Holmavik

Westfjords fishing village on Steingrímsfjörður, known for Icelandic sorcery history and Strandir coast access

Holmavik is a small fishing village on the shores of Steingrímsfjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland, about 274 kilometres from Reykjavík via the Hvalfjörður tunnel. The village serves as the commercial hub for the surrounding Strandir coast — a remote and seldom-visited stretch of Iceland that sees far fewer travellers than Snæfellsnes or the main Westfjords towns.

The reason most people come here is the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft, one of Iceland’s most unusual and compelling small museums. It covers the 17th-century witch trials that gripped the Westfjords — Iceland burned 21 people for sorcery, and the Strandir coast was at the epicentre — and displays the grimoires, magical staves, and folk sorcery that ran through rural Icelandic life for centuries. A related exhibit, the Sorcerer’s Cottage, sits 27 kilometres north in Bjarnarfjörður.

Beyond the museum, Holmavik is a base for fishing, hiking, and experiencing the raw, unpopulated character of the Strandir coast. Trout and char fishing in nearby lakes and rivers is good in summer; the surrounding fjords offer sea cruises and whale watching. The road north along the Strandir coast toward Djúpavík is one of Iceland’s finest drives — increasingly rough, increasingly empty, increasingly beautiful.

Guide

Eating Out

Holmavik is a small village and eating options are limited. The Café Riis is the main restaurant, housed in the village's oldest building. Options thin out quickly in winter, so if you're passing through outside summer, check what's open before you arrive.

Guide

Getting There

Holmavik is 274 kilometres from Reykjavík by car, most of it via the Hvalfjörður tunnel and then north through the Westfjords. The drive takes roughly four hours in good conditions. There is no direct bus service from Reykjavík; reaching Holmavik without a car requires a combination of services and advance planning.

Hólmavík Airport (IATA: HVK) receives small aircraft from Reykjavík's domestic airport, Reykjavík City Airport. Flights are operated by small carriers serving the Westfjords, but schedules are limited and subject to weather cancellations. Flying is the fastest option; driving gives you access to the Strandir coast road beyond the village.

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Things to Do

Holmavik's main draw is the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft, one of Iceland's most compelling small museums. Beyond that, the surrounding landscape — fjords, mountains, rivers, and the wild Strandir coast — is the real attraction. The Strandir Coast Drive north toward Djúpavík passes through some of the emptiest and most dramatic scenery in the Westfjords.

For active visitors, Trout and Char Fishing on nearby rivers and lakes is excellent in summer, and whale watching and sea cruises are available from the harbour. The Sorcerer's Cottage, 27 kilometres north in Bjarnarfjörður, is a related exhibit to the museum and worth the detour if you have a vehicle.

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When to Go

Summer (June to August) is the only reliable time to visit Holmavik. The Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft is open daily from June 1 to September 15, and the roads north along the Strandir coast are accessible. Daylight is essentially continuous in midsummer, which makes late-evening drives through the empty fjord landscape one of the pleasures of visiting.

Outside summer, the village is very quiet and services are minimal. The road north to Djúpavík can become impassable in winter without a 4WD vehicle. If you want to see the northern lights, the Strandir coast is well clear of light pollution from Reykjavík — come in autumn (September–October) before the roads become difficult.