Vík, an official trading post since 1887. Vík attracts a great number of tourists year-round, who come to experience its famed natural beauty and mild climate. A large arctic tern nesting colony is located east of Vík, while Mt. Reynisfjall, to the west, is home to a vast number of bird species, including puffin, fulmar and kittiwake. The entire area is perfect for nature lovers and many lovely hiking paths exist in Vík and its surrounding regions.
Brydebúð, the origins of which date from 1831, contains an information centre, a café, and exhibitions about living conditions, nature, climate and ship strandings on the southern coast. There is a memorial to German seafarers in Vík, and a storehouse opposite Brydebúð contains the Skaftfellingur, a 60-ton vessel built in 1916-1917, which sailed with people and goods to “harbours” on the harbourless coast of Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla for some 20 years, beginning in 1918.