town · Iceland · North
On the route
- Time needed
- 1 h – 1 day
- Price
- Free — No charge to stop; central parking uses a free time-disc system, check the current rule on the sign.
- Season
- Year-round; winter ski town, summer cruise port.
- Access
- On the Ring Road at the head of Eyjafjörður; town streets, large supermarket car parks, airport on the fjord.
- Checked
- not yet confirmed on an official source
65.683, -18.111 · Iceland
Akureyri
Photograph: Akureyri church steps above the town centre and the fjord — Gerd Eichmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Akureyri is the only real city outside the capital area, and on a route plan it is the north's depot in the same way Reykjavík is the south's. Every supermarket chain is here, fuel is competitive, car-hire and tyre shops exist, and the municipal pool is the biggest in the north. If something has broken on the car between Egilsstaðir and here, this is where it gets fixed.
The practical line, confirmed on the operators' lists today: Bónus has three stores (bonus.is), Nettó two (netto.is), Krónan one (kronan.is), and Olís has stations in town (olis.is). Other fuel brands may be present but were not confirmed on a station map today. Westbound, fill here: the Ring Road to Blönduós and on to Borgarnes passes small stations at Varmahlíð and Blönduós (both on the Olís list) but nothing the size of Akureyri for 300 km.
Timing: about an hour and a half from Mývatn, four and a half to five hours from Borgarnes on the long north-west leg, and the Vaðlaheiði tunnel east of town is tolled, paid online after passing. Traffic is light except on cruise mornings, when the centre fills for a few hours, and at ski weekends.
Sleep is cheaper than Reykjavík and the campsite is in town. For a Ring Road in seven days this is the night after Mývatn and before the long west; for Siglufjörður and the Tröllaskagi coast it is the base.
Winter: Öxnadalsheiði to the west is the pass that closes first; check umferdin.is before an early departure.
Something changed here? Tell us; we re-check against the source and print the new date.
What you can do from Akureyri
- Forest Lagoon across the fjord from Akureyri
A lagoon in the Vaðlaskógur woods five minutes from Akureyri, open daily 10:00 to midnight, 7,490 ISK adult; the late-night soak of the North.
lagoon / hot spring · Iceland1.5–2 h · Mid costadds 2 h 30 to a day - GeoSea sea baths at Húsavík
Hot mineral seawater pools on the headland above Húsavík harbour, 12:00–22:00 in winter, adult entry 7,490 ISK on the Icelandic list (6,490 on the English); prices to recheck.
lagoon / hot spring · Iceland1.5–2 h · Mid costadds 1 h 55 to a day - Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður
Five harbour buildings on the herring boom, open daily June–August 10:00–17:00, by appointment in winter, 2,400 ISK adult; 80 minutes from Akureyri.
museum · Iceland1–2 h · Low costadds 4 h 10 to a day - Whale watching from Húsavík
A three-hour sailing from Húsavík harbour into Skjálfandi bay, daily 1 March to 30 November, from 12,990 ISK an adult; several operators sail from the same quay.
wildlife · Iceland3–3 h · Mid costadds 3 h 30 to a day
Journeys that pass Akureyri
- Iceland Highlands by 4x4 in 5 days
Þórsmörk by bus, Landmannalaugar by the ford-free F208, Kjölur to Hveravellir, Askja from Mývatn: about 1,140 km and 21 hours inside the published opening windows.
5 days · Iceland1,140 km · 20 h 55 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - North Iceland and the Diamond Circle in 5 days
Fly to Akureyri, drive Goðafoss, Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík and fly back: about 360 km and 5 hours of driving, with the 380 km road alternative costed.
5 days · Iceland357 km · 5 h drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Ring Road in 7 days
Anticlockwise from Keflavík: about 1,555 km and 19.5 hours at the wheel in seven days, with nights in Vík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri and Borgarnes.
7 days · Iceland1,555 km · 19 h 35 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Ring Road in 10 days with Snæfellsnes
The 7-day loop plus Snæfellsnes, a second east night and the full Diamond Circle: about 2,160 km and 27.5 hours of driving, with a half-day kept for weather.
10 days · Iceland2,160 km · 27 h 40 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland and the Faroe Islands by ferry, 12 days
Copenhagen to Hirtshals, two nights on the Norröna, three days of Faroese roads, then Seyðisfjörður to Keflavík by north and south: 2,519 km, 36 h driving, 47 h at sea.
12 days · Iceland + Faroe Islands + Denmark2,519 km · 36 h 05 driving · 47 h 30 ferryChecked 1 Nov 2026
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