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
Flatey is a flat island about 2 km long and 1 km wide in the Breiðafjörður bay in West Iceland. Cars are not allowed. You reach it on the Baldur car ferry between Stykkishólmur and Brjánslækur, which stops at the island. The village of old wooden houses is best in summer, and most day visitors need 2–4 hours.
Flatey is the largest of the many small islands in Breiðafjörður, Iceland’s second-largest bay. The name means “flat island”, and the land is low and green, with a single gravel road connecting the harbour to the village. Only a few people live there through the winter, but families return in summer to the restored houses.
The village feels like a small living museum. There is a church from 1926 with murals by the artist Baltasar Samper, a small library founded in 1864, and painted wooden houses beside the shore. Birds are the other reason to visit: puffins, black guillemots, eider ducks, and arctic terns nest here in summer, and white-tailed eagles live in the bay.
Flatey is the biggest of a cluster of about forty small islands and skerries in this part of the bay. You can walk the whole island in an hour or two. The gravel road from the pier runs through the old village and gets narrower the further you go, until it is just a track. Sheep graze freely, and outside the nesting areas you can wander at your own pace. There are no hills to speak of, which is how the island got its name.
Flatey was a centre of learning in the Middle Ages, with a monastery reported to have been founded here in 1172, and it received trading rights in 1777, becoming a small commercial hub for the north-west. The Flateyjarbók, a large manuscript of sagas from the 14th century, was once kept on the island.
That history explains why the island has so many well-kept old houses for its size. The sea and the bird life gave the people a living for many centuries.
Schedules and crossing times change by season. Always check the latest timetable, and give yourself margin in case of bad weather.
Everything is close together, so you can see it all in a slow walk.
Many houses are private. Please respect residents’ privacy and keep to the roads and paths.
Arctic terns nest near paths in early summer and may dive at walkers.
The island has a small hotel with a restaurant and bar in restored historic buildings, open in summer. The bar is known for the Flajito, its own rum drink. Other services are limited, so plan food and drink for your visit. There are no cars, and no fuel.
You can stay in the island’s hotel or a few guesthouses in summer, or stay in Stykkishólmur for a day trip. Book early because space is limited.
By the Baldur ferry from Stykkishólmur or Brjánslækur. It stops at Flatey and runs all year.
No. Cars are not allowed on Flatey. You leave your car at the ferry port.
2–4 hours is enough to walk around. Staying overnight is more relaxed.
Summer, roughly May to August.
Only a handful of people, so services on the island are limited outside summer.
“Flat island”. The island is low and has no hills, unlike the mountains you see around the bay.
The old village, the church with its mural, the small library from 1864, the cemetery and the bird life. It is all within a short walk of the pier.
