“Isafjordur, the capital of Iceland's remote Westfjords, holds some of the country's oldest timber buildings, a cluster of 18th-century houses on the harbour.”
About Ísafjörður Old Town
Isafjordur has been a trading post since the 16th century and a fishing centre for far longer, its sheltered harbour drawing merchants and crews. Several of its timber warehouses survive from the 1700s, now repurposed as a museum and a restaurant. The town remains the administrative and cultural heart of the Westfjords despite its dramatic isolation.
What Isafjordur Old Town actually is
Isafjordur is the largest town and unofficial capital of the Westfjords, set on a curling spit of land beneath sheer mountains at the head of a fjord. Its old town holds some of the oldest timber buildings in Iceland, a cluster of 18th-century houses by the harbour, and it is the cultural and service hub for the whole remote region.
Isafjordur is the largest town and unofficial capital of the Westfjords, set on a curling spit of land beneath sheer mountains at the head of a fjord.
Iceland's Oldest Timber Houses
A few of the harbour buildings here, including the one now housing the Westfjords Heritage Museum and the Tjoruhusid restaurant, date from the 1700s, making them among the oldest surviving timber structures in the country. The town grew as a trading and fishing centre, and despite its isolation, hemmed in by mountains and threatened by avalanches, it developed a lively cultural life that continues today.
The Experience
You wander a compact old town of historic timber houses beneath towering, often snow-streaked mountains that rise straight from the fjord. The setting is the star: the town sits on a low sandspit, almost surrounded by water and walled in by peaks. You get a strong music and cafe scene for its size, and old fishing-port character throughout.
Why It Matters
As the hub of the Westfjords, Isafjordur is the natural base for exploring Iceland's least-visited region, and its 18th-century buildings make it a living record of the country's trading and fishing past. It shows how a community has thrived in one of the most physically constrained settings in the country.
It shows how a community has thrived in one of the most physically constrained settings in the country.
Why Visit
Use it as the base for the Westfjords, and explore its 18th-century timber old town, strong cafe and music scene, and spectacular mountain-walled setting.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Walk the harbour to see the 18th-century timber buildings, among Iceland's oldest.
- 2
Try the traditional fish at Tjoruhusid, set in one of the historic warehouses.
- 3
Use Isafjordur as your base for day trips across the Westfjords.
- 4
Check road and weather conditions carefully if visiting in winter.
