Iceland
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
13.1km²
Area
33km
Coastline
283m
Highest point
Heimaklettur
4,086
People
12°C
Warmest sea
August
1,269km
To the mainland
When to go to Heimaey
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (12 °C) and coolest in March (7 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Iceland
Heimaey is an island in Iceland. It belongs to Vestmannaeyjar. It covers 13.1 km², with 33 km of coastline. Its highest point, Heimaklettur, rises to 283 m. About 4,086 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,269 km away.
Getting there
- Reykjavík Domestic Airport (RKV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 113 km in a straight lineCar hire at RKV airport (Reykjavík)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHerjólfur
- 1,269 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Heimaey.
- 7beachesVíkin, Stafsnes, Gjábakkafjara and 4 more
- 7viewpointsFlakkarinn and 6 more
- 2lighthousesStórhöfði, Urðir
- 9named peaksHome Rock, Blátindur, Stóraklif and 6 more
- 2volcanoesHelgafell, Eldfell
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesPompeii of the North
- 1waymarked walking routesHeimaey hringur
- 2campsitesÞórsheimilið, Herjólfsdalur
- 10hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 10restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Heimaey in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Heimaey, each with its own numbers.
3beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
11.5°C
Kópavík
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
3 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Kópavíkcove11.5°C
- Höfðavíkcove11.5°C
- Klettsvíkcove11.5°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 61 m above the sea. 99 % of it is below 200 m.
- 44 %0–50 m
- 55 %50–200 m
- <1 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Vestmannaeyjar4,639 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Night low (°C) | -1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Sea (°C) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 244 | 222 | 216 | 159 | 112 | 105 | 123 | 143 | 221 | 203 | 206 | 244 |
| Wet days | 24 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 30 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | −0.2 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.1 | +0.6 | +0.4 | −0.2 | +0.1 | −0.1 |
| 2022 | −0.1 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.5 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | −0.3 | −0.3 | −0.4 | −0.3 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.1 |
| 2025 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.9 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q211182) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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