Västmannaöarna

Understand

thumb|Elephant Rock in the cliffs of Heimaey

The Westman Islands were formed by submarine volcanic eruptions along a 30-km-long fissure lying south-west to north-east. The largest island is Heimaey, 13.4 km². Most of the islands have steep sea cliffs, and are well vegetated. Bird-hunting and egg-collecting are traditional to the islander's culture.

Get around

Heimaey is a rather small island, only 7×4 km, so everything is within walking distance. There are hiking paths all over the island so any reasonably fit traveller should be able to enjoy the sightseeing on foot.

Cars can be hired at the airport or in the town. Prices start from about 8 000 kr a day.

Guided bus tours, boat tours and hiking tours around the islands are also available. Information on these tours can be found at Víking Tours and Eyjaferðir.

See

right|thumb|250px|The new lava field on Heimaey from the Eldfell eruption in 1973

, the only natural history museum in Iceland worthy of the name: watch fish and other creatures from the sea swim, crawl or creep in their aquariums, a fine display of stuffed birds and one of the best collections of Icelandic minerals anywhere. Drop by , the place by the harbour where past and present meet, where the lava flow stopped in 1973. There you will find a Norse timber church, the only one of its kind in Iceland, a gift from the people of Norway, and Landlyst, the second oldest building on the islands, now housing a small medical museum.

In case you have a helicopter at hand, you can see a lonely lighthouse - . Built in 1939 on top of a high rock, there's no way to access it from the sea or land.

Do

Football: ÍBV were promoted in 2024 and now play soccer in Besta deild karla, Iceland's top tier. Their home ground Hásteinsvöllur (capacity 2300) is west edge of town by the golf course. The playing season is April-Nov. Hike up to {{ or the smaller {{ volcanos, where you can still smell sulfur fumes and feel warm ground.

Take a walk on Iceland's most recent lava field, many meters above the street level and buildings that used to be, where you will find signposts to mark their former place and aid the imagination. A fine walk would include the “geothermal” area, where the returning islanders constructed a heating system for their houses using the heat from the cooling lava, then eastward to Prestavík and Viðlagavík and then end in Gaujulundur, a lava garden, an oasis in a desert. A part of the lava field is used for Motocross, so take care when you walk there.