Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Bíldudalur is a small village of around 240 people on the south shore of Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords. It's a place for a quiet walk and the quirky Icelandic Sea Monster Museum rather than a big sight, and it's reached by mountain road from Ísafjörður or the Ring Road via Route 60. There's no entry fee to the village itself.
Bíldudalur sits on Arnarfjörður, one of the largest and most dramatic fjords in the Westfjords, with steep mountains and waterfalls on the far shore. Like most Westfjords settlements, it grew up around trade and fishing; the merchant Ólafur Thorlacius built up the village's trading operations in the early 19th century after Denmark's trade monopoly on Iceland ended, and fishing has remained central to the local economy since.
Today the village is best known outside the region for the Icelandic Sea Monster Museum, which collects local stories and reported sightings of monsters in Arnarfjörður going back centuries. A short drive away, the fjord Geirþjófsfjörður is linked to the saga of Gísli Súrsson, one of Iceland's classic outlaw sagas.
The village sits below layered, flat-topped mountains and has a reputation as the good-weather capital of the Westfjords, thanks to its sheltered position on the fjord. It is part of the municipality of Vesturbyggð, together with Patreksfjörður.
Fishing is no longer the only work. A plant by the harbour processes sea minerals from calcified seaweed taken from the fjord, fish farming has grown in Arnarfjörður, and tourism has picked up over the last few decades. For a place of this size, music and culture are strong too: the village has its own music museum and has hosted a folk festival.
Visitors come for the museums, for sea angling on the fjord, and for hiking and skiing in the mountains around the village. Bring hiking boots and proper outdoor clothing if you plan to walk.
Bíldudalur was once one of the most prosperous trading places in the Westfjords. When the Danish trade monopoly was lifted in 1786, the merchant Ólafur Thorlacius bought its assets in the village and expanded the business, and he became the most respected businessman in the area.
Arnarfjörður has a long tradition of reported sea monster sightings, collected today in Bíldudalur's small Icelandic Sea Monster Museum. The stories range from historical accounts by fishermen to more recent sightings, and the museum presents them alongside general folklore about Iceland's monsters and hidden creatures. More than 200 accounts of sightings in the fjord have been recorded.
Mountain roads in the Westfjords can be closed by snow in winter, so check road.is before travelling outside summer. It is a long drive from Reykjavík. We recommend making it a trip of several days and stopping at places along the way.
The village is small, and you can walk between everything in a few minutes.
Bíldudalur works well as a base or a stop between the big sights of the southern Westfjords.
Distances look short on the map, but the roads wind around fjords and over passes. Plan fewer stops than you think you can manage.
Bíldudalur has a petrol station, a small shop and the Sea Monster Museum. Fuller services are in Patreksfjörður or Ísafjörður.
There are guesthouses in Bíldudalur itself, or you can base yourself in Patreksfjörður while exploring the southern Westfjords.
Its small Icelandic Sea Monster Museum and its setting on Arnarfjörður, one of the largest fjords in the Westfjords.
No, the village itself is free to visit; the museum charges its own admission.
By car via Route 60 from the Ring Road, or on a limited scheduled flight to the local airport.
Yes, though some mountain roads in and out can close temporarily in winter snow.
Roughly 375–400 km depending on the route, a good five hours by car. Most people visit as part of a Westfjords trip of several days.
Because of its sheltered position on Arnarfjörður, with mountains around it. The nickname reflects its reputation for calm, mild weather.
Dynjandi waterfall is about 45 minutes away, Patreksfjörður about 30 km, and Tálknafjörður, Rauðisandur and Látrabjarg are all within a day's outing.
