Videy

About Videy

Viðey Island (Videy) is a 1.6-square-kilometer island of meadows, bird life and old stone buildings in Kollafjörður bay, a five-minute ferry ride from Reykjavík's Skarfabakki pier. It is the easiest half-day escape from the capital, and from October to early December it is the place to see the Imagine Peace Tower up close.

Archaeological research suggests people lived on Viðey as early as the 10th century. A monastery consecrated in 1226 belonged for centuries to the Augustinian order and became one of the wealthiest in Iceland, owning over 100 farms, until it closed in 1537 with the Reformation. Viðey House (Viðeyjarstofa), completed in 1755 for royal treasurer Skúli Magnússon, is the oldest stone house in Iceland, and the stone church beside it was consecrated in 1774.

Two artworks draw most visitors. On Vesturey, the island's northern half, Richard Serra's Áfangar is nine pairs of basalt columns installed in 1990. Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower, inaugurated in 2007, sends a column of light into the sky every year from October 9, John Lennon's birthday, to December 8, the anniversary of his death, and again on a few dates such as Christmas and the spring equinox.

Trails loop around both halves of the island, which meet at a narrow isthmus, and the high point is only about 32 meters above sea level, so the walking is easy. Eiders nest all over Viðey, and Arctic terns turn up in summer. Allow two to four hours, and plan lunch at the café in Viðeyjarstofa, which opens while the ferry is running.

From May 15 to August 31, the Viðey ferry leaves Skarfabakki every hour from 10:15 to 17:15, with two extra daily departures from the Old Harbour (a 20-minute crossing) from June 1. From September 1 to May 14 it sails only on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:15, 14:15 and 15:15. A return ticket costs 2,500 ISK for adults, 1,250 ISK for ages 7 to 17 and 2,250 ISK for students, seniors and disabled passengers, while under-7s ride free and the Reykjavík City Card covers the trip.