Borgarnes

The quaint town of Borgarnes is located on a small peninsula in West Iceland that juts out into the Borgarfjörður fjord. You’ll notice the town is surrounded by sea on 3 sides, with impressive mountain views to boot.

Although the town itself was founded in the 20th century, the local area was settled in the 10th century by Viking Egill Skallagrímsson. His farm, Borg á Mýrum, is on the outskirts of the modern town, and is where the name ‘Borgarnes’ is derived from.

You’ll find Borgarnes located on the Ring Road, aka Route 1. The longest bridge in Iceland spans the fjord, connecting it to the south of the country.

This small Icelandic town made it big on the world stage in the 2013 Ben Stiller film Secret Life of Walter Mitty. You might recognize the town’s bakery, which was transformed into a Papa John’s pizza restaurant for the film, despite there not being any in Iceland.

The star cultural attraction of Borgarnes is the Settlement Center museum. Here you can see exhibitions about Egils saga, which records the life and pursuits of Egill Skallagrímsson, as well as the settlement of Iceland.

You can see a burial mound erected in memory of Egill at the Skallagrímsgarður Park in the town center. There’s also the Borgarnes Museum, which features artworks by local artists and exhibitions on nature and history. 

Like every town in Iceland, Borgarnes has its own geothermally heated swimming pool. This one features water slides, as well as the usual ‘hot pots’ (hot tubs).

Borgarnes is a great place to refuel and grab a bite to eat on your way north or to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. There’s a few service stations to choose from near the Ring Road, as well as local cafés and restaurants in the town center.