Flateyri Westfjords Iceland
Frequently Asked Questions
A few steps from the main street. Expedition ships sail up Önundarfjördur and put passengers ashore at the edge of the village, built on a spit of sand and grass reaching into the fjord. A few strides and you are in the middle of local life.
Under an hour to walk the whole village. Two hundred residents, a row of painted sheet-metal houses facing the Westfjords mountains: Flateyri fits into a few streets, yet the call counts for more than its size.
Gamla Bókabúðin, the oldest bookshop in Iceland, founded in 1914 and run by the same family for four generations. It keeps its original counter, its wooden shelves and, at the back, the family apartment turned into a museum where nothing has moved in decades.
Because several houses in the village sell second-hand volumes, continuing a tradition born of long winter evenings. You can leaf through old Icelandic works and find used editions from all over the world.
A museum that lives up to its name: police caps from around the world, matchboxes, models, wrapped sugar cubes and other improbable collections piled up with very Icelandic humour. You leave it smiling.
Avalanche protection. In October 1995 a slide from Skollahvilft struck Flateyri and killed twenty people. The wedge-shaped barrier, built in the late 1990s, largely deflected two further slides in 2020 — painful but concrete proof of its worth.
Yes, a path climbs to the crest of the structure. From up there the view takes in the fjord, the sand spit and the peaks. The path is short but stony, so wear proper shoes.
On calm days, yes, but only for the brave: the water in Önundarfjördur rarely rises above ten degrees. A pale sand beach and a photogenic wooden jetty reach into the shallows, where shorebirds patrol and seals sometimes surface.
Yes, a café and simple dining set in historic buildings. The fish comes from the quay next door, and the homemade fish soup with warm bread is the ideal reward after the climb to the crest. Conversation with residents starts easily.
No, none at all. Bring a payment card, which is accepted everywhere. Note too that the bookshop and museums keep variable hours, though announced ship calls are generally honoured.
