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Siglufjordur Holidays

Iceland’s northernmost town

Hemmed in by jagged peaks in a narrow fjord that carves its way out to the Greenland Sea, Siglufjörður is just about as remote as Icelandic towns come. It’s right at the tip of the Tröllaskagi Peninsula, less than 40 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, and accessible only by tunnels that burrow through the surrounding mountains – a setting so isolated and eerily beautiful that it was chosen as the filming location for the popular Nordic Noir television series, ‘Trapped’. The hour-long drive from Akureyri is truly spectacular, and you’ll almost certainly want to make several photo stops to capture the majestic scenery en route.

In the early 20th century, it was only a tiny shark fishing village before morphing into the ‘Herring Capital of the World’ – a transformation which fuelled a rapid period of economic and population growth, as Siglufjörður became one of Iceland’s most important industrial hubs. The herring industry may have long since dissipated, but it remains deeply ingrained in the town’s cultural heritage, which you can learn all about at the Herring Era Museum.  

Today, Siglufjörður is an outdoor adventure paradise, with some of northern Iceland’s best hiking trails and ski slopes on its doorstep. In the town itself, you’ll find a handful of fabulous cafes and restaurants, as well as an artisan chocolatier and a family-run craft brewery. At 66.1 degrees north and with minimal levels of light pollution, it’s also a prime destination to see the aurora borealis (northern lights) – typically visible multiple times per week between mid-September and early April. 
 

Explore our map of Siglufjordur

Your Siglufjordur questions, answered

The flight from London Gatwick to Akureyri takes three hours and 20 minutes. From there, it’s around an hour’s drive to Siglufjörður, first via Route 1 (the Ring Road), and then following Route 82 and Route 76. It is possible to get there via bus (route 78) from Akureyri, but the quickest and easiest way is to hire a car or book a private transfer. 
As Siglufjörður is right in the far north of Iceland, it tends to experience harsher winters than places such as Reykjavik in the south of the country. Between December and March, temperatures barely rise above freezing and can drop below -10°C, while regular snowfall provides prime conditions for winter sports. Pack suitable clothing and you’ll be absolutely fine. In the summer, day time temperatures tend to hover around 10-15°C. 

Thanks to its northerly latitude and low levels of light pollution, Siglufjörður is a brilliant place to see the Northern Lights at their most vivid and spectacular. It’s possible to see them any time between mid-September and early April when the sky is dark enough, the weather conditions are clear and there’s a certain level of solar activity. October and March are renowned as being especially good months for aurora activity, but you’ll also have an excellent chance any time between November and February as well.

The longer you stay, the more likely it is that the necessary conditions will all line up to produce a Northern Lights display. If you’re renting a car, you’ll be even better off as you can move around the area in search of clear skies if necessary, as it can be cloudy in one fjord and clear in the next. 

Not quite. As Siglufjörður lies just below the Arctic Circle, it doesn’t experience a true polar night in the sense that the sun does just about rise above the horizon for a few hours during winter before disappearing again. In December, the sun rises around 11.30am and sets again at around 2.30pm, but there’s a beautiful twilight period on either side, so it’s by no means fully dark all day long. By contrast, in the height of summer, it’s light 24/7, as the sun barely dips below the horizon at all. 
 
Absolutely. As long as the roads are clear from snow (which can sometimes be an issue in winter), it’s well worth driving round to the western side of the peninsula to visit the geothermally heated Hofsos infinity pool. Built into a hillside with magnificent views overlooking Skagafjörður, it’s undoubtedly one of the most scenic places for a swim in Iceland. Heading in the opposite direction, you might also consider visiting the neighbouring village of Ólafsfjörður, or continue further down the coast to Dalvik, which is a jumping off point for whale watching excursions and ferries to Grimsey Island – the only part of Iceland that crosses into the Arctic Circle. Also be sure to check out the visitor centre in town to find out more about the full range of excursions available. 
Despite its remote location, Siglufjörður offers a surprisingly varied choice of places to eat out. These include a couple of traditional Icelandic restaurants serving fresh, locally caught fish, a pizza and burger place, a couple of cosy cafes, and even a Moroccan-Icelandic fusion restaurant. You’ll also find a bakery and an artisan chocolatier in town.

Hotels in Siglufjordur