Borganes

Situated in Borgarbyggd Municipality in Borgarfjordur about 76 km from Reykjavik, Borgarnes is one of Iceland’s main junctions, with roads leading to Snæfellsnes National Park and other places of tourist interest.

Situated in Borgarbyggd Municipality in Borgarfjordur about 76 km from Reykjavik, Borgarnes is one of Iceland’s main junctions, with roads leading to Snæfellsnes National Park and other places of tourist interest.

While driving to Borganes from Reykjavik, every tourist encounters two distinct landmarks – first the amazing drive through 5770-meter Hvalfjörður Tunnel, one of the world’s longest underwater road tunnels under a fjord, which is 165 meters below sea level and then on its outskirts, over the second-longest bridge in the country. Noted for the setting of Egils Saga, the town derives its name from the saga’s protagonist Egill Skallagrimsson’s farm Borg a Myrum and translates to ‘the peninsula of Bjorg’. The town today has a museum, the Settlement Centre, dedicated to Egill, besides a puppet museum. Borgarnes, which boasts of having the tallest and oldest birch trees, has forests nearby, including four national forests. Besides, Skallagrímsgarður, the playground of Borgarnes, with a mound in the middle believed to be the grave of Viking Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, is also popular among families, for its design and multiple facilities.

There are many things one can do at Borgarnes, besides indulging in some delicious food in restaurants around town, which also has some comfortable hotels. Other popular attractions include Eldborg Crater, Hestaland, hiking to Husafell, Hafnarfell, troll waterfalls, Borgarnes Regional Information Center etc.