Ólafsvík

West

Ólafsvík earned a royal trading licence from the Danish Crown in 1687, making it one of Iceland's oldest authorized trading posts, and fishing has defined it ever since. Today it's a working town of just over 1,000 people on Snæfellsnes's northern shore, with trawlers in the harbour and a fish-processing plant. The church, designed by Hákon Hertervig and finished in 1967, has one of Iceland's most distinctive silhouettes — angular, reading like a ship's prow from one side. The harbour is the departure point for whale-watching tours into productive feeding grounds offshore. A small maritime museum sits by the waterfront, and the Pakkhús cultural centre occupies an 1844 trading store. The town covers the basics for Snæfellsnes travellers: fuel, supermarket, pool, and accommodation. Snæfellsjökull glacier fills the skyline to the south. Saxhóll crater is a quick stop nearby. Djúpalónssandur beach and the Lóndrangar sea stacks lie within roughly 20 kilometres inside Snæfellsjökull National Park. The road east toward Grundarfjörður passes beneath Kirkjufell.

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