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
Stöðvarfjörður is a small fishing village of around 180 people in the Eastfjords, and the Ring Road runs straight through it. It is best known for Petra's Stone Collection and the old fish factory that is now a creative centre. The village is free to visit, and a stop takes 1–2 hours.
Stöðvarfjörður sits on the north shore of a short, steep-sided fjord. Mountains such as Steðji, Hellufjall and Súlur rise around it, and the harbour is still the centre of village life even though fishing is far smaller than it once was.
The village has reinvented itself as a quiet creative stop. The old fish freezing plant is now a creative centre with artist studios, residencies, workshops and even a recording studio, and in summer a small market sells local crafts. Petra's Stone Collection, in a private house, is the classic visit, and the garden and café are part of the appeal.
For a short walk, Jafnadalur valley has trails to a rock arch and a big solitary boulder called Einbúinn, the Hermit. On the coast north of the village, Saxa is a cleft in the sea cliffs that works like a sea geyser: when the swell is right, the waves are forced in and spray shoots into the air.
Petra Sveinsdóttir (1922–2012) began collecting stones as a child and never stopped. Over her life she gathered thousands of specimens, mostly from East Iceland, and filled her home and garden with them. Her family now looks after the house as a museum.
The land here was farmed long before there was a village. The village itself dates its modern history to 1896, when the merchant Carl Guðmundsson was given permission to trade there. Farmers who also fished for part of the year settled close by, drawn by the rich fishing grounds just outside the mouth of the fjord. Fishing is far smaller today, but the harbour still matters to village life, and you may well meet local fishermen there.
Tourism has filled part of the gap. When the village got a new church in 1991, the old church was turned into a guesthouse. When the fish freezing plant closed, the building was given a new life as the creative centre.
Mountain passes on the East coast can be icy or foggy in winter. Check umferdin.is and vedur.is before driving.
Everything is close together, so you can see most of it on foot from the main road.
Opening times for the galleries, the market and the creative centre change from year to year, so ask locally.
The village has a small outdoor swimming pool with a hot tub, a campsite, a coffee roastery and café options, small galleries, and a district information office. Petra's collection has a café kiosk with soup, cakes and coffee in summer.
The village has a campsite at its east end, a guesthouse in the old church and a few other guesthouse and cottage options. For more choice, stay in Fáskrúðsfjörður, Reyðarfjörður, Djúpivogur or Egilsstaðir, all within reach on the Ring Road.
Petra's Stone Collection, the old fish factory turned creative centre, and its quiet fjord setting on the Ring Road.
No. It is open daily from 1 May to 15 October, 9:00–17:00 (check for changes).
About ISK 2,000 per person at the last check. Prices may change, so check steinapetra.is.
One to two hours is enough for the collection, a coffee and a stroll on the harbour.
Yes, the village has a pool with a hot tub.
A cleft in the sea cliffs north of the village, often called a sea geyser. In a swell the waves are forced into it and spray shoots high into the air.
Fewer than 200. It is one of the smaller villages in the Eastfjords and part of Fjarðabyggð municipality.
