Neskaupstadur: Nature, Culture and Hiking Trails

Neskaupstaður Landscape Park combines the history of a protected area with practical opportunities for hiking. It was protected in 1972 and was Iceland’s first landscape park. Six marked hiking trails run through the park. Two trails have particularly useful details for planning: the Nípukollur trail is specified as suitable for experienced hikers, while the approximate length of the route to Páskahellir is given.

Hiking in the Landscape Park

The trail from the Neskaupstaður Landscape Park car park to Páskahellir is about one kilometre long. Páskahellir can be reached via wooden steps leading down from the trail to the beach. This gives you both a specific starting point and an approximate route length for this excursion. The Nípukollur trail focuses on hiking experience and destination: it is suitable for experienced hikers and reaches an elevation of 819 metres above sea level. These details describe different aspects of planning a hike without implying that the trails are alike.

If you include the marked trails in your trip, you can consider a visit to Páskahellir and the Nípukollur trail as separate outings: one with an approximate distance from the car park, and the other with an explicitly stated requirement for hiking experience and an elevation figure. The other marked trails are also part of the landscape park, but individual route details for them are not listed here.

Museums and Culture in Neskaupstaður

Safnahúsið in Neskaupstaður houses three museums. They include a natural history museum, Jósafat Hinriksson’s maritime and blacksmithing museum, and the art museum of Tryggvi Ólafsson, a painter from Neskaupstaður. Together, they cover natural history, maritime and craft themes, and art in one building. If you are planning a visit, take note of the different seasonal opening hours: from 1 June to 31 August, Safnahúsið is open daily from 1 pm to 5 pm. From 1 September to 31 May, visits are available by appointment. Check the hours again before your trip.

Eistnaflug is also part of the town’s cultural programme. The metal festival takes place every year on the second weekend of July in Neskaupstaður. As the organiser may change the dates, check the current event dates for your travel year. This will help you plan a festival visit without relying solely on its usual schedule.

Boat Tours, Swimming Pool and Horse Riding

Fjardaferðir offers an RIB boat tour that starts at the central harbour in Neskaupstaður and visits places such as Páskahellir, Nípuklettur, the Rauðubjörg cliffs and Hellisfjörður. The tour is seasonal, so check before travelling whether it is available for your chosen dates. These destinations give you an idea of the places visited on the tour.

Stefánslaug swimming pool is located in the hills of Neskaupstaður. It is an outdoor pool with hot tubs, a sauna and two water slides. Opening hours are not listed here; if a visit is important to your stay, check the current hours in advance. Skorrahestar offers short and long horse-riding tours, as well as hiking tours in the fjords by the Atlantic Ocean. It is also a good idea to confirm availability for these activities before your trip.

When choosing a hotel in Neskaupstaður, you can start by considering which of the activities mentioned are important to your stay: hiking trails, museums, a festival or an organised tour. You can then check fixed visiting hours and seasonal offers against your travel dates.

Discover more destinations: Bjarnanes, Eiðar, Borgarfjörður, Laugarfell, Brunnholl, Vallanes, Fljótsdalur, Hoffell.

For the regional travel overview: Austurland.