Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Vestmannaeyjar is a group of volcanic islands off the south coast of Iceland, with Heimaey as the only inhabited one. It is reached by a 35–40 minute ferry from Landeyjahöfn, about 140 km from Reykjavík. Most visitors spend at least half a day to see the town, the 1973 eruption sites and the puffins.
Heimaey, the main island of Vestmannaeyjar, is home to about 4,500 people and one of Iceland's most dramatic modern stories. In January 1973 a volcanic fissure opened right at the edge of town, and the eruption that followed buried part of Heimaey under lava and ash and forced the whole population to evacuate overnight. Today the new volcano, Eldfell, stands over the town it helped reshape, and the Eldheimar museum tells the story through a house excavated from the ash.
The islands are also one of the best places in Iceland to see puffins, with a colony of several million birds nesting on the cliffs each summer. Boat tours around the islands, a walk up Eldfell, and views out to the young island of Surtsey, formed in an eruption in the 1960s, all make Vestmannaeyjar feel distinct from mainland Iceland, even though it is close by.
The name means “islands of the Westmen”, the Norse word for people from Ireland and Britain. According to the settlement story, Irish slaves who had killed their master Hjörleifur fled out here, and his foster-brother Ingólfur Arnarson followed and killed them. The archipelago is made up of about 15 islands and some 30 rock stacks and skerries. Only Heimaey is inhabited, but six of the smaller islands have a single hunting cabin each.
The sea around the islands is as lively as the cliffs. Besides puffins you see gannets, fulmars, guillemots and other seabirds, and whales and dolphins are sometimes spotted from the ferry and on boat tours. Bring a camera and something windproof, because much of the best of Heimaey is outdoors.
On the night of 23 January 1973, a volcanic fissure opened without warning on the edge of Heimaey town. Almost the entire population was evacuated to the mainland by fishing boats within hours. The eruption went on for months, burying part of the town under lava and ash and eventually building the new volcano Eldfell.
Islanders later pumped millions of tonnes of seawater onto the advancing lava to slow it and protect the harbour, an effort credited with saving the town's fishing industry. Remarkably, only one person died. Today a house preserved under the ash forms the centrepiece of the Eldheimar museum, and Eldfell itself is an easy climb with views over the whole eruption site.
The islands have an older dark chapter too. In July 1627 pirates from Algiers raided Heimaey and carried off 234 people into slavery, an event Icelanders call the Turkish Raid. The Sagnheimar folk museum in town tells that story in detail, alongside the eruption, the fishing history and the Þjóðhátíð festival.
The Landeyjahöfn ferry route can be disrupted by sediment build-up or bad weather, sometimes rerouting to Þorlákshöfn, which takes longer. Check sailing status before travelling.
The island is small enough to cover most highlights in a day.
Follow the forecast on vedur.is whatever the season, and check the ferry status on the day you travel.
Heimaey town has hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, shops, a swimming pool and full services. The Eldheimar museum has a café.
Heimaey town has a range of places to stay, from hotels and guesthouses to a hostel and a campsite, if you want to stay overnight rather than do a day trip. Book early for summer weekends.
By the Herjólfur ferry from Landeyjahöfn, which takes about 35–40 minutes. Flights from Reykjavík are limited and seasonal.
About 35–40 minutes from Landeyjahöfn to Heimaey. When the ferry has to sail from Þorlákshöfn instead, the crossing takes much longer.
Yes, though it makes for a long day; many visitors prefer to stay overnight.
A volcanic eruption began right at the edge of town, forcing an overnight evacuation and eventually forming the new volcano Eldfell.
Yes, on a clear day you can see Surtsey, formed by an eruption in the 1960s, from parts of the island, though landing there is not permitted.
“Islands of the Westmen”. Westmen was the Norse name for the Irish, and the islands are named after Irish slaves who fled here in the settlement story.
Pufflings leave the burrows in August and early September. Adult puffins are on the cliffs from about May to August.
On the first weekend of August. It is the biggest festival of the year in Iceland, and tickets and ferry places sell out months ahead.
Tours and trips that include Vestmannaeyjar, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
DAY TOURVestmannaeyjar Boat TourFrom 12,000 ISK per person
DAY TOURWestman Islands Boat TourFrom 18,500 ISK per person
DAY TOURWestman Islands Boat TourFrom 26,300 ISK per person
DAY TOURWestman Islands Volcano ATV TourFrom 14,900 ISK per person
DAY TOURWestman Islands Puffin Scooter TourFrom 15,000 ISK per person
DAY TOURVolcano Scooter Tour in Westman IslandsFrom 10,000 ISK per person
