East Iceland hotels: Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, the reindeer fjords
East Iceland is the ring road’s quietest quarter, 650 km from Reykjavík and closer to Norway than to Keflavík by ferry. Egilsstaðir is the practical base, a small inland town with the region’s only real airport. Seyðisfjörður, 27 km east over a mountain pass, is the ferry-in port and the postcard fjord. Reindeer are common on the road at dusk.
Three we recommend
Fosshotel Eastfjords (Fáskrúðsfjörður)
A former French hospital repurposed as a full-service hotel on a quiet fjord. The building is properly historic, the restaurant is the best sit-down meal in the east, and the fjord views run from every south-facing room.
Price band: $220 to $340 per night (ISK 30,000 to 47,000)
Hotel Aldan (Seyðisfjörður)
Three restored 19th-century timber buildings in the ferry town, run as one small hotel. Rooms are individually decorated, the breakfast is served in the old bank, and everything worth seeing in Seyðisfjörður is within a five-minute walk.
Price band: $210 to $310 per night (ISK 29,000 to 43,000)
Icelandair Hotel Hérað (Egilsstaðir)
The east’s standard business hotel, walkable to the town centre and a five-minute drive from the airport. Reliable rather than characterful, with a restaurant that specialises in Egilsstaðir reindeer in the winter menu.
Price band: $180 to $260 per night (ISK 25,000 to 36,000)
Practical tips
- Egilsstaðir to Seyðisfjörður is 27 km over Fjarðarheiði; the pass closes several times each winter, so check road.is before committing to a fjord-side hotel.
- The Norröna ferry from Denmark docks in Seyðisfjörður on Thursdays; hotels there raise rates on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
- Egilsstaðir has the only supermarket open past 20:00 for 200 km in any direction; stock up before heading further into the fjords.