Visit Seydisfjordur charming town in Iceland

Seydisfjordur (Seyðisfjörður) is considered a hidden gem and one of the most beautiful little towns in Iceland. It is located quite remote at the bottom of the East Icelandic Fjords and connected to the rest of the island by a road which passes over a mountain pass called Fjarðarheiði (600m/2000ft). In the summer the city is easily accessible, but starting with late autumn it becomes very dangerous due to the ice.

Seydisfjordur’s closest neighboring city is Egilsstadir, the capital of East Iceland, with which is connected by several buses a day. From Egilsstadir one can get to the main ring road, Route 1. There is even a weekly ferry (Smyril) arriving in Seydisfjordur from Denmark (Hirtshals) in 3-4 days or from Faroe Islands in 1-2 days.

This charming fishing town is surrounded by impressive mountains (the highest peaks: Mt. Bjólfur 1085m/3559ft and Mt. Strandartindur 1010m/3313ft and the mountainsides have been skillfully carved by water creating a dramatic scenery. During the summer the landscape is covered in the blue shades of lupins.

The city has been an important trading center. The first settlers were Norwegian fishermen and came here in the 19th century. They were the ones building the old wooden multi colored houses.

Seydisfjordur has many facilities despite of being isolated: a camping ground, hotels, cosy cafés, a swimming pool, library, Skaftfell art centre, cinema, hospital, harbor. In addition, there are many activities you can book like: boat trips, kayaking, riding a bike, paragliding, go fishing. For those wanting to enjoy the wilderness, there are several off the beaten path hiking trails (to Mjoifjordur Fjord, The Waterfall Lane, the Seven Peaks mission).

What I love the most about Seydisfjordur are the vibrant, marvelous colors of the Scandinavian style houses, combined with the surreal landscapes which create a visual feast for the eyes.

The city of Seydisfjordur was one of the most stunning for us. It wasn’t on our itinerary from the beginning, but we were in that area and decided to visit the small town after finding good reviews for the restaurant it hosts, the Nordic Restaurant. It was almost midnight when we left the second restaurant, Skaftfell Bistro, it was very cold outside, but I was like in a state of trance as I was running the empty streets to take photos with every corner of the city. Then we took the ride along the fjords till its end where only the nature and its mystic sounds reign. What a remarkable day we had!

We ate at:

• Nordic Restaurant & Skaftfell Bistro in Seydisfjordur (small reindeer pizza/ ≅ 20€)

We camped:

• in Seydisfjordur

Keep on reading IDR’s articles to discover the amazing Iceland and many other incredible places on Earth.