Things to do in Akureyri
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Top 10 attractions in Akureyri
Route 1
Route 1is Iceland's national main road, also known as the Ring Road because it circles the entire island. Completed in 1974, it has a total length of over 1,300 km and connects major towns such as the capital, Reykjavik, and the Capital of the North, Akureyri. It also connects most natural scenic spots, excluding the Westfjords and Snæfellsnes, making it a classic route for a self-drive tour around the island. Most sections of this road are two-way paved roads with good road conditions. Summer days are long, making it suitable for first-time visitors to plan an itinerary of about one week around the island. In winter, there is a chance to encounter the aurora along the way, but be aware of potential temporary road closures due to icy and snowy weather.Iceland · Olfus
Goðafoss Waterfall
Goðafoss Waterfallis located in northern Iceland, right beside Route 1 (the ring road), between Akureyri and Myvatn, and is a classic roadside stop on a self-drive trip around the island. Its name comes from an old Norse story: according to legend, in 999 or 1000 AD, when Iceland decided at the national assembly to convert to Christianity, the lawspeaker Þorgeir Þorkelsson threw the statues of the old Norse gods into this waterfall on his way home to renounce the old faith. The name Goðafoss thus comes from this event and literally means the waterfall of the gods. The waterfall has a drop of more than 10 m and is approx. 30 m wide, with the curtain of water spreading in a semicircular arc and a large rock dividing it into two channels in the middle, giving it the appearance of an open fan. The water plunges over a basalt cliff with a powerful flow and a thundering roar. On sunny days, rainbows are often visible in the mist.Thingeyjarsveit · 25.7km from Akureyri
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach is located in southeastern Iceland, right next to the Glacier lagoon. The ice blocks in the Glacier lagoon originate from the Vatnajökull glacier. After breaking off, they drift into the Glacier lagoon and are then washed onto the black sand beach by the tide, forming ice blocks of various sizes and shapes. Some are as clear and transparent as glass, some are milky white, and others display a deep blue color due to long-term compression of the ice layers. Under the light, these ice blocks look like scattered diamonds, which is how Diamond Beach got its name. The strong contrast between the black volcanic sand and the colorful ice blocks creates a visually striking view, and because the ice blocks constantly washing ashore vary in shape, every visit offers a different experience. Occasionally, you can see harbor seals climbing onto the ice blocks to rest, adding vitality to this magnificent glacial landscape.Iceland · Hornafjordur
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss has a drop of approx. 60m, with water sourced from glacial meltwater. The waterfall's unique feature is a natural recessed path at the base of the cliff, where visitors can walk behind the water curtain to experience the roar of the cascading water and the surrounding mist up close. Looking out from behind the curtain, the view of the distant fields and horizon through the splashing water offers a unique and picturesque perspective, making it a favorite spot for photography enthusiasts. Sunset is an ideal time to capture the view from behind the curtain, as the warm light of the setting sun shines through the water from the west, creating exceptionally rich layers of light and shadow. When walking along the path, be mindful of the slippery rocks underfoot. The dense mist can also wet your clothing and electronic devices, so it is necessary to prepare waterproof gear in advance.Iceland · Rangarthing eystra
Glacier lagoon
Glacier lagoon is located at the southern end of the Vatnajökull glacier. After the glacier began to retreat in the late 19th century, water gradually accumulated here to form a lake. Since then, as the glacier has continued to melt, the lake surface has kept expanding and is still growing and changing today. The lake water is a deep blue-green, and countless ice blocks of various sizes that have calved from the glacier's edge float on the surface. Their colors range from milky white to bright blue, with some ice bodies emitting a deep blue glow from within, presenting ever-changing appearances under different lighting conditions. Taking an amphibious boat to navigate through the floating ice is a unique way to tour the area. The boat enters the lake from the beach, allowing visitors to get a close-up view of the massive ice wall and the diverse shapes of the floating ice. Some ice blocks drift from the lake into the Atlantic Ocean, only to be washed up by the tide onto the black sand beach near the lake's mouth. Large patches of ice fragments scattered across the black sand, together with the floating ice on the lake, create an unforgettable scene.Iceland · Hornafjordur
Vatnajökull National Park
Vatnajökull National Park is located in southeastern Iceland. Centered on the ice cap of the same name, the park covers more than one-tenth of Iceland's land area. The Vatnajökull ice cap has an average thickness of nearly 400 m. Beneath the thick ice lie several active volcanoes, including Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga. Geothermal heat generated by volcanic activity constantly acts on the base of the glacier. Here, "ice and fire" is not just a literary metaphor, but a geological process that plays out day after day—volcanic eruptions can even trigger glacial floods, with rushing meltwater carrying ice blocks downstream. The park encompasses a rich variety of landscapes, offering diverse activities such as hiking, glacier viewing, and caving. Every winter, blue ice caves naturally form at the edge of the glacier, with the deep blue ice walls displaying dreamlike colors as light penetrates them. Vatnajökull is also a filming location for the "Beyond the Wall" scenes in Game of Thrones. Standing on the vast ice field, visitors feel as small as dust in the boundless expanse, and that raw, cold natural power truly resonates with the atmosphere of the North in the show.Iceland · Thingeyjarsveit
Hallgrimskirkja
Hallgrimskirkja sits on a hill in the capital of Iceland and is named after the 17th-century Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson. The church was designed by Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson, with a design inspired by the natural forms of Iceland's basalt columns, featuring hexagonal pillars reaching upward. The tapering wings on both sides of the tower resemble a giant pipe organ standing on the city skyline when viewed from a distance. Construction began in 1945 and was completed in 1986, spanning over 40 years. The tower is approx. 73m high and is a prominent landmark on the Reykjavik skyline. Visitors can take an elevator to the observation deck at the top of the tower to overlook the city's colorful rooftops and the bay and mountains in the distance. The interior of the church is towering and minimalist, with a large pipe organ featuring over 5,000 pipes spanning above the entrance. It is one of the largest pipe organs in Iceland, making the church an important music venue in Reykjavik that regularly hosts organ concerts.Iceland · Reykjavik
Golden Circle
Golden Circleis a classic, iconic tourist route in Iceland that connects three natural and historical landmarks northeast of Reykjavik into a small loop that most travelers can complete in one day. Thingvellir National Park is situated on the rift valley at the boundary of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, serving as both the site of Iceland's ancient parliament and a place where you can walk along trails between the fissures to intuitively experience the geological wonder of the two plates slowly drifting apart; in the Haukadalur geothermal valley, Geysir is the source of the English word "geyser," while its neighbor, Strokkur, is more active today, sending scalding columns of water into the air every few minutes; and Gullfoss waterfall concludes the itinerary with its majestic two-tiered cascade and canyon scenery. Each of the three stops offers something unique, allowing you to take in geology, geothermal activity, and water features all in one day, making it the perfect introductory route for experiencing the essence of Iceland's nature and history.Iceland · Blaskogabyggd
Myvatn
Lake Myvatn, also known as Lake Miva, is located in northern Iceland. It is an important tourist area in Iceland, and tourists here are not aware of it every year. Lake Myvatn is about 37 square kilometers and has a water depth of 2.5 meters. It is the fifth largest lake in Iceland. Tourists can take a boat tour of the lake and even fish by the lake. Due to the barrier of the mountains, Myvatn is regarded as one of the very dry areas in Iceland, and the weather is often good. In addition to the beautiful scenery, the complete volcanic geographical landscape is preserved here, including geothermal heat, geysers, craters, etc. Due to the rich landscape, the Icelandic government planned it as a special reserve in 1974. A small aquatic creature gathers in the lake, and the trout that feed on this creature thrives in the lake. There are many strange-shaped islands in the lake, inhabited by various water birds, only one type of wild duck, there are more than 10 kinds, the number of which is more than 100,000. At Skutustadargigar, you will see countless fake craters that were formed during a volcanic eruption more than 2,000 years ago. Under the hillside in the east of the lake, there is a cluster of dark and rugged rocks. Some of these rocks are shaped like spires and some are like castles. They are clustered around a long and narrow valley. From a distance, the crater looks like a majestic black The old castle, this is one of the wonders of Lake Myvatn, Dimmuborgir. Near Lake Myvatn stands a conical volcanic crater. The large and small lava in this area is the result of the eruption of this crater. Continue to the east, the left side of the mountain road is a series of low hills with a wide rock crevice on it. Going forward through the rock crevice, it is dark at first, and gradually, your eyes are suddenly bright, and suddenly, there will be an open bay. This is another scenic spot of Lake Myvatn - underground hot springs. The water in the underground hot springs is kept at about 27°C all year round and can be used for bathing all year round. Going further east, you will find many gaps on both sides of the road, the big ones are 1 to 2 meters wide, and the small ones are one or two feet wide. You can see the water vapor rushing out of the hole, making the area filled with yellow smoke. In the lower part, the mud is rolling and the steam is steaming. This is the third wonder of the Miwadden Lake area - the Krafla hot gas field.Thingeyjarsveit · 51.9km from Akureyri
Gullfoss Falls
As one of the must-see attractions in Iceland, the Golden Falls have a reason to do their part. The river flows straight down from a height of 32 meters and is divided into two levels. From a distance, it looks like two rainbows rushing along the Great Rift Valley. The scene is very spectacular. After a heavy rain, you can also see a large rainbow across the waterfall. A monument was erected next to the waterfall in memory of a civilian woman.Iceland · Hrunamannahreppur
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Free things to do in Akureyri
Route 1
Iceland · OlfusGoðafoss Waterfall
Thingeyjarsveit · 25.7km from AkureyriDiamond Beach
Iceland · HornafjordurSeljalandsfoss
Iceland · Rangarthing eystraGlacier lagoon
Iceland · HornafjordurVatnajökull National Park
Iceland · ThingeyjarsveitHallgrimskirkja
Iceland · ReykjavikGolden Circle
Iceland · BlaskogabyggdMyvatn
Thingeyjarsveit · 51.9km from AkureyriGullfoss Falls
Iceland · Hrunamannahreppur
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What travellers say about Akureyri
东张西望望东西28 March 2020
5.0
Highway 1 is a must-go road to Iceland. The road is mostly covered with grasslands. The scenery is not special, but it is very interesting to see such a vibrant scene at the northern end of the earth.
Route 1
jkidd282 September 2022
5.0
The waterfall is located on Iceland's Highway 1. The surrounding area is covered with green grass in summer and snow in winter. The scenery is charming and fascinating. The waterfall is shaped like a hoof and the water falls straight down!
Goðafoss Waterfall
YoYo_0T9A3B0L1 October 2025
5.0
Like falling diamonds from stars, they scatter on the icy beach. This cool beach is like nature's canvas, covered with sparkling diamonds, reflecting the dazzling light, just like the starry sky at night, so beautiful that people are intoxicated by this picturesque scenery.
Diamond Beach
竞波30 October 2020
5.0
This is one of the most distinctive waterfalls in Iceland, and you can enjoy it from behind the waterfall. It is 120 kilometers away from the capital Reykjavik, located on Highway 1 around the island. You can visit here as part of a tour around the island, or as a day trip in Reykjavik. It is worth checking out.
Seljalandsfoss
Y Leo3 April 2023
5.0
"Glacier Lake" The lake is connected to the glacier, and the flow speed and flow are very large.
Connecting the shore of the lake is the famous "Diamond Beach"
Ice fragments will fall from the glacier, and then be washed ashore by wolves. The fragments of ice washed up on the beach will sparkle when viewed from a distance, just like diamonds sprinkled on the earth, which is a well-deserved reputation. For "Diamond Beach".
But because it was spring, (it was too warm😅), there was no diamond ice on the beach as mentioned in the travel book.
Glacier lagoon
Lavender and Sun15 January 2021
5.0
Vatna National Park (Vatna), located in southeastern Iceland, is the largest national park and nature reserve in Iceland. The park combines glaciers, volcanoes, canyons, forests and waterfalls, with spectacular scenery.
Vatnajökull National Park
徐徐霞客Rr11 July 2022
5.0
Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral in Iceland is a very monumental church. From the outside, it looks very simple and elegant. According to the locals, this church was built for about half a century.
Hallgrimskirkja
DEAR张小球29 February 2020
5.0
The Golden Circle is a general term for the main attractions such as the Golden Falls. It is also a must-see attraction in Iceland. At least our group basically visited all the attractions in the Golden Circle. It is very beautiful and worth visiting.
Golden Circle
D了个Y19 April 2022
4.0
Lake Mývatn is located about 90 kilometers east of Akureyri. It is the fourth largest lake in Iceland. It is a shallow lake with an area of about 37 square kilometers. We came from the Havel geothermal area and drove west along Highway 1. It didn't take long to get there. It is said that Lake Mývatn was formed by a volcanic eruption about 2,300 years ago. To this day, the volcanoes in this area are still very active. The neighboring Krafla volcano last erupted in 1984. Therefore, the geothermal resources here are really unique and endless.
Myvatn
梦露夫人18 April 2022
5.0
Iceland has the most waterfalls and natural hot springs in the world. It seems that you can see waterfalls of different sizes and shapes anytime and anywhere.
The Golden Falls is very spectacular, flowing down and forming a river below. The tour guide said that the river water is drinkable. I took a few sips out of curiosity and it was sweet.
[Scenery] Very beautiful.
[Interest] Very interesting.
[Cost-effective] High.
Gullfoss Falls
