Husavik is a town on the eastern shores of The Skjalfandi Bay. It is a commercial centre for a large agricultural area and processing of farm produce plays a considerable role in the towns economy. Many dairy and meat products processed here are appreciated all over the country. Fishing and fish processing are also important bases of livelihood. The fastest growing trade, however, is tourism. Accommodations, cuisine, and services to travellers are at their very best. Husavik was the first place in Iceland to offer whale watching cruises and many tourists sole purpose for visiting the town is to participate. Therefore it is sometimes called The Whale Spotting Capital of The World. The Whale Centre is ideal for getting better acquainted with the giants of the oceans. The Folks Museum is among the most attractive ones of the country. Other visitors want to enjoy other remarkable nearby areas, such as Lake Myvatn and its surroundings and the third National Park Jokulsargljufur, which are ideal for daily excursions from Husavik. One of the most popular and best salmon rivers of Iceland, "Laxa of The Adaldalur Valley, is in the region within a short driving distance from town. Brown trout and lake char fishing is also popular in several nearby lakes and rivers where the occasional salmon is also caught..

Sights

The Whale Museum, established in 1997, is a non-profit educational information centre on cetaceans and marine wildlife, located in Húsavík, in the North of Iceland. It's foremost aim was and is to provide detailed information on whales, their biology and habitat, but also on whaling history in Iceland and the myths surrounding them. The museum is the educational counterpart to the whale watching tours available in town.

At the beginning, it was a small exhibition on whales, the so-called trial version of todays museum. Due to the enormous amount of people visiting, it was possible to acquire and remodel a more suitable building in 2000. What had been the slaughterhouse in town once, now is the Húsavík Whale Museum formally opened in Summer 2002.

The building provides about 1,800 m2 (5,900 square feet) exhibition area, with further potential for expansion. The establishment of a new exhibition is in progress and planned to be finished in autumn 2006.

The Museum now facilitates several whale skeletons of stranded animals, thereof Sowerby´s beaked whale, humpback whale, sperm whale and a narwhal, just to mention some of them.

Since its establishment, more than 100.000 people have visited the Museum. So, Welcome!

There are two companies which operate whale watching tours out of Husavik.

The Folk Museum and district culture center, is a combination of folk, maritime, natural history museum and art gallery. The building also accommodates the local library, which offers internet access.

The "Húsavíkur Kirkja", built in 1907, is one of the oldest and architecturally most significant wooden churches in Iceland. Guided tours in various languages are available during the summer months.

The Tjörnes Peninsula stretches North of Húsavík and is known for its cliffs consisting of fossilised seashells. A Fossil Museum is located nearby in Hallbjarnarstaðir. The Museum at Mánárbakki provides an interesting collection of antiquarian household items from the last centuries.