Stykkishólmur combines the history of its old houses with art, museums, and the island of Súgandisey. Architectural history, an installation featuring glacial water, and activities on the water offer different ways to experience the town.
Residential Houses and Architectural History
The old houses in the town center are a distinctive feature of Stykkishólmur. You can explore them on foot and learn about their history along the way. A particularly striking example is Norska húsið: Iceland’s first two-story residential house, it was built in 1832 from cut timber brought from Norway.
Norska húsið features a permanent exhibition showing the reconstructed home of Árni Ó. Thorlacius (1802–1891) and Anna Magdalena Steenback (1807–1894). It is presented as it may have looked in the second half of the 19th century. The careful qualification is part of the story: the exhibition offers a probable historical view, not a reconstruction presented as certain.
Art and Knowledge in Town
Vatnasafn / Library of Water offers a different perspective. It is a long-term installation by Roni Horn in a former library in Stykkishólmur. It comprises 24 glass columns filled with water from the ice of several major Icelandic glaciers. The visit also includes literary and storytelling elements: visitors can browse a selection of Roni Horn’s books created in Iceland from the “To Place” series and listen to selected stories people have told about the weather. The glass columns are thus presented alongside books and personal accounts, rather than the installation being experienced solely through its materials.
The Icelandic Eider Center is a modern museum and knowledge center. Visitors can learn more about eider ducks and historical and current methods of harvesting eiderdown. This subject differs from the art and weather themes of the Library of Water and complements them with a distinct focus on eider ducks and the harvesting of their down.
Súgandisey: Birdlife and Lighthouse
A path from the harbor area leads to Súgandisey; walking up to the island is popular. Súgandisey is rich in birdlife and offers unique views over Breiðafjörður and Stykkishólmur. The lighthouse also connects the island to a specific construction history: it was built at Grótta near Seltjarnarnes in 1897 and moved to Súgandisey in 1942.
Kayak Tours and Guided Excursions
For activities on the water, Kontiki offers short kayak tours from Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. On guided excursions, participants look for puffins, seals, and shipwrecks and learn about the peninsula’s history and geology. The focus varies: short kayak tours are distinct from excursions featuring wildlife, shipwrecks, history, and geology. If you are planning a specific tour, it is worth checking the latest details of the available options.
If you are looking for a hotel in Stykkishólmur, you can choose according to the themes of your stay: local history and exhibitions, or island nature and activities on the water.
Discover more destinations: Skorradalur, Kleppjárnsreykir, Arnarstapi, Akrar, Grundarfjördur, Ólafsvík, Leirá, Hellnar
Go to the main travel overview: Vesturland.
