Top 10 Marinas in Iceland
Sailing into Reykjavik under the shadow of Snæfellsjökull glacier with the midnight sun painting the sea copper is an image no North Atlantic sailor forgets. Iceland occupies a unique position in offshore sailing — it is the natural waypoint between Greenland and Scandinavia, between the Azores circuit and the Arctic, and between Ireland and the Canadian maritimes. The country's 6,000 km of coastline presents volcanic cliffs, fjords carved by glaciers, geothermal shores emitting wisps of steam, and harbours that once sheltered saga-age fishing communities. The sailing season is concentrated between June and August, when the polar day brings 24-hour daylight and the likelihood of gale-force depressions is at its summer minimum. Here are the ten harbours that shape Iceland's cruising scene.
Reykjavik Marina (Sundahöfn)
Sundahöfn is Reykjavik's main marina, a large purpose-built facility east of the commercial port. The basin holds around 800 berths for vessels up to 25 m LOA, with a maximum depth of 4 m. Shore power and water are available at all pontoons, and the marina office monitors VHF channel 16 year-round. The marina is 6 km from the city centre by bicycle — an easy ride along the coastal path that passes Harpa Concert Hall and the old harbour. Customs clearance for international arrivals is handled at the old harbour master's office near the ferry terminal. Diesel is available at a fuel dock adjacent to the main basin. The mountain Esja (914 m) provides a dramatic backdrop to any approach from the west.
Akureyri Marina
Akureyri, Iceland's second city with some 19,000 inhabitants, sits at the head of Eyjafjörður, the longest fjord in Iceland at 60 km. The marina provides around 200 berths in 2.5–4 m of water, well sheltered from all but the strongest northerly winds that can funnel down the fjord in autumn. The town's botanical garden, the northernmost in Europe, blooms in summer and is a 15-minute walk from the harbour. Akureyri is the natural base for exploring Myvatn lake (45 km east) with its pseudocraters, hot springs, and Barrow's goldeneye ducks, as well as the dramatic falls of Goðafoss (53 km east).
Ísafjörður Marina
Ísafjörður is the main town of the Westfjords, Iceland's most remote peninsula, where fjords cut so deeply into the basalt plateau that some valleys receive no direct sun in winter. The marina occupies a sheltered position behind the town spit and offers around 50 berths in 3–4 m alongside. The approach through Ísafjarðardjúp is spectacular: vertical 600 m basalt walls dropping into 400 m of cold water. The Westfjords are a birdwatcher's paradise — the Látrabjarg cliffs (140 m high, 14 km long) host the largest seabird colony in the North Atlantic, including razorbills, guillemots, and puffins in their millions.
Húsavík Harbour
Húsavík on the north coast is Iceland's whale-watching capital, and the harbour serves both fishing vessels and the whale-watching fleet that operates from April to October. The sheltered basin provides about 40 berths in 2–3 m of water alongside stone quays. The humpback and minke whales that feed in Skjálfandi Bay can often be observed from the harbour entrance without going to sea. For sailors the harbour is an excellent base for circumnavigating Iceland's north coast and entering the East Fjords. The Húsavík Whale Museum is a surprisingly thorough natural history introduction to the cetaceans of the North Atlantic.
Stykkishólmur Marina
Stykkishólmur, on the north shore of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, is the gateway to Breiðafjörður Bay, Iceland's skerried inland sea. The bay contains over 3,000 islands, islets, and rocks, making it a challenging but rewarding area for small-boat sailing. The marina has about 80 berths in 2.5–3 m of water, a fuel dock, and a chandlery that stocks basic marine supplies. The ferry Baldur runs from Stykkishólmur across Breiðafjörður to the Westfjords, and many cruisers crew-change here. The town's iconic round red lighthouse sits on a basalt outcrop and features in Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Vopnafjörður Harbour
Vopnafjörður in the northeast corner of Iceland is a small fishing community with a harbour that provides adequate shelter in northerly swells behind its stone breakwater. Depth alongside the quay is 2–3 m. The fjord opens to the north, making it a good staging point for passages across the Denmark Strait to Greenland (about 300 nm). The local landscape is dominated by Möðrudalur, the highest inhabited farm in Iceland at 469 m above sea level, visible as a distant plateau from seaward on a clear day.
Eskifjörður and the East Fjords
Eskifjörður is one of the deepest and most sheltered of Iceland's East Fjords, with a small-boat harbour offering berths in 3–4 m of water. The East Fjords are geologically the oldest part of Iceland (14–16 million years) and support a scenery of rounded, glacier-carved summits that differ markedly from the active volcanic landscapes of the south and interior. Djúpivogur, another East Fjords harbour 100 km to the south, displays fourteen granite eggs along its waterfront — a public art installation by Sigurður Guðmundsson representing the eggs of fourteen bird species native to Iceland.
Þórshöfn Harbour
Þórshöfn on the northeastern Langanes Peninsula is one of Iceland's most exposed communities, facing directly into the Arctic Ocean swells that arrive from the northeast with nothing to soften them between here and Spitsbergen (1,400 km). The harbour's breakwater was repeatedly damaged by winter storms before its 2019 rebuilding, which created a more resilient structure. For offshore sailors Þórshöfn marks the point of commitment on a clockwise circumnavigation — from here the coast turns westward toward Akureyri and the Westfjords with no major refuge for 200 nm.
Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands)
The Vestmannaeyjar archipelago south of the Icelandic mainland contains the most recently formed land on Earth: Surtsey Island erupted from the sea between 1963 and 1967. The main island, Heimaey, was nearly destroyed in 1973 when the Eldfell volcano erupted and poured 2 km³ of lava into the town and harbour. Local fishermen heroically pumped seawater onto the advancing lava front and saved the harbour entrance. Today Heimaey's marina holds about 500 berths and is one of Iceland's busiest fishing ports, visited by offshore sailors who want to see Surtsey from the water and observe the puffin colonies on Heimaey's cliffs.
Grindavík and the Reykjanes Peninsula
Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula has a working fishing harbour near the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, whose milky-white waters are visible from seaward. The harbour offers basic berthing in 2–3 m for transit vessels arriving from or departing to the UK, Faroe Islands, or Norway. The Reykjanes Peninsula is Iceland's most volcanically active region — the Fagradalsfjall eruption began in 2021 and continued intermittently, with lava flows visible at night from the anchorage. It is the closest harbour to Reykjavik International Airport (Keflavik), making it a useful crew-change port.
Explore on the map
Iceland's circumnavigation takes most sailors a minimum of three to four weeks and requires meticulous weather planning. Plot your route, study the harbours, and identify the approach waypoints for every fjord and headland using the interactive map. Zoom into Iceland on the map for coastal profiles, harbour depths, and distances between ports on this extraordinary North Atlantic island.