Patreksfjörður
Patreksfjörður is the largest town in the southern Westfjords, with around 780 people, sitting at the mouth of the fjord it shares its name with. The name means the fjord of St Patrick, a reference to Patrík, a Celtic monk who settled here in the early Christian period following Iceland's conversion around 1000 AD, and is mentioned in Landnámabók. The town is primarily a fishing and fish processing community, and has been a commercial fishing base since the early 20th century when it pioneered trawler fishing in Iceland. For visitors, its main value is as a service hub and overnight base for the southern Westfjords, sitting within reach of Látrabjarg bird cliffs, Rauðasandur beach, and Dynjandi waterfall, three of the most compelling natural sites in the region.
The Southern Westfjords' Main Town, Named After St Patrick and Gateway to Three of Iceland's Most Spectacular Sites
Patreksfjörður's name derives from Patrík, a Celtic Christian monk who settled on the fjord in the period following Iceland's conversion to Christianity around 1000 AD, and the settlement appears in Landnámabók, the Book of Settlements. Despite its ancient roots, the modern town only developed at the start of the 20th century when commercial fishing expanded in the Westfjords. Patreksfjörður was at the forefront of that expansion, becoming one of the first Icelandic communities to use trawlers for offshore fishing. Today fishing and fish processing remain the backbone of the local economy alongside a growing tourism sector. The town has hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, a supermarket, a petrol station, and one of the more attractive outdoor geothermal swimming pools in the Westfjords, with views over the fjord.
The three main natural attractions accessible from Patreksfjörður account for most of the reason visitors come to the southern Westfjords at all. Látrabjarg, about 60 kilometres west along an unpaved road, is the westernmost point of Iceland and a 14-kilometre cliff face rising to 440 metres, home to one of the largest seabird colonies in the North Atlantic including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and fulmars. Rauðasandur, about 30 kilometres south, is a broad beach of red and golden sand unlike the black volcanic beaches that define most of Iceland's coastline, with views across Breiðafjörður bay. Dynjandi waterfall, about an hour north on Route 60, is the Jewel of the Westfjords, a 100-metre cascade that is one of the most visited natural sites in the region. All three involve unpaved road sections and should be driven with care, particularly after rain.
Patreksfjörður is about 400 kilometres from Reykjavík by road, a drive of five to six hours via Route 60 through Búðardalur and over the Dynjandisheiði pass. An alternative route uses the Baldur ferry from Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Brjánslækur in the Westfjords, a crossing of about two and a half hours, followed by a 40-minute drive. Domestic flights operate to nearby Bíldudalur airport six days a week from Reykjavík, with a bus connection into Patreksfjörður. The new Dýrafjarðargöng tunnel, opened in 2020, has significantly improved winter access to the southern Westfjords by bypassing mountain passes that previously closed for months.
