Vestmannaeyjar Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Water

Ferry

The ferry Herjólfur (481 2800; www.herjolfur.is) sails from Þorlákshöfn (on the mainland) at noon and 7.30pm, and returns from Heimaey at 8.15am and 4pm daily throughout the year. The boat can carry cars, but Heimaey is so small it’s scarcely worth bringing one. The crossing takes 2¾ hours. The one-way fare per adult/child 12 to 15 years is Ikr1800/900. Motorbikes/cars cost an additional Ikr1200/1800.

If the sea looks rough, a Vestmannaeyjar tip is to book a cabin, dose yourself with seasickness tablets, and try to sleep your way through the trip.

The bus service between Reykjavík and Þorlákshöfn (Ikr1050, one hour) is run to connect with the Herjólfur. It leaves the city at 11am and 5.50pm daily, and it leaves Þorlákshöfn at 11.10am and 7pm.

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Air

The Vestmannaeyjar airport is about 3km from Heimaey – a taxi (698 2038) will cost about Ikr1000, or you could walk it in 20 minutes. Scheduled flights to Heimaey are offered by Landsflug (481 3300; www.airiceland.is), which flies two or three times daily from Reykjavík’s domestic airport. The flight lasts 25 minutes, and the fare is Ik7200 for a full-price one-way ticket.

Flugfélag Vestmannaeyja (481 3255; www.eyjaflug.is) runs charter flights from the small airstrips at Bakki, Selfoss, Skógar and Hella. Most flights require a minimum of five persons.

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