Best things to do in Húsavík
Find out more about those top places in Húsavík
Hùsavík is Iceland’s whale watching capital. For most visitors, the charming clapperboard town is the best place to catch a boat ride into the churning North Atlantic Ocean for a glimpse of minke whales, dolphins and porpoise while the lucky few will also get to see the much larger humpback whales breaching – their spectacular habit of leaping out of the water. Beyond the whales, which are best seen between April and August, Húsavík has a clutch of fascinating Arctic museums, including the Whale Museum, which recalls a time when the region’s awe-inspiring sea life was under threat from hunting, and the Exploration Museum, which tells the fascinating story of Arctic explorers who sailed from the town into the great unknown.
-
Whale Watching
Hop on board a traditional oak-hulled Icelandic boat to tour the plunging fjords and the volcanic crags of Skjalfandi Bay searching for an array of marine wildlife, including vast pods of whales that inhabit the waters around Húsavík.
-
The Húsavík Whale Museum
To learn the history of how the fishermen of Húsavík transformed their town from the world’s whale hunting capital into Europe’s whale watching and conservation capital, head to the Whale Museum, which was established in 1997 as a non-profit community-led organization.
-
The Exploration Museum
With Húsavík located just north of the Arctic Circle there is no better place for a museum to explore the storied history of the exploration of the North Pole. At the Exploration Museum guided tours will offer fascinating insights into the role played by the town in the history of Arctic exploration.
