The top eight things to do in Akureyri

Akureyri is my hometown, and I love it dearly. The town is both pretty and peaceful and well-placed as a base for exploring the north of Iceland. The first thing to know about Akureyri is that it is the largest urban center outside of the southwest of Iceland and has all the services and amenities you need. Please scroll down for practical information about shopping, hotels, and tours in and around Akureyri.

Tip 1 for Akureyri – visit the Forest Lagoon

Visit the wonderful Forest Lagoon. What to do when a work crew tunneling through a mountain unleashes a deluge of hot water on themselves? Well, one not-so-obvious answer is to use the river of hot water for outdoor baths that make visitors feel like they are in an enchanted forest. That is exactly what happened at the recently opened Forest Lagoon. That is wild but true.

Tip 2 – visit the northernmost botanical gardens in the world

I love the botanical gardens in Akureyri. As far as I know, they are the northernmost gardens of their kind. Originally, the botanical gardens were founded in 1912 by wealthy, well-meaning, and presumably bored, upper crust ladies of Danish descent. Their purpose was sound, they wanted the citizens of Akureyri to have access to something beautiful in their free time. I must say though, my ancestors, who were not as fancy as those Danish ladies did not have a lot of free time on their hands! However, In good weather it is just divine to meander there, enjoy the fauna, and enjoy coffee at the café there.

Tip 3 – have brunch at Berlín

Akureyri does have a few restaurants but its only brunch place, at least that I know of, is Berlín. The brunch there is absolutely scrumptious and therefore Berlin is always very busy. Just hang in there, you will get a table eventually.

Tip 4 – have ice cream at the Brynja ice-cream store

The most Akureyri thing to do is to get ice-cream at the Brynja ice-cream store. I daresay that Brynja is Iceland’s oldest ice-cream parlour, its recipe for vanilla ice-cream has not changed since the fifties. The proper way to enjoy a Brynja ice-cream is to get the plain vanilla in a cone. Ordering any other variant of the ice-cream else is of course barbaric sacrilege in my view.

Tip 5 – visit Hauganes

Hauganes is only an half-an-hour drive from Akureyri. It has rustic outdoor hot-tubs and the baccalá (salted cod) at the small restaurant Baccalá bar is delicious. And that is not all. You can also book a whale watching tour with my partners at Hauganes whale watching.

Tip 6 – Go swimming in the Akureyri waterworld

The swimming pool in Akureyri is probably the best swimming pool in Iceland. At least that is my opinion! It has everything a swimming pool should have, big pool for swimming, really nice hot-tubs and of course water slides. It always find it delightful to visit this swimming pool since it used to be really crap when I was kid. Gentrification is not always bad!

Tip 7 – Catch a live concert at the Græni Hatturinn (Green Hat)

Græni Hatturinn, or the Green Hat, is situated in a cavernous space in downtown Akureyri. It is, without a doubt, the best venue for live music in Iceland. This is the place where popular Icelandic musicians play for the local crowd.

Tip 8

Go whale watching with my partners at Whale Watching Akureyri. Whale-watching from Akureyri is a great activity. Firstly, you sail in the longest fjord in Iceland, Eyjafjörður. If you ask me, this is the most beautiful fjord in Iceland, with stunning mountains on each side of the fjord. We start from the bottom of the fjord in the South and work North. So far, Whales of Akureyri have a 98% percent sighting success rate for their tours.

More attractions in and around Akureyri – everything from Christmas all year to tubercolosis!

Additionally, Akureyri has attractions like its beautiful Akureyrarkirkja church, its historic Old Town, the world’s northernmost botanical garden, Kjarnaskógur forest, and the town’s ski resort. Museums and exhibitions in Akureyri include the quaint Christmas House which is open all year, the Aviation Museum, the moving Museum of Tuberculosis in Iceland (HÆLIÐ). Hikers can endeavor to hike up Mt. Kaldbakur. It is a great mountain to conquer.Travel to the nearby fishing village of Dalvík and have at Gísli, Eiríkur, Helgi. go walking or mountain-biking in Kjarnaskógur woods, or hike up Súlur just above Akureyri.

Hotels and tours in Akureyri

My favorite hotel in Akureyri is Hótel Kjarnalundur. My brother and sister, Hildur and Guðjón, run it. Please say hello from Jón if you stay there! In addition there is a great selection of hotels and other forms of accommodation in and around the town. The same goes for tours, there so many cool activities and tours you can join in and around Akureyri.

Shopping in Akureyri

The Glerártorg shopping center should have everything you need to stock up for your road trip. Low-cost supermarkets Krónan and Bónus also have stores in Akureyri. You will also find the low-cost self-service gas stations Atlantsolia, ÓB, and Orkan in Akureyri.

Skip the tunnel when driving east in summer

From Akureyri, there is an easy drive on the ring road to Húsavík to the east. If you drive in summer, I would save some money, skip the tunnel, and proceed through the Víkurskarð pass. You will get an excellent view of driving there. In winter, use the tunnel since Víkurskarð Pass can get pretty crazy in wintertime.