Viking Village is a film set on the Stokksnes peninsula in south-east Iceland. It was built as a replica Viking village for a film production and left standing afterwards. Timber buildings and a wooden ship stand on black sand at the foot of Vestrahorn, whose peaks rise directly behind the beach. The set is now weathered and partly derelict. Entry is charged at the café by the car park, and the same ticket gives access to the beach, where the mountain reflects in the wet sand at low tide.
Viking Village
Local name: Viking Village (Film Set)
Most people leave Stokksnes with a photograph of Vestrahorn reflected in wet black sand, not of the village.
- Entrance
- Paid entry, charged per person and paid at the café before you go in. One ticket covers both the Viking village and the black sand beach. Children have been admitted free.
- Parking
- Car park at the café, about 700 m from the village.
- Transport
- No public transport: the nearest bus stop is more than 5 km away.
What makes it special
The village is not the main sight here. Vestrahorn is. The peaks rise straight off the black sand behind the buildings, and on a calm day at low tide the wet sand reflects them like a mirror.
The set below is a replica Viking village, built as scenery for a film and never anything else. It smells of old weathered wood. The buildings are battered and coming apart, and nothing has been restored or explained. A wooden Viking ship stands among them, and people go aboard for photographs.
Rolling dunes run along the beach. Seals and seabirds turn up along the shore, and with luck an Arctic fox.
Good to know
- Underfoot: the set is weather-beaten and partly falling apart. Some spots give underfoot, so watch where you step.
- No drinking water and no information board. Nothing on site explains what you are looking at, so bring something to drink.
- Toilets are at the café by the car park, about 700 m from the village, and are free.
- Wind: this is open coast. Gusts over 40 mph have been strong enough to wreck a day's plans here.
- There is little to do beyond photographs — the buildings, the ship and the beach are the whole visit.
Getting there
Stokksnes is reached by car. There is no bus stop within 5 km, and no other public transport to the site. The mountains are in view long before you arrive. The car park and the café stand together, about 700 m from the village itself, and entry is paid inside the café before you go through.
Best time to visit
Better: low tide on a calm day, and the last hour of light. At low tide the wet black sand reflects Vestrahorn, which is the photograph most people come away with. Golden hour also does a great deal for the set itself; the grey timber looks far better in low light than in flat daylight.
Avoid: windy days. The site is open to the sea, and strong gusts make walking the beach and holding a camera steady miserable.
Things to do nearby
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Viking Village on the map
Parts of the set are unsound. The timber is rotting, some buildings are partly collapsed, and the footing gives way in places. Do not climb the structures, and keep children out of them.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Viking village a genuine historic site?
No. It is a replica built as a film set and left in place. It has never been a settlement, and it is now weathered and partly falling apart.Can you get there without a car?
No. There is no bus stop within 5 km of the site, so access is by car.When does Vestrahorn reflect in the sand?
At low tide, when the wet black sand acts as a mirror. Calm water helps; wind breaks the reflection.Are there toilets and drinking water?
There are free toilets at the café by the car park, about 700 m from the village. There is no drinking water tap on site.Is there anywhere to eat?
There is a café at the entrance, where entry is also paid. It serves waffles.