Akureyri

Introduction

Akureyri

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Akureyri is a city in the north of Iceland. The "Capital of the North" has about 17,500 inhabitants and is by far the largest urban area outside Reykjavik. It is an important fishing and port centre and increasingly is becoming a major tourist centre for all sorts of activities.

Sights and Activities

• World's most northern 18-hole golf course
• World's most northern Botanical Garden
• Base for exploring Eyjafjörður and further east to Mývatn
• Akureyri Museum
• Akureyri Art Museum
• Whale-watching trips
• Akureyrarkirkja (The church of Akureyri)
• Glerárkirkja (The church of Glerá)

Weather

Akureyri has a relatively mild climate for its location. Summers are short and last from June to August, with daytime temperatures close to 15 °C, while nights are around 6-7 °C. In winter (December to February) temperatures are slightly above zero during the day and average around -5 °C at night. Precipitation is possible year round, though spring is certainly the driest and sunniest time of year, while summers are almost as dry and sunny. Most of the rain falls from October to January.

Getting There

By Plane

Akureyri Airport (AEY) offers Air Iceland flights to/from Reykjavik, while relatively new Norlandair serves Grímsey, Vopnafjörður and Þórshöfn. Iceland Express has seasonal flights to/from London-Gatwick and Copenhagen (summer only).
Norlandair has charteflights to Greenland as well.

By Car

The Icelandic Ring Road (Route 1) connects Akureyri with other places around the country. Reykjavik is about 400 kilometres away, about a 5 hour drive. Roads inland require 4wd vehicles, such as along the the F821 road which ascends from the head of the fjord and connects to the trans-Interior route F35.

By Bus

The Icelandic Bus Company provides services to/from Akureyri. Buses run to Reykjavík twice daily from May to September, departing at 8.30am and 5pm (5¾ hours). There is at least one service daily during the rest of the year. From mid-June to the end of August an additional service runs to Reykjavík along the interior’s Kjölur route (10 hours), leaving at 8am.

Heading east, there are daily summer buses from Akureyri to Egilsstaðir (four hours), stopping en route in Reykjahlíð and Skútustaðir for Mývatn (1½ hours). In peak season up to three additional buses run to Mývatn. From June to August there are three daily services to Húsavík (one hour), from where you can connect to Ásbyrgi and Þórshöfn (weekdays only). Buses to Árskógssandur and Dalvík (for the Grímsey and Hrísey ferries) and Ólafsfjörður leave up to four times a day on weekdays.

By Boat

Cruisehips call at Akureyri in summer and there are whale-watching trips in season as well.

Getting Around

By Car

Avis, Budget, Hertz and National all have offices at the airport or downtown. Since 2006, you must now put a parking disk (available free from all shops, guesthouses and banks) on display in your car. Spaces are marked with maximum stay allowed (from 15 minutes to two hours). Parking is free, but overstaying your time certainly is not!

By Public Transport

The bus service within Akureyri is provided by the SVA (Akureyri Bus Company) and fares are Ikr200, running from 6.20am to 11.30pm daily.

By Foot and Bike

Central Akureyri is easily negotiated on foot, but you will need a bike when you go outside the city.

Sleep

There are camping sites, guesthouse and more luxurious hotels in Akureyri. For a complete overview, have a look at this website.

Learn

• University of Akureyri

Keep Connected

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls