Big Adventures in Little Þingeyri

With a population of 350 people, Þingeyri is a quintessential Westfjords village where directions are easy to follow: coffee is served in the green timber house, the community center is the Blue Bank in a house of matching color and the public pool is inside the big white sport center.

The village is a place to kick back after an adventure in the alpine Dýrafjörður.

Completing the Svalvogar circuit, a highly praised cycling route around the Þingeyri Peninsula

Cycling the Þingeyri Peninsula

Cycling is a fast-growing travel trend in the Westfjords, boosted by the launch of the Westfjords Way Challenge, a 960km coastal loop. The route was mapped in 2021 by a group of cyclists led by photographer Chris Burkard, who said the peninsula extending from Þingeyri was his favorite part of the journey. “We were on gravel for like 85% of the day. Truly stunning scenery,” he told the Lonely Planet.

For a pleasant four-hour trip, head to the orange lighthouse at Svalvogar; the 40km trip is strenuous, but on reasonably even ground. Experienced cyclists can loop the peninsula from Þingeyri in about 6 to 8 hours, in a route known as the Svalvogar circuit.

Fat bikes (you especially need fatties for the circuit) are available at the coffeehouse Simbahöllin and rates follow the route plan.

Built as the general store in Þingeyri, Simbahöllin is an atmospheric coffeeshop

Simbahöllin

The coffeehouse Simbahöllin captures the Þingeyri spirit of creativity and adventure, at a landmark green timber house.

The house – built as a general store during the era of merchant sailors – was in a sorry state when the couple Wouter Van Hoeymissen and Janne Kristensen visited Þingeyri as tourists (from Belgium and Denmark, respectively.) Their fabulous renovation, completed in 2005, makes the coffeehouse one of most atmospheric in the Westfjords, known for Belgian waffles and (Danish) culinary art. Outside seating is inside an old school bus.

Simbahöllin is open only over summer, from June to September. Over winter, the building hosts artists at the Westfjords Residency. See our full coverage of art residencies in Iceland.

The Blue Bank is a community center with co-working spaces available for short-term lease

The Blue Bank

Across the street from Simbahöllin, is the Blue Bank (Blábankinn) community center, library and co-working space. The name draws from its main donor: Landsbankinn had its bank branch there until 2017. The project draws international collaborators and digital nomads seeking an office with a stunning seaside view.

Þingeyri is a nautical convenience, inhabited since Iceland's settlement era

Old Blacksmith’s Workshop

Þingeyri is one of the oldest trade ports in the Westfjords, with a harbor dating back to Iceland’s settlement era. In 1913, local resident Guðmundur Sigurðsson returned from his studies in Denmark and started the first blacksmith’s workshop of its kind. The workshop (named ‘Gamla Smiðjan’) closed in 1995 but remains in partial operation with original tools and machinery. Open over summer. (It is part of the Heritage Museum in Ísafjörður and tickets include admission to both sights.)

On top of Mt. Kaldbakur, Westfjord's tallest

Mt. Kaldbakur and Sandafell

The mountains rising from the narrow Dýrafjörður fjord, have been called the “Westfjords Alpes”.  For a great view, Sandafell (367m) is an accessible mountain above Þingeyri. The shortest route is about a 1.5 hour round-trip,  from a parking lot just outside of town, marked ‘Sandafell bílastæði’ on Google Maps.

At 989m, Mt. Kaldbakur is the tallest (in all of Westfjords), with a fairly accessible way to the top. But you need an SUV to get to the base at Kvennaskarð, between Arnarfjörður and Dýrafjörður, for an estimated 4-hour round-trip hike. It is also possible to hike from Fossadal in Arnarfjörður, about 8 hours round-trip. (Not to be mistaken with Kaldbakur in North Iceland.)

Ingjaldssandur is a huge beach for family fun

Experiences around Þingeyri

• Jón Sigurðsson, Iceland’s 19th century independence hero, was born on Hrafnseyri in Arnarfjörður. His home is now a museum dedicated to his life and the breakaway from Denmark. Take the Rte 626 – the old Arnarfjörður passage, before the tunnels – to get there over summer.
• Skrúður, one of Iceland‘s oldest botanic garden, sit son the lower slopes of the fjordise valley son Dýrafjörður‘s northern edge.
• Ingjaldssandur beach is a huge, lush valley facing the sea between Önundarfjörður and Dýrafjörður. Great for outdoor family fun.