Taking the Baldur Ferry Iceland to the Westfjords – Iceland Review

If you’re planning a trip to Iceland and are interested in including the remote Westfjords region on your vacation, you might want to think about taking the Baldur Ferry Iceland to reach this area. In this blog post review, I’ll give you everything you need to know about taking the Ferry Baldur to the Westfjords. Let’s begin!

Ferry Baldur Iceland – Where are the Westfjords?

Arguably the least-visited place for tourists in Iceland is the Westfjords — mainly due to where they are geographically located —

As you can see, the Westfjords are pretty far off from the main “Ring Road” of Iceland, and because there’s so much to see along the Ring Road, many tourists simply don’t have enough time to add the Westfjords into their visit to Iceland.

We had two weeks in Iceland and we were able to squeeze in a visit to the Westfjords, albeit a very small portion of this amazing area! And we were able to do that thanks to the Ferry Baldur, which saved us some knuckle-gripping driving time.

So one way to get to the Westfjords is to take the Ferry Baldur Iceland from Stykkishólmur, the largest city on the Snaefellsness Peninsula, cross the Breiðafjörður Bay, and arrive at a dock in Brjánslækur, Westfjords.

Related: One day itinerary for visiting the Snaefellsness Peninsula in Iceland

Baldur ferry Iceland vs. Driving

What’s faster — take the Ferry Baldur or driving? Honestly, time-wise, they’re roughly the same – the ferry will not save you time, but it will save you frustration! If you take the ferry, no one in your party is going to have to drive – and depending on where your final destination is in the Westfjords, driving in this region can be really draining.

I opted for the ferry because I love ferries, wanted the experience, wanted to get a break from driving and ultimately, to me, taking the Ferry Baldur was part of the adventure!

Where is the ferry?

The ferry docks are located at Stykkishólmur in the Snaefellsness Peninsula and Brjánslækur in the Westfjords.

The map below shows the ferry route crossing the bay vs. driving in and out of the fjords. While there isn’t much difference in timing, there is a difference in traveler comfort! As you can see, if you drive, you will be weaving in and out of fjords, which can be very tiring.

Dates/Timing of the Ferry Baldur Iceland

The Ferry Baldur runs year-round but its schedule varies depending on the time of year and day of the week. The ferry makes at least one crossing a day, nearly every day of the year. During the peak summer travel months, the ferry may make more than one crossing. Because this ferry schedule varies widely, you will need to consult their schedule on the website. Timetables vary wayyy too much for me to put anything in this post!

How long is the ferry ride on the Ferry Baldur in Iceland?

The Breiðafjörður Bay crossing takes about 2.5 hours. Every ferry crossing makes a quick stop to drop off/pick up passengers on Flatey Island. The stop is very short and you will not have time to get off the boat.

Amenities on the Ferry Baldur

Plenty of seating is available both indoor and outdoor. Free WiFi is available — I felt it had a strong signal during the entirety of our trip. A cafe with hot food, snacks and refreshments is available. Restrooms are available and they were very clean.

Booking your ferry tickets

I highly suggest that you book your ferry crossing tickets in advance, especially if you are taking your rental car – which is a must-have! The ferry can hold 49 cars.

You will need a car in the Westfjords. There are essentially no services at the ferry dock once you arrive in Brjánslækur in the Westfjords. It’s just a dock.

Related: Planning an Iceland trip? View all of my Iceland posts here!

As of 2024, in summer, it’s roughly $50 per person, and then an additional $50 for a car — one way, which is how we did it.

Can this be done as a day trip?

To go to the Westfjords, essentially no. The ferry makes only one (or two) crossings a day. It is on a strict schedule that varies day-to-day. When we did this, our ferry left Stykkishólmur at 10am and arrived in the Westfjords at 12:30pm. The next ferry left the Westfjords at 6:00pm, which only leaves you about 6 hours to explore. The Westfjords are remote and you will need to drive quite a bit of distance between attractions, depending on what you want to see — and then leave enough time to get back to the ferry dock. Six hours just doesn’t give you much time to see anything because of how spread out this area is. However, I suppose you could do this.

You could also do a day trip to Flatey Island, but there isn’t a whole lot to do there. The town is very very small and you would not need a car. It’s known for birding so if you’re not into birdwatching, I’m not sure you could fill several hours on Flatey Island. However, if you’re interested, a day trip to Flatey would easily work.

How we did it – our experience on the Ferry Baldur to the Westfjords

I booked our tickets about two weeks in advance for an early July one-way crossing. Because we were driving the Ring Road clockwise, we would need to take the Ferry Baldur from Stykkishólmur to Brjánslækur in the Westfjords. Alternatively, if you are driving the Ring Road counterclockwise, you will take the ferry in the opposite direction.

Again, check the website for the Ferry Baldur’s schedule — make sure it aligns with your travel schedule if you want to take it! This was one of the reasons why we did the Ring Road clockwise — the ferry left Stykkishólmur at 10am, vs taking the ferry leaving the Westfjords at 6pm, should we have went counter-clockwise.

Before departure, you will drive your car up to the port and park in line. If you’ve ever taken a ferry in the US before, the process works the same here. We arrived about an hour early, but you definitely don’t need to get there that early; 30 minutes before is plenty.

After you drive onto the ferry, make sure you have everything you need, as you won’t be able to get back down to your car while the ferry is moving.

The entire process from embarkation to debarkation — and the journey across the bay was smooth. This was a very relaxing ride!

Unfortunately, around this time, I had come down with a bad cold. So for most of the ride over, I slept. My husband woke me up when we passed by some interesting scenery and when we arrived at a Flatey Island so I could take some photos. The nap was much needed for me and I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep like I did had we been in the car.

We did not have any food or drinks on the ferry, except for the water we brought on ourselves.

When we got off the ferry, we headed right to Látrabjarg to see puffins. While most people on the ferry had cars with them, we did not encounter any traffic whatsoever in the Westfjords or on our way to Latrabjarg; everyone scattered when they left the dock, to whatever destination they had in mind.

Ferry Baldur – Final Thoughts

Five stars for the Ferry Baldur! This was a terrific experience. The ferry crossing was smooth, it provided a nice break from driving and I really enjoyed the scenery. The cost (roughly $150 USD for two adults and a rental car during July) was well worth it and I would absolutely chose this way again to get to the Westfjords vs driving. Driving in the Westfjords requires a lot of focus — you will be weaving in and out of fjords on both paved and unpaved roads. Taking the ferry cuts out some of that journey and allows everyone to relax. I highly recommend the Ferry Baldur!

Any questions? I’ll be happy to answer in the comments!