Snæfellsnes · Iceland

Skarðsvík beach

Small free car park above Skarðsvík, a north-facing cove inside Snæfellsjökull National Park.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Skarðsvík beach in Aurora Atlas

Skarðsvík Beach
“Skarðsvík Beach” by Chixoy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View
North over the cove to the open sea..
Darkness
Very dark sky, grade 0 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. No towns or road lights nearby; the faintest aurora shows.
Aurora
Under the auroral oval: aurora can be overhead even on quiet nights.

Getting there

Distance
About 43 km by road from the middle of Snæfellsnes (estimate), roughly 50 min by car.
Parking
Free car park.
Coordinates
64.8808, -23.9857 · Open in OpenStreetMap

Before you go

Do not go to the waterline at night (strong currents, sneaker waves).

Dress for standing still in the cold, bring a head torch with a red light, and park only where parking is allowed. A forecast is guidance, not a promise: check the road and weather warnings for Iceland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from openstreetmap.org.