Hellissandur combines local mural art with maritime heritage and paths in the surrounding area. Different interests can guide your choice of stay: explore culture through murals, a rowing boat, and a reconstructed house, or nature through hiking trails, coastal views, and the bird area between Hellissandur and Rif.

Murals in the Townscape

Hellissandur is an open-air gallery featuring murals by Icelandic and international artists. Many of the paintings cover the walls of the old fish factory. Their subjects include marine life, Icelandic sagas, volcanic landscapes, and mystical beings. The range therefore spans themes from nature to stories. If you are interested in different artistic subjects, this focus offers a different perspective on the town than the specific objects in the Maritime Museum: here, paintings shape the townscape, while the boat and reconstructed house take center stage there.

Maritime and Rural History

The Maritime Museum in Hellissandur houses Bliki, a rowing boat built in 1826 and considered the oldest rowing boat in Iceland. Its year of construction and classification give the boat a clear historical connection. The museum also includes a reconstruction of Þorvaldsbúð, the last turf farmhouse inhabited in Hellissandur. The boat and house offer different material points of interest: one is a rowing boat, the other a reconstruction of a farmhouse.

The coast’s history also has a named landmark. One of the landing places in Hellissandur is Keflavíkurvör. The site is protected, and deep grooves left by the boats’ keels are visible there. Together with Bliki and Þorvaldsbúð, it offers another distinct connection to the town’s history. A historic boat, a reconstructed house, and a protected landing place each represent different aspects of the cultural experience.

Hiking Trails and Coastal Views

There are good hiking trails in and around Hellissandur. Frístundarstígur connects Ólafsvík, Rif, and Hellissandur as a combined hiking and cycling path. Sections of it run along the coast and offer views of Svöðufoss and Snæfellsjökull. The connected towns and the views are two different points to consider when choosing: the path links the three towns, while the named views define particular coastal sections.

A varied and enjoyable hiking trail also runs through the Tröð skógrækt forest area. If you would like to compare trail types, there is both a combined hiking and cycling route between three towns and a hiking trail through woodland. These details add a specific aspect to the general overview of hiking trails in and around Hellissandur.

National Park and Bird Area

Snæfellsjökull National Park is very close to Hellissandur. Its visitor center is in town, next to the campground. Nearby, in the area between Hellissandur and Rif, is also an important bird sanctuary with one of Iceland’s largest Arctic tern colonies. These are distinct points of interest for nature: the nearby national park and the bird area between the two towns, while Frístundarstígur, with its coastal sections and views of a waterfall and glacier, offers a separate focus on trails.

Discover more destinations: Hjarðarholt, Skorradalur, Grundarfjördur, Budhir, Arnarstapi, Búdardalur, Hvammur, Brimilsvellir

For the regional travel overview: Vesturland.