By air
Keflavík (KEF), ~2.5 h
Europe · Iceland
Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Iceland in miniature
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
Kirkjufell
Arnarstapi
Djúpalónssandur
Snæfellsjökull
Things to do
Kirkjufell
The Snæfellsjökull glacier
Seal spotting
Where to eat
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The black church at Búðir
Questions travellers ask
What makes Snæfellsnes worth the trip?
It is Iceland in miniature, with Kirkjufell, Arnarstapi, Djúpalónssandur and the Snæfellsjökull glacier.
What's the best season for Snæfellsnes?
Summer, from May to September. Bring layers.
How long does it take to reach Snæfellsnes from Keflavík?
About 2.5 h from Keflavík (KEF).
What else should I look out for on Snæfellsnes?
Seals — seal spotting is one of the draws — and the black church at Búðir. Finish with fresh fish in Stykkishólmur.
About Snæfellsnes
- Coastal
- Mountains
Where it is
Snæfellsnes is a long peninsula in western Iceland, west of Borgarfjörður and north of Reykjavík across Faxaflói bay, with the glacier-capped volcano Snæfellsjökull, about 1,450 m high, at its western tip.
History
The peninsula is one of the main settings of the Laxdæla saga, and the Eyrbyggja saga tells of the families who lived around its northern bays. Fishing villages grew along its coast, and the land around Snæfellsjökull is now one of Iceland's national parks.
People
Fishing villages and small towns such as Stykkishólmur, Grundarfjörður and Ólafsvík live mainly from fishing and tourism, and people speak Icelandic. Dried fish and fermented shark, hákarl, are traditional foods, and the farm at Bjarnarhöfn is known for curing shark.
Known for
- Kirkjufell mountain
- The Snæfellsjökull glacier
- The black church at Búðir
- The coastal path from Arnarstapi to Hellnar
- The lifting stones of Djúpalónssandur
Did you know?
In Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth, the explorers climb down into the crater of Snæfellsjökull to begin their journey underground.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.