Vestmannaeyjar

Vestmannaeyjar (say it: VEST-manna-ay-yar) is an archipelago of 15 volcanic islands sitting about 10km off Iceland's south coast — and the main island, Heimaey, is one of the most dramatic places you can visit in the country. In 1973, a volcanic eruption buried a third of the town overnight and nearly ended the island's existence. Today you can walk into that lava field, visit houses still half-submerged in rock, and tour the Eldheimar museum, which was built around an excavated home frozen in time.

Beyond the geology, Heimaey is home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony — around 8 to 10 million birds nest here between May and August. A boat tour around the sea cliffs gets you close to puffins, guillemots, and gannets in numbers that genuinely surprise first-time visitors. The cliffs themselves are enormous, with sheer basalt columns dropping straight into the North Atlantic.

Getting here is straightforward: a 35-minute flight from Reykjavík or a 3-hour ferry from Landeyjahöfn on the south coast. Most visitors come as a day trip, but staying overnight means you'll have the island mostly to yourself once the day-trippers leave — and that's when it gets really good. Visit between June and August for puffins and calmer seas, or come in February for the famous Þjóðhátíð festival preparations.