Vesturland, Iceland — Towns & Travel Guide

What is Vesturland known for?

One peninsula carries the region's image. Snæfellsnes reaches west into the sea under the glacier-capped cone of Snæfellsjökull, while the broad lowlands of Borgarfjörður spread inland around Borgarnes, the road-junction hub on the estuary. Deildartunguhver pushes out more boiling water than any spring in Europe, the falls of Hraunfossar seep from a lava field into the Hvítá, and the medieval farm at Reykholt ties the region to Snorri Sturluson and the sagas.

Akranes anchors the southern shore on Faxaflói. The contrasts come fast here.

Where is Vesturland?

Vesturland occupies the western part of Iceland, and its outline is drawn by two great inlets. In the south the deep fjord of Hvalfjörður bites inland from Faxaflói, and beyond it the wide lowland basin of Borgarfjörður opens out, fed by the glacial Hvítá and ringed by farms. The land then narrows to a point.

Snæfellsnes runs west. That long peninsula is the region's signature, a spine of old volcanoes and lava fields tipped by Snæfellsjökull, the glacier-capped cone that closes the view from across Faxaflói. To its north the huge shallow bay of Breiðafjörður scatters its low islands and skerries past the harbour town of Stykkishólmur.

Inland, the country lifts toward the ice. The Hvítá carries meltwater down from Langjökull, dropping over the lava-fed falls of Hraunfossar and the rapids of Barnafoss, while Deildartunguhver boils up in the Borgarfjörður valley with the greatest flow of any hot spring in Europe. Glacier, lava, and tideline crowd into one short stretch of coast.

What is Vesturland like?

Vesturland reads first through the sagas. The medieval farm at Reykholt was the home of Snorri Sturluson, the chieftain and writer whose Heimskringla and Edda fixed much of what survives of Norse myth and the kings' tales, and his stone bathing pool still sits beside the church. Borgarfjörður itself is saga ground, the country of Egill Skallagrímsson and the settlers of Borg.

The past stays close. Daily life splits between sea and farm. The Snæfellsnes harbours at Stykkishólmur and the smaller landings live from the fishing grounds of Breiðafjörður, while the Borgarfjörður lowlands run sheep and dairy on some of the best grazing on the island.

Geothermal heat shapes the region as much as the saga past, piping hot water from Deildartunguhver across the valley to greenhouses and pools. Akranes keeps a strong football tradition out of proportion to its size. Folklore wraps the glacier too, and Snæfellsjökull has drawn writers and seekers who read it as a place of strange power.

What is the history of Vesturland?

Settlement reached Borgarfjörður early. Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson took the land around Borg in the saga age, and the district became one of the powerful centres of the Icelandic Commonwealth, with Reykholt rising as the seat of Snorri Sturluson in the thirteenth century. Fishing later built the coast, raising Stykkishólmur on Breiðafjörður and Akranes on Faxaflói into trading and harbour towns.

The Hvalfjörður tunnel changed the south. Boring under the fjord pulled the whole region far closer to the capital.

What is the climate of Vesturland?

Faxaflói governs the weather along the southern shore. Air off the bay keeps winters milder than the inland highlands, but it also drives wind and rain in off the Atlantic, and the open Snæfellsnes coast takes the brunt of the gales. The sheltered Borgarfjörður lowlands sit a touch calmer and warmer in summer, while Snæfellsjökull holds its snow well into the warm months.

Weather turns quickly. Bright June nights swing to dark, storm-driven winters.

How do you get to Vesturland?

Most visitors arrive by road from the capital. The Ring Road runs north out of the Reykjavík area and dives under Hvalfjörður through the tunnel, reaching Borgarnes in well under an hour before branching on toward Snæfellsnes and the north. A car makes sense here.

Buses serve the main towns, but the side roads out to the peninsula tips and the inland Borgarfjörður valleys reward having your own wheels.