North Iceland & Akureyri

Last updated: 2026-09-12 · TATS Man

North Iceland deserves more than a Ring Road sleep

North Iceland is often squeezed into an itinerary as “one night in Akureyri”. That works if the goal is simply to complete the Ring Road, but it undersells the region.

Akureyri is the practical urban base. Lake Mývatn brings volcanic landscapes and geothermal features. Húsavík anchors whale-watching trips. Goðafoss, Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi turn the northeast into one of Iceland's strongest road-trip circuits.

The official Diamond Circle is about 250 km and is built around five key destinations: Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík. That alone should tell you why one rushed afternoon is not the ideal way to see the north.

Akureyri: the reset point that is worth exploring

Akureyri sits at the head of Eyjafjörður and feels like a real town after long rural stretches. It gives you restaurants, shops, a swimming pool, museums, cultural venues, an airport and enough accommodation choice to make it the natural logistics base for many northern trips.

I use it as a reset point: laundry, groceries, a proper dinner, an indoor option if the weather turns, then a clean launch into the surrounding region.

But I do not treat Akureyri as merely a place to sleep. The centre, waterfront, Akureyrarkirkja, Hof Cultural Centre and botanical garden comfortably justify time of their own. My dedicated Akureyri town guide covers the city in more detail.

Lake Mývatn: stay closer if geothermal North Iceland is the priority

Lake Mývatn is around an hour's drive from Akureyri. Official Akureyri visitor information highlights the same cluster that makes the area so useful: Dimmuborgir lava formations, Hverfjall, Grjótagjá, Skútustaðagígar pseudo-craters, Krafla/Víti and the geothermal terrain around Hverir.

This is where I decide whether Akureyri is still the right bed. If my next day is entirely Mývatn, Krafla and Dettifoss, staying in or near the Mývatn area can remove backtracking and give me much more flexibility around weather and light.

Do not assume every geothermal feature is a bathing place. Visit Akureyri specifically warns that the temperature in Grjótagjá is not monitored and visitors should not swim there.

Húsavík: more than a whale-watching departure point

Húsavík is one of Iceland's best-known whale-watching bases and one of the five Diamond Circle anchors. If whale watching is central to the trip, staying in Húsavík can make more sense than driving out from Akureyri, especially for an early departure.

The important planning point is not a promise of sightings — wildlife never works like that. It is choosing the departure location and schedule that suit your route and then keeping weather flexibility.

See my whale-watching guide for the practical comparison with Reykjavík departures.

Goðafoss: the natural bridge between Akureyri and Mývatn

Goðafoss sits neatly on the route between Akureyri and the Mývatn area, which makes it one of the easiest major waterfalls to integrate without creating a special detour. I would rather give it a proper stop on a transfer day than cram it into a five-stop “Diamond Circle sprint”.

In winter, even easy roadside attractions can become slippery, dark or slow. I build a little margin into the day rather than assuming summer driving times translate cleanly to January.

Dettifoss: choose the access side deliberately

Dettifoss is not a single car park reached by one identical road. Current Visit North Iceland guidance distinguishes the two sides:

• Road 862 on the west side is paved, but winter service is limited and current conditions still matter.
• Road 864 on the east side is gravel and can remain closed into early summer because of snow or wet/muddy conditions.

This matters when a navigation app simply offers “Dettifoss” as a destination. Check the actual approach road before leaving Mývatn or Ásbyrgi.

The waterfall is spectacular, but the journey is part of the decision. If weather or road conditions make the preferred approach poor, changing the plan is better than turning a viewpoint stop into the day's risk event.

Ásbyrgi and the northern side of the Diamond Circle

Ásbyrgi canyon changes the character of the route completely: instead of open geothermal terrain and waterfall spray, you get a huge horseshoe-shaped canyon and a more sheltered landscape.

Combined with Húsavík, it creates a natural northern arc of the Diamond Circle. If you are trying to visit Ásbyrgi, Dettifoss, Mývatn and Húsavík in one day, look carefully at the driving time before deciding that “250 km” sounds small. Scenic stops, road conditions and time on foot expand the day quickly.

For many travellers, two days for the Diamond Circle area is far more satisfying than one compressed circuit.

The Arctic Coast Way: a completely different northern trip

North Iceland also has the Arctic Coast Way, an approximately 900 km coastal route designed around smaller communities and remote coastal landscapes near the Arctic Circle.

That is not a casual add-on to a two-night Akureyri stop. It is a separate road-trip concept. If the Arctic Coast Way appeals, give it its own time rather than trying to stitch a couple of far-flung coastal stops onto the Diamond Circle.

How many nights do I recommend?

For a first North Iceland visit:

Two nights works if you are moving steadily around the Ring Road and want one Akureyri day plus one Mývatn/Goðafoss day.

Three nights is much better if Húsavík or a meaningful chunk of the Diamond Circle matters.

Four or more nights makes sense if you want slower Mývatn exploration, weather buffers, hiking or the outer north coast.

I would rather spend three well-planned nights in the north than collect three extra southern photo stops I barely remember.

Where should you base yourself?

Stay in Akureyri for restaurants, services, city time and a flexible base.

Stay around Mývatn if geothermal landscapes, Krafla, Dettifoss and early starts dominate the plan.

Stay in Húsavík if whale watching and the northern Diamond Circle are central.

Split the stay if you have three or more nights. One or two nights in Akureyri plus one around Mývatn/Húsavík often produces a cleaner route than commuting back to the same hotel.

Getting to North Iceland

Most road-trippers arrive via Route 1 as part of a Ring Road circuit. If you are not doing the full loop, a domestic flight to Akureyri can make North Iceland possible on a shorter itinerary.

My Getting Around Iceland guide covers the transport trade-offs, while the Ring Road guide explains how the north fits into the full circuit.

Summer, winter and shoulder season

Summer gives long daylight and the broadest road access. It is also when popular accommodation and tours can be busy.

Winter can make Akureyri a strong snow-and-city base, but it narrows what I assume about road access. Visit Akureyri specifically recommends checking current road conditions and the Icelandic Met Office forecast before setting out toward Mývatn in winter.

Spring and autumn can be excellent, but they demand the most flexible mindset: seasonal services, snow, wind, wet roads and rapidly changing daylight can all alter the pace.

My North Iceland rule

Do not plan the north as “Akureyri plus a few nearby attractions”. Plan it as a region with several distinct bases and loops. Once you do that, the itinerary becomes easier: fewer backtracks, fewer dawn starts and much more time actually standing in the landscape instead of driving past it.

Official sources

For current regional information, use Visit North Iceland, including its current Diamond Circle guidance, and Visit Akureyri. Always check current road and weather conditions before long northern driving days.

Cheers, Carpe Diem & giving the north enough nights to be more than a petrol stop! 🍻⏳❄️
TATS Man
your North Iceland route wrangler