes, charming harbor, nice eating places, and free city WiFi. It makes an important in a single day cease or dwelling base for exploring the Snaefellsnes peninsula.
Even if you’re simply stopping for dinner earlier than heading again to Reykjavik, plan a while in Stykkishólmur. There are just a few eating places on the town so it would be best to name forward for reservations. I might extremely advocate Sjávarpakkhúsid for dinner. This small seafood restaurant options the freshest catch and the mussels and seafood stew are value each penny (and I don’t even like mussels!)
If you keep in a single day, Cafe Nú is an enthralling espresso store that gives espresso, tea, pastries, and different breakfast objects earlier than you head out within the morning.
You can keep in a single day within the Fosshotel Stykkishólmur, or do what we did and hire a flat. Our trip rental had three bedrooms and an enormous lounge and kitchen space — excellent for teams or households.
I actually liked our time in Snaefellsnes with Ryan from Hidden Iceland. We discovered a lot about glaciers, volcanoes, and lava flows and the most effective half was not needing to navigate or drive — we might simply sit again and luxuriate in (or nap!) If you need to do a day tour from Reykjavik, I extremely advocate the specialists at Hidden Iceland. As a reader, you will get 10% off a scheduled group tour from Hidden Iceland with promo code WE3TRAVEL.
Where to Stay in Snaefellsnes Peninsula
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