Visit Akureyri

First impressions of Akureyri

Akureyri is Iceland's 'capital of the north' — a wonderfully laid-back town of around 19,000 people set at the head of the country's longest fjord (Eyjafjörður), with the snow-streaked Hlíðarfjall mountain rising behind it and a far gentler climate than the latitude would suggest (the warm North Atlantic Drift keeps it remarkably mild). The compact centre revolves around the steep main street Hafnarstræti, which climbs to the distinctive twin-towered Akureyri Church (Akureyrarkirkja) by Guðjón Samúélsson — 1940, basalt-column-inspired, the spiritual sibling of Reykjavík's Hallgrímskirkja. The Akureyri Botanical Gardens are remarkable for sub-arctic latitude (around 7,000 plant species thrive in the volcanic soils), and the town's heart-shaped traffic lights are an enduring local quirk — introduced as a small psychological lift during the 2008 financial crisis. Akureyri is also the perfect base for north Iceland excursions: whale watching in Eyjafjörður and Húsavík (best in the world for blue whales and humpbacks), the lunar landscape of Lake Mývatn 90km east, the powerful Goðafoss waterfall ('the waterfall of the gods'), and brilliant winter skiing at Hlíðarfjall — the best ski resort in Iceland.