ICELAND - Westman Islands Tour

If you are visiting Iceland during the summer, a trip and tour of the Westman Islands is well worth a day out of your time there. You'll get to enjoy to a ferry ride, puffins, a great history lesson, entertaining stories, gorgeous views and a fantastic meal. Iceland has great history, the Westman Islands are no exception. I was riveted by our guide's stories of how the Westman Islands got their name, the creative ways the locals thrived and how the little town faired and recovered from the eruption in 1973 of Eldfell. 

Details below for the quick overview but I recommend:

• Catch the 9:45am ferry over to the island
• Book the 11:00am Puffin and Volcano Tour
• Have lunch at Slippurinn (only open June, July and August Fri - Sun for lunch)
• 4pm ferry back to the mainland 

Getting there

Drive or take a bus to Landeyjahofn. For the ferry out, you want a ticket for the Landeyjahöfn  - Westman islands / Vestmannaeyjar route (and the reverse for the way home). You can take your car on the island but there are limited tickets for that so you should book far in advance if you wish to do so. However, if you plan to do a tour like I suggest, you really won't need it and it'll be a simpler more enjoyable day to leave it behind at the ferry terminal parking lot. If you are not taking your car, the ferry is quite large so you could just buy your tickets when you get there. If that is your plan, get there early, at least 30 mins prior to departure as it does get busy. We tend to like to be prepared so we got tickets ahead of time and had them printed at our hotel. 

Here is the ferry site: https://www.seatours.is/

They will actually be getting a new ferry soon that will be able to make the journey to the closer harbor year round. At the moment, come winter, the ferry can only make it through to a harbor that's a 3 hour journey. For now though, this ferry is nice. It has a cafe, plenty of restrooms, indoor and outdoor seating and even a little play area for children. 

Take a tour (May 1 - Sep 20)

I highly recommend the Puffin and Volcano tour with Eyja Tours. You get to see so much of the island and learn so much from your guide. Our guide Ebbi was informative, entertaining and very funny. You check in with them before your tour time and then board a comfortable minibus and your guide will regale you with stories and facts the entire tour. You make 5 stops to get to check out various spots and take some great photos, see some of mine below! I learned so much on the 1.5 - 2 hour tour. It was really great and, honestly, a great introduction and primer on Iceland for us as our first stop outside of Reykjavik. 

You end your tour at the Aquarium/local bird shelter where you'll probably get to meet Toti, a rescued puffin. That's him below on my daughter's head! Cute beyond words! If you don't spend a lot of extra time at the aquarium after meeting Toti, you'll have time for lunch and probably also a visit to the the volcano museum where one highlight is seeing a home recently excavated from sitting in ash and lava for 40 years. 

Be sure to book your tour ahead of time as they fill up. When planning, also confirm the tour season as it may shift. 

Lunch at Slippurinn Restaurant 

You won't be disappointed. Slippurinn is very cute, sort of modern rustic in decor. The standout however, is the food. I had my favorite meal in all of Iceland there! They use fresh seasonal local ingredients and cook them to perfection. They even have a good children's menu. 

We were able to walk in and get a table when we were done with our tour but I am not sure if that will always be the case. 

Please check their hours though. As of this writing, they are only open from May - September and for lunch only open Fri - Sun June through August. 

SLIPPURINN
Strandvegur 76, 900 Westman Islands, Iceland