Heimaey and the Westman Islands

Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland

23 Comments

  1. Vanessa

    This is nice! Interesting place. Love that cute little puffin. And that colorful door. Im thinking of doing the same to my front door! All in all, I love the artistic personality of this island, its refreshing image, and that amazing view of the coastline.

    1. Hugo Cura

      Thanks Vanessa. It’s indeed a great and colorful place. There were a few other doors just like that one and lots of wall paintings with fishing related “drawings”. Interesting place for sure. One of our favourites in Iceland, without crowds!

  2. Jan Karwowski

    Great blog! Just curious…how long would you say it takes to hike to the top of Eldfell? And any recommendations on where to have lunch on the island? Thank you!

    1. Hugo Cura

      Thanks, Jan! We really appreciate it.

      It’s not that long. There are different routes up to the top. We went up using the southwest approach, going around the base coming from the town/north (I believe this is the suggested one). Going down we did half of it using the same path but then headed north as this way allows to go down to the bottom of the crater. There is at least one other yet more complicated path from northeast. Overall it’s a bit steep in parts, but I would say 15-30 minutes depending on fitness level and starting at the foot of the volcano. Mind the wind up there, it can get chilly.

      Let us know if you need anything else!

      Cheers

    2. Hugo Cura

      Oh, forgot. About the lunch. We had sandwiches, as we usual do during the day not to waste too much time. Besides that, I believe that there is a couple of places to have good fish, close to the harbor. It’s a small town, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find them.

      Also, head to the tourist office (there are signs all over pointing there) and get a local map, it’s really useful as it includes walking/hiking trails.

  3. Jema

    Loved seeing all of the beauty there from the mountain top view to the art. Street murals add so much to experiencing a place. And the Puffins..how I love those colorful birds!

  4. Laura

    I didn’t know about the Westman Islands. We visited Iceland in winter and weren’t able to travel far from Reykjavik because of the snow and storms, so we missed seeing a lot of the things you’ve mentioned. We did see a lot of mustaches though!

    1. Breathe With Us

      The islands are not very well known yet. It was a bit of a gamble to go there because of the weather, but we got really lucky. Even the sea wasn’t that rough.

      Winter travel is tricky but can be done. You need a plan B and C, just in case. The pace will be much slower.

  5. Megan Claire (@mappingmegan)

    Love this! Iceland was one of our favorite trips of all time – we didn’t get the chance to do the Westman Islands, but I really do want to get back and explore more. We only had a week and a half and thought that would have been enough time, but I fell in love and really could spend a lifetime there!!

    LOVE the street signs!! Puffins are the BEST 😀

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