Bíldudalur
Bíldudalur is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland — about 375 km from Reykjavik and reached by a straightforward drive from the nearest highway turnoff. Shoot it during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Bíldudalur is a village situated on the coast of Arnarfjörður, part of the Westfjords Region in Iceland.
As a photography stop, Bíldudalur is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, roughly 375 km from Reykjavik, reached by a straightforward drive from the nearest highway turnoff. Plan the shoot during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography. The downloadable Landscape map pins exact GPS coordinates, parking, and nearby waypoints so you can fold it into a wider route instead of hunting for the pull-off on arrival.
Bíldudalur sits inside all 62 landscape viewpoints, alongside the other spots worth routing a day around.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A village of 238 on Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords, which prospered in the 19th century when Ólafur Thorlacius set up business there after the Danish trade monopoly ended.
- Population
- 238 (January 2021)
- Setting
- On the coast of Arnarfjörður, in the Westfjords
- History
- Prospered in the 19th century after Ólafur Thorlacius (1761–1815) established fish and goods trading and a fishing fleet, following the end of the Danish trade monopoly
- Air
- Served by Bíldudalur Airport
- Not in the source
- The article does not mention a sea-monster museum or any reputation for unusually calm weather
Its practical value here is as a base and an airfield rather than a subject: Dynjandi is on the same fjord, and an airport 36 km away is what makes Patreksfjörður reachable without the full Westfjords drive. A village of 238 also means services are limited and hours are short.
SourcesBíldudalur — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.686, -23.601). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 23.1 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.2 h of daylight (11:54–15:05), but the sun never climbs above 1° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 13 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Bíldudalur is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland, approximately 375 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Bíldudalur is Summer. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise; Iceland's long shoulder-season twilight extends usable conditions on either side.
Drive access. A standard rental car works in most seasons; check road status in winter before committing. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Bíldudalur is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.