Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [79]
If you book ahead, the Flybus ( 562 1011) to Keflavík airport will stop in Hafnarfjörður; confirm the exact location of the bus stop on booking.
Hafnarfjörður is small and it’s easy to get around on foot. A-Stöðin/Airport Taxis ( 520 1212; www.airporttaxi.is) have taxis standing outside the Fjörður shopping centre.
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MOSFELLSBÆR
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Fast-growing Mosfellsbær (www.mosfellsbaer.is) has more or less become another of Reykjavík’s suburbs, although it’s 15km from the city centre. There’s some good walking in the surrounding hills, including long day hikes to Þingvellir and the geothermal field at Nesjavellir – see the pamphlet Útivist í Mosfellsbæ, available from the town library.
Nobel Prize–winning author Halldór Laxness lived in Mosfellsbær all his life. His home is now the Gljúfrasteinn Laxness Museum ( 586 8066; www.gljufrasteinn.is; Mosfellsbær; adult/6-16yr Ikr500/250; 9am-5pm daily Jun-Aug, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Sep-May), just outside the suburban centre on the road to Þingvellir, a superb example of an upper-class 1950s house, complete with original furniture and Laxness’ fine-art collection. A guided audio-tour leads you round; highlights include the study where Laxness wrote his defining works and his beloved Jaguar parked outside.
Near to the museum are two horse-riding farms (Click here). If you’re in need of retail therapy, the factory outlet shop Álafoss ( 566 6303; Álafossvegur 23; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Sat) sells woollen goods that are slightly cheaper than at the city’s tourist shops.
The town campsite ( 566 8121; sites per person Ikr700; Jun-Aug) is next to the river Varmá and has toilets, sinks and showers. Fitjar ( 565 6474; www.fitjarguesthouse.com; s/d without bathroom Ikr6000/9000, with bathroom Ikr7000/10,000), 4km north of Mosfellsbær off Rte 1, is a stylish modern house. Some rooms (three en suite, three with shared bathroom) have views towards Reykjavík and the house is surrounded by wonderful countryside. There’s a guest kitchen and a laundry.
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REYKJANES PENINSULA
As the first bit of the country that most visitors see, the Reykjanes Peninsula might lead you to wonder why you chose Iceland for your holidays. From the air, or from the bus between Keflavík airport and Reykjavík, it can look like the most blighted and disheartening place on earth. But cast off your doubts! Nestling among the grey-black lava fields is Iceland’s most famous attraction, the Blue Lagoon; and there are plenty of other marvels hiding in this forbidding landscape. Give it time, and the grey waves, smoking earth and bleak, mournful beauty will mesmerise you.
Most towns – Keflavík, Njarðvík, Vogar – are squeezed into Miðnes, a small spur on the northern coast of the peninsula; the rest is wilderness. Northwest of the international airport are the wave-lashed fishing villages of Garður and Sandgerði, lost places where you can watch migrating birds while the wind blows all your thoughts away. A back road runs south from Keflavík along the rugged coast to Reykjanestá, a wonderful spot full of battered cliffs and strange lava formations.
The only town on the south coast is Grindavík, home to the Saltfish Museum. Northeast lies the Reykjanesfólkvangur wilderness reserve, full of wild lava landscapes and geothermal springs.
Public transport to Keflavík, Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon is fast and frequent, but you’ll need private transport to reach more remote parts of the peninsula. Buses within Reykjanes are provided by SBK ( 420 6000; www.sbk.is). Blue Line ( 421 1515) runs a service from Reykjanesbær to the Blue Lagoon and Grindavík.
Several tour companies offer guided trips to this melancholy area:
Arctic Horses ( 696 1919; Hestabrekka 2; Jun–mid-Sep) Explore the region on horseback with this company, based 2km east of Grindavík.
ATV Adventures ( 857 3001; www.atv-adventures.com; Tangasund 1, Grindavík; from Ikr9900