Heimaey West Men Islands

The main harbour is a large fishing port where vessels up to 160mtr in length can berth alongside. Larger ships anchor offshore and bring passengers ashore by tender.

Vestmannaeyjar’s downtown is approximately 1 km (0.6 miles) from the cruise terminal. The short distance can be walked, or covered by a brief shuttle or taxi ride to the town’s main sights.

Hop-on buses will wait at the port, with English commentary only, at about 27 Euro p.p.

See a picture of Heimaey.

Choose month, year and port to view the cruise schedule.

Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands, sit 10km off the south coast. The archipelago contains 15 islands and several skerries; Heimaey is by far the largest and the only one with inhabitants.

A volcano erupted on Heimaey on January 23, 1973, forcing residents to leave their homes and flee to the main land. The eruption continued for five months; when it finally grumbled to a halt, the island was 20% larger and a new mountain, Eldfell, had risen from the lava field.

Lava and ash covered a large area of the town, including almost 400 homes and buildings. Pompeii of the North is the excavation project for some of these homes, intended to let visitors see what happened in 1973 for themselves. This distinctive modern archaeology dig has no close comparison. Begun in summer 2005, the plan is to excavate 7-10 ash-covered houses over several years. One house has been partly uncovered, with the next stage continuing down the street.

Eldheimar Museum is devoted to the 1973 eruption that reshaped the island, offering an insightful account of the event and its impact on the local community. Its main display is a house buried beneath lava and ash.

Surtsey is nearby, a protected area and one of the world’s youngest islands, created by a sub oceanic eruption in 1963.

During summer, 8 million puffins live here.

Icelandic shops meet international standards and stock a broad range of goods. Local specialities include woollen knitwear, such as sweaters, cardigans, hats and mittens, handmade ceramics, glassware and silver jewelry, alongside a wide selection of high-quality seafood.

Weekday foreign exchange is available at Icelandic banks, generally between 09:15 and 16:00. Iceland uses the "króna" as its monetary unit: 100 kr., 50 kr., 10kr., 5 kr. and 1 kr. are coin denominations, while 5000 kr., 2000 kr.,1000 kr., and 500 kr. are bank notes.

EUROPAY/MASTERCARD and VISA are Iceland’s principal cards. Cash is available from every bank branch, over 170 in total, and from ATMs across the country.

Icelanders still speak the Vikings’ language, although modern Icelandic has changed in pronunciation and, naturally, vocabulary.

Office hours are usually 09:00-17:00, or 08:00-16:00 in June, July and August. Shops trade Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00 and Sat 10:00 to 13:00/14:00/15:00 or 16:00. Some supermarkets stay open until 23:00 seven days weekly, while banking hours are Mon-Fri 09:15-16:00.