Iceland Bays
131 mapped7 regionsBest June–AugBirdlife & harbours
Iceland's coastline is deeply indented with named bays (vík and vogur) and inlets. They're where you find harbours, seabird colonies, seals and boat trips — whale-watching out of Faxaflói and Skjálfandi, eider colonies on sheltered shores, and coastal villages at the head of the water. Most sit on or just off the Ring Road; a few in the Westfjords mean gravel and longer drives.
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Wildlife on the coastJune–August
Seabird colonies and boat trips are busiest in early summer
PuffinsApr–mid-Aug
Whale tripsFaxaflói, Skjálfandi
SealsSheltered shoresAccessMostly pavedNotable bays
The best-documented bays, with region and directions.
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VehicleWhen & how to visit Iceland's bays
Most named bays sit on or just off the Ring Road (Route 1) and coastal routes, so they slot easily into a wider trip. The wildlife draw peaks in early summer — June to August for seabird colonies, whale-watching out of Faxaflói (Reykjavík) and Skjálfandi (Húsavík), and seals on sheltered shores. Puffins leave by mid-August. A handful of Westfjords bays involve gravel roads and longer drives; check live road conditions on road.is before you set out, and fuel up when you can — services on the remoter coast are spread thin.
The bays of Iceland, compared
All 121 named bays, ranked — our best-documented picks first. Tap any name for the full guide. Position and region come from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap.
| Bay | Region | Known for | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Aðalvík | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Arnarfjörður | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
| Álftafjörður | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Berufjörður | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Borgarfjörður | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Breiðafjörður | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Eyjafjörður | North Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Faxaflói | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Fljótavík | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Grunnavík | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Héraðsflói | East Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Hornafjörður | East Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Húnaflói | North Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Hvalfjörður | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Ísafjarðardjúp | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Jökulfirðir | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Landeyjahöfn | South Coast | Worth discovering |
 | Maríuhöfn | West Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Selvík | North Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Skerjafjörður | Reykjavík Area | Worth discovering |
 | Skjálfandi | North Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Skutulsfjörður | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Þaralátursfjörður | Westfjords | Worth discovering |
 | Þistilfjörður | North Iceland | Worth discovering |
 | Bíldudalsvogur | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Bjarnarfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Borgarfjörður Eystri | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Breiðavík | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Breiðdalsvík | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Brjánslækur | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Dalvik | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Drangavík | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Dynjandavogur | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Dýrafjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Elliðaárvogur | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Eskifjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Fáskrúðsfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Fossfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Geirþjófsfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Gilsfjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Grafarvogur bay | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Grófin | Reykjanes Peninsula | Bay in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Grundartangi | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Grunnafjördur | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Haffjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Hamarsfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Hellisfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Herdísarvík | Reykjanes Peninsula | Bay in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Hesteyrarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Hestfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Héðinsfjarðarvatn | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Héðinsfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Hlíðarvatn | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Hlöðuvík | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Hornafjarðarfljót | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Hrafnsfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Hrútafjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Húnafjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Húsavík | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Hvalfjörður whaling station | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Hvalvatnsfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Hælavík | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Höfðavatn | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Ísafjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Kolgrafafjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Kollafjörður | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Kollafjörður (Strandir) | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Króksfjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Laxárvogur | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Loðmundarfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Lónsvík | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Miðfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Mjóifjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Njarðvík | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Norðfjarðarflói | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Norðfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Norðurfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Ófeigsfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Ólafsfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Papafjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Rekavíkurvatn | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Reyðarfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Reykjarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Reykjavík harbour | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Seljafjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Seyðisfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Siglufjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Sigríðarstaðavatn | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Skagafjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Skarðsfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Skálmarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Skötufjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Stakksfjörður | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Steingrímsfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Straumfjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Straumsvik | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Straumsvík | Reykjavík Area | Bay in Reykjavík Area |
 | Stöðvarfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Suðurfirðir | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Súgandafjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Tálknafjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Trékyllisvík | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Trostansfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Vatnsfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Vattarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
| Viðfjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Vigrafjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland |
 | Vopnafjordur | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
 | Þorgeirsfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
 | Þorskafjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Önundarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords |
 | Öxarfjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland |
| Bakkafjörður | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland | |
| Bakkaflói | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland | |
| Bjarnarfjörður nyrðri | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords | |
| Bolir | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland | |
| Eyvindarfjörður | Westfjords | Bay in Westfjords | |
| Finnafjörður | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland | |
| Glerhallavík | North Iceland | Bay in North Iceland | |
| Hvammsfjörður | West Iceland | Bay in West Iceland | |
| Seyðisfjarðarflói | East Iceland | Bay in East Iceland |
Bay
questions
How many bays does Iceland have?
Iceland has a deeply indented coastline with hundreds of named bays (vík / vogur) and inlets. This page maps the named bays worth locating, with their region and directions.
What's the difference between a bay and a fjord in Iceland?
A fjord (fjörður) is a long, narrow, steep-sided inlet carved by glaciers; a bay (vík or vogur) is a broader, shallower curve in the coast. In practice Icelandic names blur the two — several places named "-fjörður" are mapped here alongside true bays.
What can you do at Iceland’s bays?
Bays are where you find harbours, birdlife, seals and boat trips — from whale-watching out of Faxaflói and Skjálfandi to seal colonies and eider-duck colonies on sheltered shores. Many coastal villages sit at the head of a bay.
Are the bays easy to reach by car?
Most named bays sit on or just off the Ring Road and coastal routes. A few in the Westfjords involve gravel roads and longer drives. Check the map on each bay page for the exact position and the route in.
When is the best time to visit the coast?
June to August for birdlife, boat trips and the most reliable road access. Seabird colonies are busiest in early summer; puffins leave by mid-August. Winter brings short days and weather that changes fast — check road conditions before coastal drives.