Informationen über: The Old Bookstore in Flateyri

Flateyri village from above. Photo: Steinninn, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Old Bookstore in Flateyri (Gamla bókabúðin, formally Verslun Bræðurnir Eyjólfsson) is a small shop at Hafnarstræti 3 in the fishing village of Flateyri on Önundarfjörður in the Westfjords.

Opened in 1914 by Jón Eyjólfsson and his brothers, it is described as the oldest original store in Iceland: the counter, shelves, ledgers and much of the equipment are the ones the family installed more than a century ago, and it is still run by Jón's great-grandson, Eyþór Jóvinsson, the fourth generation.

Behind the shop, the apartment that Jón and his wife Guðrún moved into in 1915 has been kept almost exactly as it was when Jón died in 1950.

Key Takeaways About Gamla bókabúðin

• Trading since 1914 at Hafnarstræti 3, Flateyri, with original fittings and a fourth-generation owner
• Merchant's apartment behind the shop kept as it was in 1950; free to view
• Second-hand Icelandic books sold by the kilo, plus English-language sagas and Westfjords goods
• About 23 km (25 minutes) from Ísafjörður via Route 60 and Route 64
• Open daily 1 June-30 September 10:00-17:00; check bookstore.is for off-season hours

Why visit the Old Bookstore in Flateyri

Iceland's oldest shop, still trading. The store began as a general store in 1914 and was granted a bookselling licence in 1920.

Walking into the Old Bookstore, you step into a 1910s Icelandic merchant's shop: dark wooden fittings, glass-fronted cabinets, brass scales and account books on display.

It is included in the books 150 Bookstores You Need to Visit Before You Die and The World's Best Shops.

Books by the kilo. The core stock is second-hand Icelandic books, mostly donated, sold by weight at a flat price per kilogram.

Alongside them are new books, Icelandic sagas and local history in English and other languages, Westfjords products such as berry jams, inks and fountain pens, and goods from foreign brands that have all been in business for over 100 years.

The 1950 apartment. Through the shop is the kaupmannsíbúð, the merchant family's flat, unchanged since Jón's death in 1950. Furniture, kitchen, old books and everyday objects are all in place, making it one of the few preserved early-20th-century homes in the country. Visitors can look around it during opening hours.

Stay upstairs. The family home above the shop, built in 1898, is run as a small guesthouse with a few rooms and shared facilities, booked through Booking.com.

Flateyri itself, a village of a couple of hundred people on a sand spit in Önundarfjörður, is worth an hour: the harbour, fish-drying racks, the church and the avalanche defences above the town, built after the 1995 disaster.

How to get to the Old Bookstore in Flateyri

The shop is at Hafnarstræti 3, 425 Flateyri, on the main street by the old quay.

• From Ísafjörður: about 22 km, 20-25 minutes. Take Route 60 west through the Vestfjarðagöng tunnel to Önundarfjörður and turn right onto Route 64 (Flateyrarvegur), which follows the north shore of the fjord to the village. Both roads are paved and open year-round, with occasional winter closures in storms.
• From Reykjavík: a full day's drive of about 410 km (six to seven hours) via Route 1 and Route 60 through the southern Westfjords, or fly to Ísafjörður (about 40 minutes) and drive from there.
• Cruise passengers docking in Ísafjörður usually visit on a shore excursion; the drive is short enough to combine with Dynjandi or Súðavík.
• Parking is free on the street outside. Flateyri is small enough to walk everywhere from the shop.

Best time to visit

The shop is open daily in summer (1 June to 30 September, 10:00-17:00). From Easter to the end of May it opens afternoons except Tuesdays, and from October to Easter only on Saturdays.

Summer brings the longest hours, the best roads and the village at its liveliest; a visit in winter is possible but check hours first or arrange a time with the owners. Opening hours change, so confirm on bookstore.is before a special trip.

Safety and practical tips

• Opening hours (as published by the shop, autumn 2026): Easter-31 May daily 12:00-16:00, closed Tuesdays; 1 June-30 September daily 10:00-17:00; 1 October-Easter Saturdays only, roughly midday to 16:00. Visits at other times can be arranged with the owners through bookstore.is.
• Admission: free to the shop and the apartment; buying a book or a jar of jam is the usual way to say thanks.
• Payment: cards are accepted, as everywhere in Iceland.
• Handle with care. The fittings and the apartment contents are original and fragile; mind backpacks in the narrow aisles and do not sit on the furniture.
• Books by weight are mostly in Icelandic; look at the English-language shelf for sagas and translations.
• Facilities: public toilets, a swimming pool, a café-pub and a small shop are elsewhere in the village.
• Winter driving: Route 64 runs along an exposed fjord shore; check road.is and the weather before setting out.