Seyðisfjörður is a charming little village in the Icelandic Eastfjords. Seyðisfjörður is most famous for its little blue church and the rainbow street leading up to it. I bet you’ve seen some pictures of it online, right? But this lovely village has so much more to offer and should definitely be on your itinerary if you plan to travel around the Icelandic Eastfjords.
The Eastfjords are an Underrated Area
I think East Iceland, or the Eastfjords like we usually call the region, is a highly underrated area in Iceland. Many that drive the Ring Road just drive through the region. Often they stop at Stuðlagil (which is an amazing site by the way), and then venture further to the northern part of the country to see sites like Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and more.
I honestly don’t know why this area seems to be left out by so many. It sure isn’t because it lacks stunning scenery and interesting places to explore. Not at all. Those who leave the Eastfjords out of their itinerary, are actually missing a lot.
Besides the many fjords with its magnificent mountains and little villages you could check out stunning waterfalls like Hengifoss and Klifbrekkufossar. Explore Borgarfjörður Eystri where you’ll find puffins in summer and plenty of gorgeous hiking trails. Visit unique places like Sænautssel and get all refreshed and relaxed in a geothermal bath called Vök. Just to name a few.
What to do in Seyðisfjörður
Last but not least you should visit Seyðisfjörður. But why? What’s there to see and do in this little village that feels a bit remote? Even though it’s only a 30 minute drive from the Ring Road and Egilsstaðir, the biggest town in the region.
- The scenic drive to Seyðisfjörður.
- Explore the village on foot.
- Explore the cultural side of Seyðisfjörður.
- A short hike to Tvísöngur, an art piece above the village.
- Rainbow street and the blue church
- Gufufoss Waterfall
- Go hiking
1 The Scenic Drive to Seyðisfjörður
To get to Seyðisfjörður you need to drive through a mountain pass between Egillsstaðir and Seyðisfjörður. This drive is incredibly scenic and honestly I would say this drive alone makes a visit to Seyðisfjörður worth it. At least if you get lucky and are there on a clear day.
Technically it only takes about 30 minutes to drive from Egilsstaðir to Seyðisfjörður but I can almost guarantee it will take you longer than that. You will most definitely like to stop and get out of the car to take some photos or just enjoy the views on the way.
Before you drive down the mountain you can stop your car at a small parking lot on the side of the road. You will recognize it from the large stone monument that stands there. On a clear day you’ll have an amazing view and see where Seyðisfjörður nestles between the magnificent surrounding mountains on three sides and the ocean on one side.
You can expect some snow on the mountain pass, even quite a lot if traveling in spring or even in June. Not necessarily on the road itself but on the ground and the mountains surrounding it.
In winter however, this road gets not only scary but plain dangerous. Especially the part where you drive down the mountain to the village. I don’t recommend doing this drive in winter and in the shoulder season, please make sure you check the road conditions before you drive off.
You can always check the road conditions here2 Explore the Village on Foot
You don’t need to have a plan when arriving in Seyðisfjörður. Just wander around the village and soak up all it has to offer. In spite of its small size (population around 800), Seyðisfjörður is full of life, especially in summer.
- Explore the many charming and colorful houses around the village that originate from the early 1900.
- Check out the local shops that are selling handmade goods by local artists and craftspeople. You might find the perfect souvenir or a unique gift for someone back home.
- Grab a bite at one of the restaurants or cafés. They are surprisingly many compared to the size of the village.
3 Explore the Cultural Side of Seyðisfjörður
When you walk around the village you feel the bohemian energy in the air and can clearly see that art in one form or another plays a big role among the residents.
Joystick Art Gallery
One of my favorites, on my last visit in Seyðisfjörður, was our stop at Joystick, an art gallery where everything is made out of trash or something the artist has found out in nature around Seyðisfjörður.
I didn’t know about it before I arrived and just kind of stumbled upon it while strolling around the village.
If the artist is there, he will give you a guided tour around the gallery for a small fee. Something I really recommend you do. The artist is such an interesting character and he had so many stories to tell. It was a very fun and interesting visit.
There are plenty of art pieces to see outside the gallery but please don’t step into the yard on your own. There are some signs that ask you not to do that without the artist so please respect that.
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I can’t remember the artist’s name and he isn’t on social media. Or anywhere on the internet for that matter. But you can’t miss this gallery which is located down by the lagoon. It’s hard to miss as both the house and its surroundings are decorated with colorful artwork.
Art Festivals in Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður has a very lively cultural life which shows in many different ways. There is Skaftfell, a center for visual arts in East Iceland. Here you’ll find a flower shop, a gallery, an artist workshop and a bistro.
The village is also a home to an art residency called “Heima”. At this residency many artists have stayed, both long and short term.
Seyðisfjörður hosts quite a few annual art-themed events that attract guests and tourists to the village.
LungA art Festival
LungA is a week-long art festival for young artists that takes place in July every year. It took place for the first time in the year 2000 so it has become a well established part of the art scene in Seyðisfjörður.
To give you a better idea of what this festival is about, let’s hear what they say on their website about it:
“It’s an intimate art festival where creativity, arts and culture are celebrated with workshops, lectures and events.(…) LungA has earned quite the reputation, both locally and internationally, for its great ambiance, good-quality workshops and the fantastic enthusiasm of the participants year on year.”
The Blue Church Summer Concert Series
The Blue Church summer concert series is, as the name suggests, held in the famous blue church in town. The aim is to offer a program consisting of different music styles, where classical music, jazz and blues, folk music and lighter music get to shine.
So if you’re in Seyðisfjörður on a Wednesday night in July or early August, you should check out if the concert that night fits your musical taste.
List í ljósi or Art in the Light
In narrow fjords like Seyðisfjörður the mountains are so high that the sun doesn’t reach above them during the darkest months. Like you can imagine, it has become a tradition to celebrate when the residents finally see the sun again after a long winter.
Art in the light is a festival that celebrates exactly this. The return of the sun to the narrow fjord in the east. During the final two days of darkness the whole village turns off all its lights and instead national and international artists light up the village with their amazing contemporary artworks.
I’ve never been to Seyðisfjörður in February but I’d love to as this sounds so cool. We’ll have to see if I’ll ever make it as I would have to have the courage to drive down the mountain to the village in the middle of winter. Which sounds very scary to me! 😅
4 A short Hike to Tvísöngur
Check out Tvísöngur, the funny looking song sculpture in the mountain side above the village. To get there you need to walk up a gravel road that starts across Brimberg Fish Factory. Look for “Tvisongur parking” on Google Maps and you’re good to go.
The hike takes about 15-20 minutes and then of course you need some time to explore this unique artwork.
Tvísöngur is a sound sculpture by German artist Lukas Kühne. The sculpture can be seen as a visualization of the five-tone harmony tradition and offers an acoustic sensation which you can experiment with while you’re there. So what about cutting the singer in you loose and singing a song or two inside Tvísöngur? Who knows, you might sound incredible. Don’t forget to hit record on your phone! 😊
5 Rainbow Street and the Blue Church | The most Famous Landmark in Seyðisfjörður
You simply can’t come to Seyðisfjörður without taking a selfie in front of the famous rainbow street with the cute blue church in the background. It’s a mandatory task!
The story behind the rainbow street is that in 2016 the residents and some employees of Seyðisfjörður came together to paint the street on the occasion of a Pride Parade.
Two years earlier the first Pride Parade took place in the village. Every year there is a big Pride Parade in Reykjavík but in 2014 one of Seyðisfjörður’s residents couldn’t make it to Reykjavík to participate in the parade there. So he and his friends decided to make their own parade in Seyðisfjörður.
Since then the Pride Parade, or the Queer Parade as they like to call it, takes place every year in Seyðisfjörður, with over 200 participants.
You can read more about how this came to be here.
6 Gufufoss Waterfall
Gufufoss Waterfall is a beautiful waterfall, located about 4 km/2.5 mi from Seyðisfjörður. Even though it’s located right by the main road, it’s easy to miss on your way down the mountain. The parking is very small and unmarked so keep your eyes out for it on your way back so you don’t miss it. Again.
The parking is literally right in front of the waterfall so you only have to walk a hundred meters (330 ft) or so to get up close to it. A very accessible waterfall. No hike needed.
If you however hike further up along the river, you´ll find more waterfalls along the way. But as I didn’t do that myself, I can’t really tell you more about it.
7 Go hiking
Many different marked hiking trails are in the area around Seyðisfjörður. In the information center you can buy a brochure with information about these trails. I haven’t done any of them yet but wanted to mention this option anyways as I would love to check some of them out myself one day 😊
How to get to Seyðisfjörður?
To get to Seyðisfjörður you need to drive through a mountain pass between Egilsstaðir and Seyðisfjörður. It’s about a 26 km detour from the Ring Road (one way).
The easiest way to get there is in our own car, or you know, a rental.
The second option is to take a bus from Egilsstaðir.
You can see its schedule here.Then there is the third option and that is to take the ferry. Annually about 20k tourists arrive in Seyðisfjörður with Norröna, a ferry that sails from Denmark to Iceland with a stop on the Faroe Islands.
This option is especially popular among German tourists but they are by far the biggest nationality group that arrives in Iceland with Norröna.
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Until next time!
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