Ísafjörður

A town built on a sandbank

The setting is the fact worth carrying: “the oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger fjord Ísafjarðardjúp”. In the photograph above it is unmistakable — the town runs out onto a low hook of land with the harbour tucked behind it, which is precisely why a fishing settlement grew here rather than a few kilometres either side.

It is also “the largest settlement in the peninsula of Vestfirðir (Westfjords)” and “the administration centre of the Ísafjarðarbær municipality” — which in this region means it is the place with the services, not that it is large. The population is given two ways by the same source: the text says “about 2,600”, the infobox says 2,744 as of 1 January 2023. Both are quoted here rather than picking the one that sounds more exact.

Fuel in and around town, today

Straight-line distances from the town centre, read from our fuel feed at render time; this block disappears entirely when the feed does not answer. The practical point out here is spacing rather than price — filling up before heading further into the Westfjords is the difference between a relaxed day and an anxious one. Iceland Pulse carries live conditions for the rest of the country.

Getting here, and why it is not casual

Two ways in. “The town is connected by road and a 5.4 kilometres (3.4 miles) road tunnel to Bolungarvík”, and “Ísafjörður has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavík” — those flights go from the city airport, RKV, not from Keflavík, which is a distinction worth getting right before you book. Which airport is which has the rest.

Driving is a long day from Reykjavík in summer and a serious proposition in winter, when Westfjords roads — not the distance — are the limiting factor. Check the route verdicts and the road board before committing, and note that the runway you can see across the water in the photograph is a genuine alternative when the roads say no.

The fishing, honestly

“Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður, and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland.” That is the version on the postcards. The same source is equally direct about what came after: “a severe decline in the fishing industry for a variety of reasons, such as fishing restrictions in the early 1980s, and a decline in the fish population, has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere, leading to a decline in the town’s population.”

We include that because a page describing a fishing town without mentioning that the fishing collapsed is selling something. A working town that is smaller than it used to be is a more interesting place to spend a day than a preserved one, and it explains what you actually see: a harbour still in use, and more houses than the population now needs.