ヴェストマンネイヤール

Vestmannaeyjar, the Westman Islands, is a small archipelago off the south coast whose only town sits on the island of Heimaey. It’s a place of raw drama: in 1973 a volcanic eruption buried part of the town and nearly closed the harbour for good.

The superb Eldheimar museum is built around a house dug out of the ash, and you can hike the still-warm Eldfell crater. Huge puffin colonies, boat tours into sea caves and the legendary Þjóðhátíð festival draw visitors each summer. Reach it by ferry from Landeyjahöfn or by a short flight.