Borgarnes

Borgarnes occupies a low peninsula where the Borgarfjörður estuary meets the sea, about 75 km north of Reykjavík along the Ring Road. Though a small town of around 2,000 residents, it punches above its weight as a cultural destination, principally through the Settlement Centre — a superb two-part museum dedicated to Iceland’s original Norse settlement and the Egils saga, one of the finest of the medieval Icelandic sagas. Audio-guided exhibits bring the Viking Age to life with atmospheric reconstructions and storytelling.

Beyond the museum, Borgarnes is a pleasant place to stretch your legs along the harbour and estuary shore. A memorial park on the peninsula honours characters from Egils Saga with sculptures by Ásgrímur Jónsson, and the views across the fjord to the mountain backdrop are lovely on a clear day. The town has good café and restaurant options, including the Settlement Centre’s well-regarded café.

Borgarnes is an ideal staging post for West Iceland exploration: Snæfellsnes peninsula is about an hour further north-west, while the Hraunfossar/Barnafoss waterfall pair and Langjökull glacier are roughly 40 km inland. The town is accessible year-round on paved roads and makes a comfortable overnight stop.