3 Best Sights in Hofsós, North Iceland

The unlimited sea views over the fjord from this open-air swimming pool are especially pretty during the summer months. As it lacks shelter from the north, it can get somewhat choppy when the wind picks up. After your soak, take the quick hike down the shore to see some truly stellar basalt columns by the water.

For a quick fix of turf-topped delight visit Grafakirkja (also known as Gröf), a tiny yet fetching chapel dating from around the late 1600s. Maintained by the National Museum of Iceland since 1939, Gröf is the oldest church in Iceland.

Also known as Vesturfarasetrið in Icelandic, this permanent exhibition documents the mass emigration of Icelanders to the New World during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At least 20% of the Icelandic population at that time headed west to make a home in North America, resulting in many modern-day Americans with Icelandic heritage. The exhibition also details the fates of those who left and offers a genealogy service.