Reaching Iceland's Westfjords Without a Car: Ferries, Buses and Flights

Start with the ferry or the flight, not the bus

Most car-free journeys begin in Reykjavík and hinge on two options: the Baldur ferry from Stykkishólmur on Snæfellsnes, or a short domestic flight from Reykjavík Airport to Ísafjörður. The ferry crosses Breiðafjörður to Brjánslækur in about two and a half hours and carries foot passengers, but you must first reach Stykkishólmur by Strætó bus from Reykjavík's Mjódd terminal, roughly two and a half hours. Schedules are seasonal and thin outside summer, so check sailing days before you commit to a route.

The flight is far simpler. Air Iceland Connect-style scheduled hops from Reykjavík's downtown-adjacent airport to Ísafjörður take about 40 minutes and run year-round on weekdays, with fewer weekend departures. Fares in summer sit noticeably above the bus-and-ferry combination, but you save a full day each way. If your trip is four nights or fewer, I would book the flight and use Ísafjörður as a base rather than trying to string together ferries and connections.

The summer bus network is your only overland link

From June to late August, a seasonal bus links Ísafjörður with the south via the Strandir coast and Hólmavík, and another service connects to the ferry at Brjánslækur. These are not commuter buses: they run a few days a week, sometimes only on alternate days, and reservations are wise in July. Journey times are long, often five to seven hours between Ísafjörður and key stops, because the roads follow every fjord. Outside summer, overland public transport effectively disappears and the flight becomes the only realistic option.

Within the Westfjords, local buses connect Ísafjörður with nearby villages such as Bolungarvík and Suðureyri, but service is designed for residents and is sparse. For day trips to places like Dynjandi waterfall or Látrabjarg cliffs, your practical choices are a guided tour from Ísafjörður or hiring a car for a day or two. Guided day tours run from roughly midsummer to early September and typically include pickup, which solves the last-mile problem elegantly.

Where to base yourself and what to skip

Ísafjörður is the obvious base: it has the airport, the bus connections, the largest selection of guesthouses and hotels, and walkable restaurants around the old harbour. Patreksfjörður in the south is a second option if Látrabjarg and Rauðasandur are priorities, reached by bus from Brjánslækur after the ferry, but connections are even thinner. Book accommodation early for July and August; the town fills up and the number of rooms is genuinely limited.

What I would skip without a car is attempting the full loop. The Westfjords reward slow travel, and trying to tick off Ísafjörður, Látrabjarg and Hólmavík in one short trip means hours waiting for infrequent buses. Better to pick one or two anchor towns and take a guided tour for the far-flung sights. May and September offer lighter crowds and longer daylight than midwinter, though some bus routes and tours only run in the June-to-August window, so check dates carefully before booking.

Booking the right nights for a car-free trip

Because transport days are fixed, your accommodation should follow the timetable, not the other way round. Build the trip around flight days or ferry days and add a buffer night in Ísafjörður at each end; weather in the Westfjords can delay flights, and a buffer turns a potential disaster into an extra evening in town. Two to three nights in Ísafjörður is comfortable for a guided tour, a harbour walk and a day on local buses to Bolungarvík.

When you book, prioritise properties within walking distance of the Ísafjörður bus stop and the airport shuttle point; taxis are scarce and expensive. Confirm that your guesthouse can hold luggage before check-in and after check-out, which matters when a flight leaves at midday. If you rely on the ferry, consider a night in Stykkishólmur before the sailing so a delayed Strætó bus from Reykjavík does not cost you the crossing.