Akureyri
A small capital of the north at the head of a long fjord, peaks of fifteen hundred metres behind it, the Arctic Circle within a hundred kilometres, and a runway three kilometres from the main street.
- Arrival
- Akureyri Airport · AEY
- To the town
- About 3 km south of the centre
- Private jets
- Akureyri, with customs on request
- Best time
- June to August
The city
At the head of Eyjafjörður.
Akureyri received its charter in 1786 and has grown into a town of some twenty thousand people, the largest outside the Reykjavík area and the gateway to the whole north of Iceland. It sits at the inner end of Eyjafjörður, with Kerling rising to 1,538 metres behind the houses; the capital is 390 kilometres away by the Ring Road, and the Arctic Circle less than a hundred.
From June to August the days barely end and the roads open out east to Goðafoss and the hot springs and lava of Mývatn, or north up the fjord to the island of Hrísey and its birds. Snow usually settles from late October to April, and the long dark brings the northern lights and the ski slopes of the north.
- Hrísey An island of two hundred people some thirty-five kilometres up the fjord, known for its birdlife.
- Goðafoss A curved fall of the river Skjálfandafljót east of the town, counted among the great waterfalls of Iceland.
- Mývatn A lake in a geothermal landscape of hot springs, lava and volcanic forms.
Arriving
Three kilometres from the main street.
Akureyri Airport lies about three kilometres south of the town. Its runway, lengthened in 2009, now measures 2,400 metres, and a terminal extension with its own international area and passport control opened in December 2024.
- Dublin 2 h 20
- London 2 h 45
- Stockholm 2 h 50
- San Francisco 9 h 10 long-range jet
- Bangkok 13 h 00 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
Cold and sub-arctic, with afternoons around freezing from November to March. Come between June and August, when highs reach 11 to 12 °C, and in June close to twenty-three hours of daylight. Autumn brings the most rain; winter brings snow, the ski season and the northern lights.
- -1° J 66
- -1° F 54
- -1° M 61
- 3° A 46
- 7° M 36
- 11° J 47
- 12° J 56
- 11° A 63
- 8° S 68
- 4° O 79
- 0° N 67
- -1° D 67
Where to stay
By the church, above the fjord.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book in Akureyri.
These are a tasting-menu restaurant and a seafood house in the town centre, recommended by Guide to Iceland and the Reykjavík Grapevine.
- North Guide to Iceland Icelandic tasting menu Hotel Akureyri Skjaldborg, Hafnarstræti 67
- Rub23 Reykjavík Grapevine, Best of North Iceland 2019 Seafood and steak Town centre
Elsewhere in Iceland
More reasons to come.
- Reykjavík The church of Hallgrímskirkja, the old harbour and the Harpa concert hall.
- Blue Lagoon Milky-blue geothermal water, close to Keflavík airport.
- Þingvellir The old parliament plain, first stop on the Golden Circle with Geysir and Gullfoss.
- Vík Black sand, basalt columns and the sea stacks of Reynisdrangar.
Flying to Akureyri?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.