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Isafjordur Cruise Port

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Isafjordur Cruise Holiday Guide

Isafjordur, Iceland

Isafjordur is a town in the northwest of Iceland that translates into English as ice fjord and if that gives you images of a beautiful fjord flanked by snow topped mountains, the good news is that that is exactly what welcomes you into the town.

Isafjordur itself sits on an eyri, or a spit of sand, in the Skutulsfjorour fjords that joins the Isafjaroardjup fjord.

The entry and exit from the port are amongst of our favourites as not only do you have views over the incredible natural beauty that surrounds you, but the waters of both fjords are teaming with wildlife including many whales.

The town itself is not for those who are looking for an all-action day ashore as it is only a small settlement of around 2,500 inhabitants and offers only the chance to see at first hand just how people live, and survive, in one of the most northern towns on earth.

There are plenty of options for those wanting to explore the unique vistas and natural wonders of Iceland including a visit to the idyllic Dynjandi waterfall.

Cruises To Isafjordur






Our Visit

We visit he port in August 2023 as part of a transatlantic cruise starting in the Iceland capital city of Reykjavik and ending in the American city of Boston, where we sailed onboard the Celebrity Summit cruise ship.

We arrived early morning when the mountains around the town were covered in cloud, before heading off for a day of exploring the stunning Westfjords inclusion a visit to the Dynjandi waterfall.

To get from the town to almost anywhere else, you need to head through some long tunnel, cut deep into the mountains including one which is only a single lane but with passing points.

That is an experience in itself as is simply looking out of the window of your coach as you take in the incredible landscapes only found in this part of Iceland.

Upon arrival back in the town, the sun was out, and we simply strolled around and looked at some of its historical buildings and visited some shops in its high-street before getting back on board the ship, grabbing some lunch and enjoying the views from our ship.

The exit from the port was also an experience as we sailed down the fjord and past many whales before heading out into the north Atlantic.

As an aside, we had to tender into the town which can often be a frustrating experience, but it was well organised by Celebrity and we got to sit on the roof of the tender boat, so it turned into a boat ride along the fjord for a bonus experience.

Isafjordur Cruise Guide

Isafjordur Cruise Port Facilities

Name: Isafjordur

Currencies accepted: Icelandic Króna

Overall
6/10
6/10
  • Attractions - 3/10
    3/10
  • Excursions - 7/10
    7/10
  • Facilities - 3/10
    3/10
  • Getting Around - 6/10
    6/10
  • Location - 9/10
    9/10
  • Choice of Lines - 8/10
    8/10
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In this Isafjordur cruise port guide, we bring you all that you need to know about visiting the town on a cruise holiday which is based on our own personnel experience of visiting there on a cruise and on the research that we undertook before heading there in 2023.

Type of Cruises Available

Isafjordur is only a port of call with no turnaround facilities but that doesn’t mean that there are few options available for those wanting to visit there.

From the UK it is possible to visit the port on either a round trip or on a repositioning cruise starting or ending in the Icelandic capital city of Reykjavik.

Round trips often call into cruise ports in either Norway or Greenland but some head directly from the UK and offer around island itineraries that take in all of the Iceland’s great cruise ports.

If you would like to spend more time in Iceland before or after your trip, you can do repositioning journey between the UK and Iceland and there are also several other ports across Northern Europe that offer repositioning or round trip that visit the port including the likes of Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Lastly, if you want a journey to remember, there is the option to take a transatlantic journey that calls into the port on journeys between Europe and North America that also visiting Greenland and Canadian ports before ending in the US or Canada.

Finally, the port can also be visited on roundtrips of the North Atlantic or even just itineraries cruising around Iceland from its capital.

Isafjordur Cruise Port Location

The port is located in the heart of the town centre and thanks to a recent investment in its facilities, it can welcome most cruise ships and can even berth more than 1 ship at a time for smaller and medium sized vessels.

If the port is busy, some cruise ships may need to drop anchor in the fjord and tender passengers ashore, but the port is also well equipped for that and can service a coupe of tender boats at a time making it a relatively quick experience if organised well.

Isafjordur itself is located in the Westfjords region of the northwest coast of Iceland where it sits at the end of the Skutulsfjorour fjord.

Isafjordur Cruise Facilities

The cruise port of Isafjordur has no facilities of note but it doesn’t really need any as you dock, or tender into, the centre of town and next to anything you will need including a supermarket, toilets, cafe’s, a tourist information office and more.

Isafjordur Attractions

A visit to Isafjordur is all about gaining an understanding of the local culture, taking in the incredible location you are lucky enough to be in and simply enjoy been there.

If you are looking for somewhere with lots of attractions, a bustling town centre full of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants offering food and products from across the globe and the familiarity of multi-national businesses, this isn’t the port for you, and it may be somewhere you will want to stay onboard you ship.

If like us you enjoy experiencing a different culture, enjoy assimilating yourself in a new place, even if only for a few hours and just take in the incredible sights of walking around the foot of mountains at the end of fjord, this is the port for you.

There are some attractions in the town however, that either allow you an insight into history of the town or that allow you the make the most of where you are.

One of those is an observation deck that has been built into the foot the mountain behind the town and that gives those who hike up there a great overview of both Isafjordur and the surrounding area. A few museums in the town give an insight into its history, culture and the wildlife of the town and Westfjords.

The small town centre is home to a few local shops and cafes as well as a few historical houses.

Isafjordur Shorex

Whilst the attractions offered in the town may disappoint some visitors, the excursions offered will likely make up for it, although they do often cost much more than over parts of the world due to the remote nature of where you are.

On our visit, we did a small group tour that we booked with a local company that visit the incredible Dynjandi waterfall and we stopped off at an historical house nearby to enjoy a traditional Icelandic cake and coffee.

Other excursions offer the chance to see other interesting places in the region including historical wooden churches, the Arctic Fox centre, the Icelandic Folk Museum and you can also head to a traditional fjordland village.

There are several boat trips available form right next to where you dock that take you on wildlife watching tours of the fjord or to the nearby Vigur Island famed for its seabirds including 1000’s of puffins.

Icelandic horses are famed across the globe for those with an interest in all things equine and it is possible to enjoy a guide ride along a few trails are the town.

Best Time To Visit Isafjordur

The main cruise season for Iceland is between May and September and although visits in the earlier parts of that will allow you to see more snow on the mountains, you will spend most of time outside in whilst there so we would recommend visiting during the summer.

With the town been relatively quiet all year around, we would recommend visiting during July or August to get the best of the weather.

Transport

If you are staying in the town itself, you will not need any transportation as everything is within easy walking distance from either where you dock or where you get dropped off by tender.

For those wanting to head off and explore, you will be best pre-booking an excursion even with a local company or via your cruise line as there is only a very limited public transportation network in the town and it is not really aimed at visitors.

Isafjordur Cruises From UK

For those wanting to visit Isafjordur from a British cruise port without the need for flying, you can do as a few lines offer round trips starting form the UK, visiting several Icelandic cruise ports and then sail back again.

There are also plenty of options for repositioning cruises between the UK and Iceland that call into the port and sometimes also visit the Norwegian fjords.

Isafjordur Cruises From Southampton

If you do want to visit the port from the UK, the widest range of itineraries, ships and lines are offered from the UK leading cruise port of Southampton.