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
Garðskagi is the northwest tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, near the village of Garður, with two lighthouses: a small one from 1897 and the tallest in Iceland, built in 1944. It is about 60 km from Reykjavík and 12 km from Keflavík Airport. It is free and open all day.
Garðskagaviti is the name for the lighthouses at Garðskagi, and there are two of them. The old Garðskagi lighthouse was built in 1897 and is small, 11.4 metres, white with orange bands. The new one, built in 1944 in only three months, is 28.6 metres tall and is the highest lighthouse in Iceland.
The point is flat and open, with the sea on three sides. On clear days you can see Faxaflói bay, Mount Esja and the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is also a good place for birds and, in winter, for the Northern Lights away from city light.
This is one of the easiest places in Iceland to simply sit and watch the sea. The shore is low, with pale sand and dark rocks, and you can walk along it in either direction from the car park. In calm weather it is quiet and wide open. In a storm the waves break right in front of the old lighthouse, and people drive out just to watch them.
The old lighthouse was once seen as one of the best in Iceland because it stood low and mist was not a problem, although heavy seas were a threat to it. The newer tower was designed by engineer Axel Sveinsson and also works as a radar station for the maritime authority. When it was finished in 1944, the lamp and lens from the old lighthouse were moved across to it. The old tower has been a protected building since 2003.
The heritage museum at Garðskagi opened in 1995 and tells the story of local fishing and life on the peninsula. It is known for its collection of about 60 restored engines and for a nine-metre, six-oared fishing boat from 1887.
Keflavík International Airport is on the Reykjanes peninsula, only 10–15 minutes' drive from Garðskagi. That makes the lighthouses an easy first or last stop in Iceland, or part of a stopover: pick up a car at the airport and you can see Garðskagi, the Bridge Between Continents, Gunnuhver and the Reykjanes lighthouse in half a day.
Garður, Keflavík and the other Reykjanes villages work well for one night if you land late, leave early or are only stopping over. If you are in Iceland for longer, we suggest you base yourself in Reykjavík or along the Ring Road, where most tours start and where there is more choice of restaurants and cafés.
Garðskagi is easy to reach all year. Pack warm, windproof clothes in every season, and take extra care on icy roads and in storms in winter.
There is parking by the lighthouses. Nearby are the heritage museum with a cafeteria, a simple campsite with toilets and fresh water, the Lighthouse Inn hotel and a swimming pool in Garður. The museum is open 10:00–17:00 from 1 May to 30 September.
Stay in Garður, Keflavík or Reykjavík. Lighthouse Inn is at Garðskagi itself.
28.6 metres, the tallest in Iceland. The old one is 11.4 metres.
The old one in 1897, the new one in 1944.
Yes, the site is free to visit. The museum is open 10:00–17:00 from 1 May to 30 September.
About 12 km, roughly 10–15 minutes by car.
Yes, in winter on clear, dark nights. The point looks north over the sea, away from town lights.
Access to the towers is not always offered. Ask at the heritage museum, which looks after the old lighthouse.
At the north-west tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, by the village of Garður. It is not near Grindavík, as some older guides say.
Arctic terns in summer, snow buntings and ptarmigan around the point, and seabirds passing offshore.
