North Iceland & Akureyri

Akureyri: Iceland's second city

With a population of around 20,000, Akureyri is small by most standards but feels like a proper town after long stretches of rural driving elsewhere on the Ring Road — a genuine restaurant and cafe scene, a botanical garden that's surprisingly far north for what it grows, and a ski area nearby in winter. It's the natural base for exploring the wider North Iceland region.

Lake Mývatn

About an hour east of Akureyri, Mývatn is one of Iceland's most geologically active areas, packed into a relatively small radius: pseudo-craters formed by explosive steam venting, the otherworldly lava formations of Dimmuborgir, bubbling mud pots and steam vents at Hverir, and the Mývatn Nature Baths — a quieter, less crowded geothermal spa often compared favourably to the Blue Lagoon.

Húsavík

Widely regarded as Europe's best whale watching town (see our whale watching guide for details), Húsavík is a charming small harbour town roughly 45 minutes from Akureyri, worth the detour even outside whale season for its coastal setting and the excellent Húsavík Whale Museum.

Getting there

Most visitors reach North Iceland either by driving the Ring Road from the south and east, or by a short domestic flight directly into Akureyri from Reykjavik — a genuinely useful option if you want a taste of the north without committing to a full Ring Road loop.

Planning your time

North Iceland runs noticeably fewer tourists than the South Coast or Golden Circle even in peak summer, which is a large part of its appeal — many of the same landscape types (waterfalls, geothermal fields, lava formations) without the crowds.