Húsavík Hotels and Where to Stay Near the Whale Watching Pier

• Top choice Original Big Whale Safari from US$171 Duration2 hours^[4]Rating4.73 from 1,423 reviews^[4]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[4]RouteHusavik, Puffin Island, Skjalfandi^[4]Guide languageEnglish^[4] Check availability
• Big Whales and Puffins from US$164 Duration2 hours^[6]Rating4.83 from 1,059 reviews^[6]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[6]RoutePuffin Island, Skjalfandi^[6]Guide languageEnglish^[6] See this tour
• Family Run Whale Watching from US$85 Duration3 hours^[5]Rating4.70 from 1,987 reviews^[5]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[5]RouteSkjálfandi^[5]Guide languageEnglish^[5] See this tour

Why stay the night in Húsavík

Húsavík sits on the eastern shore of Skjálfandi Bay in north Iceland, a harbour town with roughly 2,500 people living here year round^[1]. The pier, the church on its low hill, the museum, the shops and the guesthouses all sit within a few minutes of each other, so you can park once on arrival and walk everywhere for the rest of your stay. That compactness is what makes the town such an easy base for a night or two.

Whale watching from this harbour began in 1995^[7], and the bay the boats work is large: about 28 kilometers wide at its widest point and about 25 kilometers long^[8]. Trips leave from the same small pier where the ticket offices sit, and Puffin Island, Lundey, is inside the bay. Boats head out through the day, so the water rarely looks empty.

Staying overnight changes the shape of a visit. The long drive south after two cold hours on the water disappears, and a hot shower, a meal and a bed wait within walking distance of the boat. A night in town also gives you a second chance at the water if the wind picks up and your sailing is moved to another slot. Guests who stay two nights often use the extra day for the baths, the museum and a slow walk along the shore.

Rooms near the harbour

The closest rooms to the action are around the harbour itself. From these you can hear the engines warm up in the morning and watch the boats come back in the afternoon, and you can reach the meeting point in a couple of minutes without moving the car. It is the obvious choice if you have an early departure, a late arrival or a booking that might shift with the weather, and it lets you watch the evening light over the masts from your window.

Harbour side streets mix small hotels, guesthouses and self catering apartments, often in the same block. When you book, ask three questions: does the room look over the water or over the road, is breakfast served, and can you leave luggage before check in or after check out. The answers usually sort one property from another faster than the photographs do.

Expect some noise. Fishing boats, tour boats and delivery vans share the quay, work starts early in summer, and the light comes with them. If you sleep lightly, ask for a room away from the pier, or pack earplugs and an eye mask and enjoy being a minute from the water. Most properties have parking on site or on the street just outside.

Boats line up at Húsavík harbour in summer, with the bay and its whale grounds stretching beyond.

The town centre and the hillside

A few minutes inland you reach the town proper: the church on its low hill, small shops, the bakery, cafes and the Whale Museum. Rooms here put you closer to dinner, groceries and a late coffee, and slightly further from the boats. That walk is pleasant in the long evening light and brisker early in the morning, and in midsummer the evenings stay bright enough for a stroll after dinner.

Above the centre, Fosshotel Húsavík is the best known address in town, set on the slope with wide views down over the bay, and smaller guesthouses and apartments spread along the streets below it. North of town, the GeoSea baths stand on the headland cliff above the sea, and a handful of quiet guesthouses and cottages sit near that end.

Hillside rooms trade the harbour for quiet and a view. You will walk downhill to eat and back up afterwards, which is a small price on a bright evening. Check whether the property has parking, because the streets near the church are narrow and fill up when several tours are in town, and ask about the walk back if you plan to eat late.

Hotels, guesthouses and guest rooms

Húsavík accommodation falls into a few familiar types. There are full service hotels with a reception desk, breakfast and private bathrooms; family run guesthouses with a handful of rooms and, often, a shared bathroom down the corridor; and self catering apartments and cottages with a kitchen. Outside town you will also find farm stays and a summer campsite. A few places rent whole houses, which suits two couples travelling together.

The difference matters most in summer, when the town is full. A guesthouse room is usually the simpler, cheaper way to sleep near the harbour, while a hotel room costs more and buys you space, breakfast and someone at a desk when plans change. Apartments and cottages suit families and anyone staying a while, because you can cook and unpack properly.

Read the small print before you commit. Smaller places in Iceland often close over winter, some charge extra for linen or end of stay cleaning, and a few take bookings only through their own website. If your dates are firm, book early and lock them in. If they are still moving, choose a property with a generous cancellation window and keep a second choice in mind.

Things to add to your stay

The Húsavík Whale Museum stands a short walk from the harbour, and it was founded in 1997^[3]. The museum was founded in 1997^[3], and its aim is to give detailed and interesting information about whales and the habitat they live in, which makes it a good wet weather stop and a useful introduction before you go out on the water. Allow an hour or so to read the displays properly.

GeoSea geothermal baths entrance starts from US$60^[2]. The pools are filled with seawater from geothermal boreholes kept at 38 to 39 °C year round^[9], and the baths sit on the cliff just outside town, which makes them an easy add on to a boat morning or a slow evening.

Then there is the water itself. The Original Big Whale Safari and Puffins by Speedboat lasts 2 hours and is listed from US$171^[4], with stops at Husavik, Puffin Island and Skjálfandi^[4]. Puffin Island is a nesting ground for around 36,500 active breeding pairs of puffins^[10], and it is one of the stops on that route rather than an extra to arrange.

When to come and what you will see

Summer in the north is bright. The midnight sun peaks around the summer solstice in June, and the sun never fully sets from May through August, with nights staying bright right across the island^[11]. In summer, the average sea water temperature in Skjálfandi Bay rises to 8.8 C^[12], so a waterproof layer still earns its place in your bag.

Wildlife is the draw. On North Sailing tours there is a chance to encounter up to 11 different cetacean species^[13], and the company reports a 97% overall whale sighting success rate based on sightings in Skjálfandi Bay since 1995^[13]. Humpback whales in the Northern Hemisphere average 49 to 52 feet long, with mature adults weighing 50,000 to 80,000 pounds^[14].

Spring and autumn are quieter. Some guesthouses, cafes and tours shut outside the main season and run fewer departures, so confirm opening dates before you book a room. In return you get space on the water, easy parking and a town that feels like a working place rather than a summer crowd. Daylight in the shoulder months still runs long, so a late afternoon boat is rarely a dark one.

Getting there and settling in

Most people reach Húsavík by car, following the coast up from the south or driving across from Akureyri. The road drops you onto the main street with the bay on one side, and fuel, a supermarket and a bakery are all in the centre. Fill up when you arrive rather than leaving it to the morning. Guesthouses usually have a few parking spaces, and the harbour square fills fastest just before the morning and afternoon departures.

Pack for a boat rather than a beach: a warm base layer, a waterproof outer shell, a hat, gloves and sunglasses. Sea air on an open boat is cold even on a bright day, and the ride home always feels cooler than the ride out. If you are prone to seasickness, take tablets well before you step on the pier, and eat something light beforehand.

For the tour, reserve now and pay later is available, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund^[4]. That makes it easy to book the safari as soon as your room is confirmed and keep the rest of the stay flexible. Two hours on the water and a bed a few streets away is the simplest version of a Húsavík trip.

Plan your Húsavík stay

1. Pick your dates

   Decide between the never ending daylight of midsummer and the quieter streets of spring and autumn, then check what is open when you want to travel.

2. Choose your base

   Harbour side rooms suit boat trips, the centre suits food and shops, and the hillside suits quiet and views over the bay.

3. Book the room

   Reserve early for summer, confirm parking, breakfast and check in times, and save your confirmation somewhere you can reach offline.

4. Add the tours

   Book your whale watching trip for a morning slot, then build the museum, the baths and your meals around it.

5. Pack for the bay

   Layers, a waterproof outer shell, hat, gloves, sunglasses and a camera you can hold with cold hands.

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