Ólafsvík
Ólafsvík is a small fishing town of around 1,000 people on the northern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, sitting between Grundarfjörður to the east and Hellissandur to the west. It holds the distinction of being Iceland's oldest officially chartered trading post, having received its trade licence in 1687 during the Danish trade monopoly period. Today it is a working fishing and fish processing community with a pleasant harbour area, a regional museum called Pakkhús housed in a 19th-century trading store, and a small maritime museum by the harbour. It is one of several departure points for whale watching tours in the waters off Snæfellsnes, where orcas, humpbacks, and minke whales are regularly sighted. The Bæjarfoss waterfall is within short walking distance of the town centre.
Iceland's Oldest Trading Charter Town on Snæfellsnes, Now a Whale Watching Base with Views Toward Kirkjufell
Ólafsvík received its official trading charter in 1687, making it the oldest chartered trading post in Iceland. During the Danish trade monopoly period of the 17th and 18th centuries, it was one of the more active commercial ports on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, benefiting from its natural harbour and position on the northern coast with access to the rich fishing grounds of Breiðafjörður and the waters around the peninsula's tip. The Pakkhús regional museum, housed in a trading store built in 1844, documents this commercial history on its upper floor alongside a recreation of a 19th-century Icelandic home. The ground floor operates as a handicrafts shop and café. A separate small maritime museum near the harbour covers the town's fishing heritage. About 6 kilometres east of town stands the Gufuskálar radio mast, at 412 metres the tallest structure in Iceland and for a period the tallest in Western Europe.
Whale watching is one of the main visitor activities based in and around Ólafsvík. The waters off the northern Snæfellsnes coast are rich in marine life, and tours operate from the harbour during summer months with sightings of orcas, humpback whales, minke whales, and white-beaked dolphins recorded regularly. The town is also a practical base for exploring the western end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with Snæfellsjökull National Park and the glacier accessible within 20 to 30 minutes by road. The Bæjarfoss waterfall drops from the mountainside directly above the town and is reachable on a short walk from the centre. Hiking trails in the surrounding hills give views across the peninsula and out toward the volcanic islands of Breiðafjörður.
Ólafsvík is on Route 574 on the northern coast of Snæfellsnes, about 189 kilometres from Reykjavík and two and a half hours by car via Route 54. The town has a hotel, guesthouses, a supermarket, a petrol station, and a swimming pool. Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, one of the most photographed locations in Iceland, are about 15 kilometres east near Grundarfjörður. From Ólafsvík it is also possible to drive the short distance to the Snæfellsjökull glacier trailhead at Arnarstapi on the southern coast via the mountain road Vatnaleið. The town has a domestic airport with limited services.
