Ólafsvík
Ólafsvík is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland — about 194 km from Reykjavik and reached by a straightforward drive from the nearest highway turnoff. Shoot it year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Ólafsvík is a small town in Iceland on the northern side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
As a photography stop, Ólafsvík is a landscape in West Iceland, roughly 194 km from Reykjavik, reached by a straightforward drive from the nearest highway turnoff. Plan the shoot year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list. 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.
Planning more than one stop? Open the Iceland landscape photo map to put Ólafsvík on the same offline layer as everything nearby.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
One of Iceland’s older trading places, licensed by the Danish crown in 1687, on Breiðafjörður under Snæfellsjökull. About 1,010 people live here.
- Trading licence
- Certified as a trading place by the Danish authorities in 1687
- History
- One of Iceland’s larger trading ports through the 17th and 18th centuries
- Population
- 1,010 (January 2011)
- Setting
- On Breiðafjörður; Snæfellsjökull lies about 10 km away
- The glacier road
- Closes seasonally
A working fishing harbour rather than a viewpoint, so the subjects here are boats, water and weather rather than a single landmark — and the glacier 10 km off is a backdrop from the town rather than something to drive to out of season, since that road closes. A trading licence from 1687 also means the built fabric is older than most Icelandic settlements, which is the reason to walk it rather than pass through.
SourcesÓlafsvík — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.896, -23.706). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 21.8 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.8° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.8 h of daylight (11:37–15:23), but the sun never climbs above 1.8° — 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
Ólafsvík is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland, approximately 194 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Ólafsvík is All. 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.
Yes — Ólafsvík can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.