Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
Hafnarfjörður is a town of 31,525 people in Capital Region, Iceland.
Why visit Hafnarfjörður
Townapedia lists 53 museums and landmarks, 87 parks and trails, 152 places to eat, 22 places to stay and 24 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include National Theatre of Iceland, Reykjavík City Theatre, The Pearl and Hafnarborg.
Weather in Hafnarfjörður
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Hafnarfjörður
Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, anglicised as Hafnarfjorthur, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about 10 km (6 mi) south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region, on the southwest coast of the country. At about 31,500 inhabitants, Hafnarfjörður is the third-most populous city in Iceland after Reykjavík and Kópavogur. It has established local industry and a variety of urban activities, with annual festival events.
From the Wikipedia article Hafnarfjörður (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Hafnarfjörður on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do24
National Theatre of Iceland
Cinema and theater · 8.9 km
Theatre in Iceland
Reykjavík City Theatre
Cinema and theater · 7.2 km
Theatre in Iceland
University of Iceland
School · 8.2 km
Public university in Reykjavik, Iceland
University of Iceland -School of Education
School · 7.9 km
Former college in Reykjavík, Iceland
12 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks53
Gallery 16C
Museum · 5.3 km
Small privately owned Art Gallery and workshop, Sculptures, Paintings, Glass
16C Dalvegur
Icelandic Museum of Design and Applied Art
Museum · 2.6 km
Art museum in Garðabær, Iceland
Icelandic Phallological Museum
Museum · 9.1 km
Museum in Reykjavík, Iceland
Icelandic Punk Museum
Museum · 8.9 km
Music history museum in Iceland
Imagine Peace Tower
Monument and historic site · 11.3 km
Memorial to John Lennon near Reykjavík
41 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds87
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75 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes152
A. Hansen
Restaurant · Steak House · 1.1 km
Vesturgata
Mo-Su 17:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 22:00-03:00 "Karaoke bar on the second floor"
Ara
Restaurant · Pizza, Burger · 5.6 km
1 Búðakór, Kópavogur
Mo-We 11:00-22:00; Th 11:00-23:00; Fr 11:00-25:00; Sa 12:00-25:00;...
Brasserie Kársnes
Restaurant · Regional · 5.1 km
13b Hafnarbraut, Kópavogur
Mo-We 15:00-22:00; Th-Sa 11:30-23:00; Su 11:30-22:00
Eldofninn
Restaurant · Pizza · 6.8 km
Bústaðavegur, Reykjavík
Mo off; Tu-Fr 11:30-21:00; Sa-Su 17:00-21:00
Flatbakan
Restaurant · Pizza · 4.7 km
2 Bæjarlind, Kópavogur
Mo-Th 11:00-20:30, Fr 11:00-21:00, Sa 12:00-21:00; Su 16:00-20:30
Krua Thai
Restaurant · Thai · 4.6 km
14 Bæjarlind, Kópavogur
Mo-Fr 11:30-21:00; Sa 12:00-21:00; Su 17:00-21:00
Neó
Restaurant · Pizza · 4.7 km
1 Hagasmári, Kópavogur
Su-Tu 11:00-21:00; We 11:00-23:00; Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Nü - Asian Fusion
Restaurant · Asian, Coffee · 2.5 km
6 Garðatorg, Garðabær
Su-Th 11:30-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:30-22:00
Reykjavík Roasters - Gerðarsafn
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 5.2 km
Hamraborg, Kópavogur
Mo-Fr 08:30-18:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 10:00-18:00
27 Mathús & Bar
Restaurant · 6.9 km
1 Víkurhvarf, Kópavogur
We-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr 16:00-23:00; Sa-Su 11:30-23:00
140 more on the map.
History
Hafnarfjörður takes its name (meaning harbour fjord) from the area's natural harbour. The town is built on top of Holocene lava fields erupted from the nearby Krýsuvík volcanic system, including the 8000-year-old Búrfellshraun and the much younger 2000-year-old Óbrinnishólabruni. There have been no new lava flows on the site since before the Settlement of Iceland, but the Krýsuvík system is still an active volcano, last erupting in 2021 at Fagradalsfjall further to the southwest.
Hafnarfjörður is first named in the medieval Landnámabók, and the earliest reports of voyages to Hafnarfjörður date from the end of the 14th century. Englishmen began trading in Hafnarfjörður in the 15th century, but German merchants followed in their wake and eventually drove the English out. In German documents, Hafnarfjörður was mentioned for the first time in 1391, and in another German document dating from 1486 the place was described as a trading place of merchants from Hamburg for the first time.
From the History section of Hafnarfjörður on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay22
Norðurey Hotel Reykjavík Road
Motel and hotel · 1.6 km
72 Reykjavíkurvegur, Hafnarfjörður
Churches and places of worship30
Digraneskirkja
Church · Lutheran · 5.2 km
82 Digranesvegur, Kópavogur
Fríkirkjan í Hafnarfirði
Church · Independent Lutheran · 0.9 km
8 Linnetsstígur, Hafnarfjörður
Shopping78
Gas and EV charging69
Schools, colleges and libraries53
Healthcare31
Map of Hafnarfjörður
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Reykjavik Airport (RKV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 km away.
- Garðabær 3 km north, about 3 min by car
- Kópavogur 5 km north, about 5 min by car
- Reykjavík 8 km north, about 8 min by car
- Seltjarnarnes 10 km north, about 10 min by car
- Akranes 29 km north, about 29 min by car
- Keflavík 31 km west, about 31 min by car
- Grindavík 35 km southwest, about 35 min by car
- Þorlákshöfn 36 km southeast, about 36 min by car
- Selfoss 48 km east, about 48 min by car
- Borgarnes 52 km north, about 52 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- HafnarfjörðurHarbourView, Udm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Iceland-Reykjavik-National-Theatre-1, Guðmundur D. Haraldsson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Reykjavík University (31811484225), Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- University of Iceland - 2013.08 - panoramio, rheins, CC BY 3.0
- Khi-adalinngangur2, Salvör Gissurardóttir, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Hafnarborg- image, Touristlink, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Árbæjarsafn, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Icelandic Phallological Museum visitors, APK, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Iceland - Peace Tower 28 (6571385177), McKay Savage from London, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Öskjuhlíd hill, Reykjavík, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Kópavogur 11, Reykholt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Iglesia Libre Reikiavik, Reikiavik, Distrito de la Capital, Islandia, 2014-08-13, DD 088, Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hallgrimskirkja mai 2026, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Basílica de Cristo el Rey, Reikiavik, Distrito de la Capital, Islandia, 2014-08-13, DD 093, Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hafnarfjördur Frikirkjan, Ypsilon from Finland, CC0
- Burfelluppafhafnarfirði, Benedikt Kristján Mewes, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- 20190623 Perlan 8841 (48469867211), Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Stadion des FH Hafnarfjörður, SergejPassau, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kópavogsvöllur, Jóhann Heiðar Árnason, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NAUTHOLSVIK,REYKJAVIK THERMAL BEACH (2715066532), Helgi Halldórsson from Reykjavík, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Garðakirkja, Steinn inn ♨, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fjolbraut breidholti, Magnusb, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lava rocks in a park in the centre of Hafnarfjördur-2, Szilas, Public domain
- Flensborg 738, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Sky Lagoon Exterior, Laurenmcl, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mjóddin 0975, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Reykjavík iceland hdsr 2019 10 22 9999 86, Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gerðarsafn og menningarhús, Ogkelt, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rútstún-17júní2007, Jóhannes Birgir Jensson, CC BY-SA 3.0
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