Between two fjords—Skerjafjörður to the north and Hafnarfjörður to the south—lies Álftanes, a peninsula that stretches westward out into Faxaflói Bay. On Álftanes stand Bessastaðir, the estate that has served as a principal farm since around the year 1000 and, since the founding of the republic in 1944, as the official residence of the President of Iceland. Bessastaðir have always held great importance in the nation’s history and have consistently been the seat of chieftains and high officials.
The poet and chieftain Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241), author of the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, owned Bessastaðir. Following his murder in 1241, the estate—with all its lands, documents, and valuables—passed into the possession of the King of Norway, becoming the first property in Iceland to fall under royal ownership. The king’s governors resided there, followed later by district magistrates (amtmaðr) and superior district magistrates (stiftamtmaðr), along with the royal bailiffs (landfógetar).
Today, there is modest settlement on this low-lying peninsula in the southern part of the Capital Region. Álftanes was an independent municipality until it merged with Garðabær in 2012. Icelandic Times / Land & Saga took a journey around Álftanes—this underrated destination offers the perfect blend of history and outdoor enjoyment, right in the vicinity of Reykjavík or Hafnarfjörður.
Photos & text : Páll Stefánsson
Álftanes : 19/01/2026 – GFX 100 II – GF 1.7/55mm
