Iceland
Heimaey
An island where houses remain half-buried in volcanic ash beside millions of nesting puffins.
The puffins return every spring to the same volcanic island that tried to bury itself in 1973. Heimaey in Iceland's Westman Islands is a place where lava cooled against living room walls and where children still rescue confused puffin chicks from streetlights each August. The harbour smells of diesel and fresh fish and the particular mineral tang of volcanic rock that hasn't finished cooling.
On 23 January 1973, a volcanic fissure tore open on the edge of Heimaey town with no warning. The eruption of Eldfell lasted five months, burying 400 houses under lava and ash. The entire population of 5,000 was evacuated overnight by fishing boat. Today, the Eldheimar museum displays excavated homes frozen mid-eruption — dishes on tables, toys on floors — earning comparisons to Pompeii. Above the ruins, the island's grassy sea cliffs host one of the Atlantic's largest puffin colonies, with over a million birds nesting between May and August. The annual ĂžjóðhátĂĂ° festival in August fills a natural lava amphitheatre with music, bonfires, and fireworks.
Family
Children are spellbound by the buried houses, the puffins are arm's-length tame, and the August puffin rescue — when kids guide confused fledglings to the sea — is a tradition they can join.
Solo
Climb Eldfell's warm crater, walk the volcanic coastline alone, then explore Eldheimar's eerie frozen-in-time rooms. Heimaey has emotional depth that rewards solitary reflection.
Friends
The ĂžjóðhátĂĂ° festival, boat tours around the island's sea caves, and the novelty of a town rebuilt from volcanic destruction make Heimaey a memorable group trip.
- The 1973 Eldfell eruption buried 400 houses — some are being excavated like a Nordic Pompeii.
- Home to one of the world's largest Atlantic puffin colonies, numbering over a million birds.
- A 30-minute ferry from the mainland makes it easily accessible yet feels wonderfully remote.
- The annual ĂžjóðhátĂĂ° festival is one of Iceland's biggest outdoor gatherings.
Cod heads glazed with dulse and fermented honey at a world-class dockside restaurant.
Sprinkled sea salt on hand-dived scallops eaten right on the volcanic cliffs.
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