Húsavík

The whale usually shows up before you've finished your hot chocolate. First a puff of spray on the flat water of Skjálfandi Bay, then a long dark back, then the tail, lifting slowly like it's waving goodbye. Everyone on deck says the same thing at the same time, and it isn't printable.

Húsavík (Husavik), a small harbour town on the north coast of Iceland, is often called the whale watching capital of Europe, and it has earned the nickname. Humpback and minke whales feed in Skjálfandi Bay from roughly March to November, and in spring and early summer the occasional blue whale turns up too. The town is small, the harbour is lovely, and almost everything happens on the water.

Tours that visit Húsavík

Húsavík Original Whale Watching

3 hours · From Húsavík

4.6(392)

From 14.036 ISK

Dettifoss Waterfall, Ásbyrgi and Lake Mývatn - Shore Excursion from Húsavík

5 hours and 30 minutes · From Húsavík

3.3(5)

From 24.990 ISK

Midnight Sun Whale Watching from Húsavík

3 hours · From Húsavík

From 13.990 ISK

popular

Húsavík: Midnight-Sun Whale Watching

2 hours · From Húsavík

4.9(527)

From 23.990 ISK

Whales and Puffins

3 hours and 30 minutes · From Húsavík

4.5(105)

From 16.490 ISK

Silent Whale Watching (Carbon-Neutral)

3 hours · From Húsavík

4.4(98)

From 14.490 ISK

Whale watching in Húsavík

Tours leave from the old harbour right in the centre of town. You have three broad choices. The traditional wooden oak boats are the classic: slower, steadier, with a proper maritime feel and blankets on board. RIB boats are small, fast rubber boats that get you to the whales quickly and closer to water level, but you'll be sitting in a flotation suit and bouncing a bit. And there are quieter, electric-hybrid boats for people who like the idea of hearing the whale breathe without an engine running.

Several tours combine whales with puffins. The puffins nest on Lundey, a small island in the bay, roughly from May to August. Some operators also pair whale watching with horse riding on a nearby farm, which fills an afternoon nicely.

Pro tip: book the first sailing of the day if you get seasick and the calm evening sailing if you want the light. Wear more layers than seems reasonable. The bay can be glassy in the harbour and properly cold 20 minutes out, and the overalls the boats hand out are windproof but not warm.

What to see in Húsavík besides whales

The Húsavík Whale Museum, by the harbour, is well worth an hour, with real whale skeletons, including a blue whale. It's the best thing to do if your tour is cancelled because of wind, which happens. The Exploration Museum tells the odd story of the Apollo astronauts who trained in the lava fields near Húsavík in the 1960s. And the wooden church on the harbour is the one on every postcard.

You may also recognise the town from the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Húsavík has taken it with good humour. Ask about Jaja Ding Dong in any bar and see what happens. End the day at GeoSea, the geothermal sea baths on the headland above the harbour, where you can soak while looking out over the bay you just sailed.

How to get to Húsavík

Húsavík is about an hour's drive north of Akureyri and roughly 45 minutes from Lake Mývatn. From Reykjavík, it's six hours or more by road, so most people come from Akureyri or stay a night on a Ring Road trip. The roads in are paved but watch for ice outside summer, and for sheep all year.

Best time for whale watching in Húsavík

The main season runs from spring to autumn, with June to August the busiest and most comfortable months on deck. Winter tours are limited and weather-dependent. If you're coming for puffins as well as whales, aim for June or July.

Tours from Húsavík are below: oak boat and RIB whale watching, whales with puffins, and Diamond Circle day trips that stop in town on the way to Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss.