A day on the Westman Islands by ferry

A day on the Westman Islands is a ferry trip to a town built on a volcano: Heimaey, the one inhabited island, where the 1973 Eldfell eruption buried part of the town and forced everyone to leave overnight. The Herjólfur ferry from Landeyjahöfn takes 35 minutes each way and is cheap by Icelandic standards. It suits a South Coast itinerary with a spare day, walkers who want to climb a young volcano, and anyone curious about how a town comes back. It does not suit a fixed schedule in winter, when the sea decides which harbour the ferry uses.

The figures, read today on herjolfur.is: adults pay 2,700 ISK each way, ages 12 to 15 and pensioners 1,350, children under 12 travel free, a car under 5 m is 4,050 ISK. The standard timetable has seven sailings each way a day. Check in at least 30 minutes before departure; boarding closes five minutes before. Parking at the harbours is free. Cancellation more than 24 hours ahead is refunded less a 500 ISK fee; inside 24 hours, nothing; changes cost 500 ISK. On the island, the Eldheimar museum of the 1973 eruption is open 13:00 to 16:00 daily from 23 September 2026 to 15 April 2027, and costs 3,550 ISK for adults, 2,900 for seniors, 1,900 for ages 10 to 18, with under-tens free.

#The arithmetic

The nearest sleep town on the ledgers is Hvolsvöllur, on the highlands journey; the Ring Road routes pass it on day 1. Hvolsvöllur to Landeyjahöfn is 31 km and about 30 minutes each way by OSRM on OpenStreetMap. The day is 60 minutes of driving, 30 minutes of check-in, 70 minutes on the water and four hours ashore, which is 400 minutes. For two adults walking on, the fares are 10,800 ISK return. In winter the 13:00 museum opening shapes the plan: the 10:45 sailing out arrives in time for a walk on Eldfell before the doors open. From central Reykjavík, Landeyjahöfn is 138 km and about two hours each way, which makes the day 10 to 11 hours.

#What goes wrong

The harbour switch. When conditions close Landeyjahöfn, Herjólfur runs to Þorlákshöfn instead, on a reduced timetable, and only the matching departures move automatically: Landeyjahöfn at 10:45 and 20:45, the islands at 07:00 and 17:00. If you book other times, you may not find space. Þorlákshöfn is a different harbour west along the coast, a long way from a car left at Landeyjahöfn. A cancelled sailing can be refunded in full, but onward plans cannot.

#Alternatives on the same coast

The South Coast waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, are on the Ring Road near the ferry turn. For the same volcano story indoors in Reykjavík, Volcano Express in Harpa, 15–45 minutes and a show every quarter hour, and the Lava Show cover the recent eruptions on the other peninsula.

#Sources

Herjólfur's timetable, 2026 price list and FAQ, and Eldheimar's price and opening-hours page, all read 1 November 2026; drives by OSRM on OpenStreetMap.