Borgarnes

While not traditionally a big tourist destination, Borgarnes is a town many people see on their travels in Iceland. This is because of its location on the Ring road between Reykjavík and North Iceland. In fact Icelanders themselves often don't know much more of the town other than its highway dining options. However, tourism has been growing in recent years with increased interest in the region's history. In fact, Borgarnes is a perfect getaway from Reykjavík: It only takes about an hour to get there, but the setting is completely different, much closer to what some people would term the "real" Iceland.
The name Borgarnes means "Borg peninsula" and refers to a farm of that name, Borg. Borg was the home of Egill Skallagrímsson, the titular character of Egil's saga.

Borgarnes lies on the ring road and is easily accessible by car. It's about an hours drive from Reykjavík, four hours from Akureyri. Borgarnes is also close to the junction where the road out to the Snæfellsnes peninsula splits off from the ring road and Stykkishólmur is just over an hour away by car. Between Reykjavík and Borgarnes there is a toll road, the tunnel under Hvalfjörður. The toll is 1000kr. each way for a normal car, but it's also possible to drive around the fjord adding just under an hour to your journey.
Several busses leave from BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavík every day heading up to Borgarnes. Any northbound bus from Reykjavík should make a stop in Borgarnes. In addition, buses connect Borgarnes to Akureyri, Hólmavík and the towns on the north coast of Snæfellsnes.

Borgarnes is a small town and it can easily be explored on foot. There are no local buses or taxi companies.

• Safnahús Borgarfjarðar

  phone: +430 7200
  address: Bjarnarbraut 4-6
  Several small museums and collections are housed together in one building: A natural history collection, local history museum and an art collection, as well as the local archives and library.

• SkallagrímsgarðurA small municipal park in the heart of town, perfect for a picnic.

• The Settlement Center

  address: Brákarbraut 13 - 15
  A media center showcasing the Viking sagas, stories or descriptions of their everyday life.

• Borgarnes swimming pool

  phone: +354 437 1444
  address: Þorsteinsgata 1
  Like most Icelandic towns, Borgarnes has its own swimming pool. This one also has a steam bath, sauna, two hot tubs and three water slides.

• Settlement Centre

  phone: +354 437 1600
  address: Brákarbraut 13-15
  A centre devoted to the saga age in Iceland's history. They regularly put on plays and other shows, and the centre hosts exhibitions on Egil's saga and the settlement of Iceland. Also a gift shop and a restaurant.

• Center for Puppet Arts

  phone: +354 530 5000
  address: Skúlagata 17
  Puppetry is not an art form with a long history in Iceland. Borgarnes, however, is the home of one of the country's few puppetteers and he recently opened a center which functions both as an interactive museum of puppetry (you can try some of the puppets yourself) and as a puppet theatre.

Because of its location on the ring road, Borgarnes has several fast food eateries in gas stations along the road. The Settlement Centre, The Center for Puppet Arts and Hotel Bru have restaurants. The local liquor store is at Borgarbraut 58-60 and it may be interesting to note that Reyka vodka is distilled in Borgarnes.

• Dússabar

  address: Brákarbraut 3
  An Icelandic country bar and a Thai restaurant rolled into one. Very popular among the locals.

• Borgarnes Bed and Breakfast

  phone: +354 433 1566
  address: Skúlagata 21

• Borgarnes Hostel

  phone: +354 695 3366
  address: Borgarbraut 9-13
  The hostel also runs a camping site.

• Hótel Borgarnes

  phone: +354 437 1119
  address: Egilsgata 16

• Hótel Brú

  phone: +354 437 2345
  address: Hafnarskógur, Borgarnes
  Hotel Bru offers eight rooms with private bathroom and eight rooms with a shared bathroom. All the rooms are well equipped, on the upper floor are the eight rooms with shared bathrooms, on the ground floor are eight rooms with a private bathroom and each with a private entrance.

Borgarnes is the principal town in a primarily agricultural region often simply called Borgarfjörður, after the fjord it stands by. It's a good base for visits to some of the historical sites in the area, such as Reykholt, or the natural phenomena which include Europe's largest hot spring, Deildartunguhver.
Slightly further afield, Snæfellsnes with all its wonders is easily accessible from Borgarnes. Heading east all the way through the valley at the end of the fjord will bring you to the Interior, and the glacier Langjökull.