Ísafjörður hotels: the Westfjords capital
Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjords, roughly 2,700 people, tucked into a horseshoe of 700 metre peaks on the Skutulsfjörður fjord. It is 460 km from Reykjavík by road (six hours in summer, longer in winter) or a 40-minute domestic flight. Ísafjörður is the region’s only town with a full hotel selection, a supermarket open past 20:00, and a paved runway.
Three we recommend
Hótel Ísafjörður Horn
The town’s flagship hotel, on the harbour with a view of the peaks. Rooms are practical rather than luxurious, and the ground-floor restaurant does a properly good arctic char at ISK 4,900.
Price band: $210 to $300 per night (ISK 29,000 to 41,000)
Hótel Ísafjörður Torg
Sister property to Horn, one block inland on the town square. Slightly quieter, marginally cheaper, and the better pick if you want to be near the bakery and coffee shop that anchor the square.
Price band: $180 to $260 per night (ISK 25,000 to 36,000)
Gamla Guesthouse
A 12-room guesthouse in a restored 1896 timber house on Mánagata, three minutes’ walk from the harbour. Bathrooms are shared on two of the four rooms upstairs; the rest are en suite. Breakfast is homemade and included.
Price band: $140 to $200 per night (ISK 19,000 to 28,000)
Practical tips
- Ísafjörður’s airport, Ísafjarðarflugvöllur, closes for weather three or four times a month in winter; buffer a spare day at either end of a flying itinerary.
- The Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel to Bolungarvík (7 km) is free; the older Vestfjarðagöng tunnel toward Þingeyri is single-lane in sections with passing bays, drive it slowly.
- The town’s public swimming pool, Sundhöll Ísafjarðar, is a 1945 indoor pool with outdoor hot pots for ISK 1,100; open evenings until 21:30.