Snaefellsnes: The Peninsula That Most Iceland Visitors Skip

The standard Iceland itinerary follows the south coast: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, the glacier lagoon, maybe the Golden Circle. Snaefellsnes, the peninsula jutting 90 km westward from the mainland about 170 km north of Reykjavik, gets skipped by the majority. That leaves it quieter than any comparable Icelandic landscape, and the variety of what it contains in 90 km of coastline is genuinely remarkable.

Jules Verne used Snaefellsjokull as the entry point to the Earth’s interior in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, published in 1864. He had never been to Iceland. The glacier-capped stratovolcano at the peninsula’s tip is 1,446 metres high, slowly retreating - it may be gone within 200 years, which in geological terms is immediately - and has a documented reputation for unusual atmospheric effects. Compass anomalies, mist that doesn’t clear in normal patterns, and light conditions that don’t match the time of day have been reported consistently enough that local guides treat it as factual rather than folkloric. You can make what you like of that.

The National Park

Snaefellsjokull National Park covers the western end of the peninsula. Hiking to the glacier summit requires a certified guide from June through September (around ISK 15,000-20,000 per person); the glacier can be walked on with crampons provided by the operator. Views from the summit on a clear day extend 120 km east to Reykjavik across the bay.

For non-climbing visitors, the park has excellent crater and lava landscape walks at lower elevation. Saxholar Crater is 15 minutes’ walk from the ring road - a small maar that you can descend into via a fixed ladder. Free. Djupalonssandur beach has black pebbles (not sand), the rusted wreckage of a British trawler that foundered in 1948, and four testing stones used historically to assess whether fishermen were strong enough for a crew berth. The heaviest stone is 154 kg. The beach is free; the car park charges ISK 750.

The Rest of the Peninsula

Arnarstapi on the south coast is a small fishing harbour with dramatic lava arch formations accessible on a 30-minute coastal walk from the village. The fish soup at the small restaurant here (around ISK 2,500) is the right stop.

Kirkjufell mountain near Grundarfjordur on the north coast is the most photographed mountain in Iceland after Vestrahorn: a symmetrical peak with a waterfall (Kirkjufellfoss) in the foreground. The photographs are in every Iceland travel publication. The reality is the same as the photographs, with the addition of other people also photographing. Go at dawn or late afternoon to limit the tour bus element; midday in summer has too many simultaneous tripods for a clean shot or a quiet moment.

Stykkisholmur at the peninsula’s base is the main town - about 1,100 people, a ferry service to the Westfjords, and the best accommodation concentration on the peninsula.

Getting There and Staying

Snaefellsnes is a 2-3 hour drive from Reykjavik. Public transport is inadequate for meaningful exploration; a rental car is required. Route 54 along the north coast and the south coast road are both paved; some interior tracks require 4WD.

Hotel Budir near the national park is expensive (from ISK 40,000 per night) but sits alone on a black lava field facing the glacier - one of the better-positioned hotels in Iceland. Guesthouse Arnarstapi is much cheaper (from ISK 12,000) and acceptable. September through March has northern lights probability and almost no crowds; June through August has midnight sun and best glacier access.