Vopnafjörður

East Iceland

Vopnafjörður sits at the inner end of a wide northeast Iceland fjord, flanked by headlands opening onto Bakkaflói and Héraðsflói bays. The name traces to a Viking-age settler called Eyvindur Vopni — "vopni" meaning weapon — and the area served as a major emigration departure point in the late 1800s. The Kaupvangur Museum documents that story. Around 700 people live here now, mostly in fishing and agriculture. The most-visited nearby site is Bustarfell, a turf-farm museum about 20 km outside town. The farm has been in the same family since the 16th century, making it one of Iceland's oldest continuously occupied sites. Three kitchens from different centuries are preserved side by side, giving a concrete sense of how life changed across generations. It opens seasonally in summer. Vopnafjörður sits on the Arctic Coast Way scenic route, with salmon rivers, the Gljúfurárfoss waterfall, and uncrowded black sand beaches nearby. Services are limited — fill up on fuel and supplies before heading further northeast. The drive in from the Ring Road via Route 85 is scenic and quiet.

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