Eyrarbakki

Eyrarbakki was for centuries the main trading place on the south coast, handling the goods for a large hinterland at a time when there was no harbour and everything was landed through the surf. That trade collapsed once ports with real harbours took over, and the village stopped growing, which is why its nineteenth century timber houses survive as a group. Husid, the merchant's house of 1765, is among the oldest buildings in Iceland and is now the local museum, with a maritime collection beside it. A sea wall runs along the front because the village sits below the level of the winter storms. Iceland's main prison is on the edge of the village.

What you actually see

• A trading port that stopped - the reason the old houses survive.
• Husid of 1765 - among the oldest buildings in the country, now a museum.
• A sea wall along the front - the village sits below storm level.
• Surf landing history - goods brought ashore without a harbour.

When to go

May to September for the museums; the village itself any time. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Museums here keep short summer hours and are closed much of the year. The village is small and quiet, which is the appeal or the disappointment depending on expectations. The shore is exposed and the surf dangerous.

Nearby

Stokkseyri is minutes east; Selfoss is inland.