Seyðisfjörður stands at the innermost point of its fjord in the Eastern Region of Iceland, with about 660 residents. Norwegian fishermen founded the town in 1848 and built the wooden houses that still line its streets. The Norröna ferry from Denmark and the Faroe Islands docks here. For its size the town holds an unusual amount of art: the Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, the Technical Museum of East Iceland and the only cinema in east Iceland. A hiking path from the centre follows the Fjarðará past waterfalls.
Seyðisfjörður
- Currency
- Icelandic króna (ISK)
- Language
- Icelandic; nearly all speak English
- Power plug
- Europlug and Schuko sockets, 230 V
- Visa
- Schengen; outside the EU
- Time zone
- UTC±00:00 (Atlantic/Reykjavik)
- Tap water
- Safe; hot water smells of sulphur
- Tipping
- Not customary
- Emergency
- 112
Things to do
All tours in Seyðisfjörður on GetYourGuide
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When to go
Shoulder
Apr – May
The Norröna sails on its low-season timetable and leaves on Wednesday at 20:00. Buses to Egilsstaðir run to the flight times, without the extra summer departures.
High season
Jun – Aug
The ferry switches to the Thursday 10:00 departure and fares rise; book well ahead. One or two extra buses a day run from central Egilsstaðir. At 65° north it barely gets dark, and summer is the driest part of a very wet year.
Shoulder
Sep – Oct
The ferry returns to the Wednesday evening departure and fares fall. LungA School runs its term outside the summer months, so the art side of the town is working rather than performing.
Low season
Nov – Mar
Daylight is short at this latitude, and the road out of town crosses the Fjarðarheiði pass at 600 m. A ski area in the pass is used through the winter. Annual precipitation here is over 1,650 mm, and little of it falls in summer.
How long to stay
One night covers the town itself: the wooden houses, the Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, the Technical Museum of East Iceland and the start of the waterfall path along the Fjarðará. Two nights make sense if you want the 17 km trip out to Skálanes on the south side of the fjord, or the walk far enough up the river to reach the 25 waterfalls above the town. Ferry passengers who land from the Norröna and drive straight over the pass to Egilsstaðir see almost none of this. Allow half a day at the very least.
Getting around
The town is small enough to cross on foot, and the main road through it runs out to both sides of the fjord. Route 93 climbs west over the Fjarðarheiði pass, 600 m up, and reaches Egilsstaðir and the Ring Road after 27 km. It is the only road link to the rest of Iceland. Routes 951 and 952 run east along the northern and southern shores of the fjord. Skálanes nature and heritage centre is 17 km east of town. Buses run to Egilsstaðir several times a day, timed to the flights there. They are operated by Ferðaþjónusta Austurlands, which has no website; the town administration site keeps the current schedule. The Norröna ferry calls once a week, not daily.
What to see
Destinations in Seyðisfjörður
Frequently asked questions
How do you reach Seyðisfjörður by road?
By Route 93, which leaves the town westwards and crosses the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass at 600 m. After 27 km it meets Egilsstaðir and the Ring Road. This is the only road connection to the rest of Iceland.Is there a ferry from Europe?
Yes. The car ferry Norröna, run by Smyril Line, calls once a week from Hirtshals in Denmark and Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. It is the only car ferry between Iceland and another country. The crossing from the Faroes takes one to two days, from Denmark three to four. A return journey to Denmark costs €280–590 with a car, or €120–250 per passenger, before the supplement for a cabin or bed.Is there an airport in Seyðisfjörður?
No. The nearest airport is at Egilsstaðir, about 30 minutes away, with regular flights to the capital. Several buses a day connect the airport with Seyðisfjörður.Was the series Trapped filmed here?
Yes. The 2015 Icelandic mystery series Trapped (Ófærð) was shot in Seyðisfjörður, in Reykjavík and in Siglufjörður, and aired on BBC4 in early 2016. The skateboard scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was also filmed here.What happened in the 2020 mudflows?
After days of heavy rain in December 2020, mudflows hit the town. Thirty-nine houses were damaged, twelve of them destroyed outright, and the whole town was evacuated. Damage was put at over one billion Icelandic krónur. Residents were allowed back in October 2021, once protective works were in place.