Akureyri, Iceland
Akureyri is a regional capital of 19,219 people in Northeast, Iceland, founded in 1786.
Why visit Akureyri
Townapedia lists 32 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 57 places to eat, 47 places to stay and 11 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include University of Akureyri, Svalbarðseyri, Akureyri Art Museum and Akureyri Museum.
Weather in Akureyri
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Akureyri
Akureyri (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈaːkʏrˌeiːrɪ], locally [ˈaːkʰʏrˌeiːrɪ] ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær [-ˌeiːrarˌpaiːr̥], 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region. The municipality includes the town's neighbourhood at the head of Eyjafjörður and two farther islands: Hrísey at the mouth of Eyjafjörður and Grímsey off the coast.
From the Wikipedia article Akureyri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Akureyri on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do11
Museums and landmarks32
Akureyri Art Museum
Museum
Art museum
8 Kaupvangsstræti
Jun-Aug 10:00-17:00; Sep-May 12:00-17:00; Dec 24-Dec 25 off; Dec...
The Motorcycle Museum of Iceland
Museum · 2.5 km
2 Krókeyri, Akureyri
Jun-Aug 13:00-17:00; Sep-May: Sa-Su 13:00-16:00; Dec-Jan off
Gásir
Monument and historic site · 11.2 km
Medieval trading and training post, and heritage site in Iceland
Safnasafnid Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum
Museum · 7.3 km
Icelandic art museum
Into the Arctic
Museum
53 Strandgata
Mo-Fr 11:00-18:00; Sa-Su 11:00-17:00
20 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(2).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Skautahöllin á Akureyri
Sports field and stadium · 2.3 km
1 Naustavegur, Akureyri
5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes57
Mói Bistro
Restaurant · International
12 Strandgata
Mo-We 09:00-18:00; Th-Fr 09:00-20:00; Sa 10:00-20:00
Krua Siam
Restaurant · Thai
13 Strandgötu
Mo-Fr 11:30-14:00,17:00-21:00; Sa-Su 17:00-21:00
45 more on the map.
History
The Norse Viking Helgi magri (the slim) Eyvindarson originally settled the area in the 9th century. The first mention of Akureyri is in court records from 1562, when a woman was sentenced there for adultery. In the 17th century, Danish merchants based their camps at the current site of Akureyri, which was one of the numerous spits of land in Pollurinn. The main reasons for choosing this spot for trading operations were the outstanding natural harbour and the fertility of the area. The merchants did not live at Akureyri year-round, but returned home in the winter.
Permanent settlement at Akureyri started in 1778, and eight years later, the town was granted its municipal charter by the king, Christian VII, along with five other towns in Iceland. The king hoped to improve the living conditions of Icelanders by this action, because at the time, Iceland had never had urban areas. As far as the king was concerned, Akureyri was unsuccessful, because it did not grow from its population of 12. It lost its municipal status in 1836, regaining it only in 1862. From then on, Akureyri grew because of the excellent port conditions and perhaps more because of the productive agricultural region around it. Agricultural products became an important sector of the economy.
From the History section of Akureyri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay47
Churches and places of worship13
Church of St. Peter
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.7 km
26 Eyrarlandsvegur, Akureyri
Shopping31
Gas and EV charging22
Schools, colleges and libraries12
Menntaskólinn á Akureyri
School · 0.9 km
28 Eyrarlandsvegur, Akureyri
Healthcare8
Map of Akureyri
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Akureyri Airport (AEY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 km away.
- Laugar 33 km east, about 33 min by car
- Dalvík 38 km northwest, about 38 min by car
- Ólafsfjörður 50 km northwest, about 50 min by car
- Norðurþing 52 km northeast, about 52 min by car
- Siglufjörður 64 km northwest, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Akureyri-08-Panorama-2018-gje, Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0
- City of Akureyri - 2013.08 - panoramio (1), rheins, CC BY 3.0
- Akureyri, North Iceland (51335983240), Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0
- Akureyri , Islande - panoramio (20), Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Akureyri, North Iceland (51334980751), Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0
- Islanda- Akureyri- Hof Cultural and Conference Center, Mario Falcetti, CC BY 4.0
- Akureyri, Iceland (22854), Lee Vilenski, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Akureyri, Iceland 20150505 175850, dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2008-05-22 14-00-20 Iceland - Akureyri, Hansueli Krapf This file was uploaded with Commonist ., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Akureyri , Islande - panoramio (24), Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Akureyri , Islande - panoramio (22), Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Akureyri harbour 2016 01, Unukorno, CC BY 4.0
- Akureyri harbour 2016 02, Unukorno, CC BY 4.0
- Nýjabíó Akureyri 0413, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- City centre in Akureyri - panoramio, patano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Akureyri (4796166410), JasonParis from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Safnasafnid Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum, OhanaUnited Talk page, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Akureyrarkirkja - panoramio (1), Jon Gretarsson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Háskólinn á Akureyri 0032, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- St Peter's Catholic Church in Akureyri, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Súlur from Hamrar (close), Unknown author, Public domain
- Nonnahus, Bromr at Dutch Wikipedia ( Original text: Bromr ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hrísey lighthouse, Bjorn.thorvaldsson.is, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hrólfssker lighthouse (cropped), Bjorn.thorvaldsson.is, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Akureyri Menntaskoli, MartinPutz, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Þórsvöllur 0031, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Svalbarðseyri Lighthouse (29091778561) (2), Fernando Garcia from Bogota, Colombia, CC BY 2.0
- MA í sólbaði, Magnús Máni, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gásir-Iceland-1, Joaoleitao at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eyrarlandsstofa Nordseite 6173, Hedwig Storch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Menningarhúsið Hof 2 (4691527481), Bjarki Sigursveinsson from Ísafjörður, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Iceland (4231932068), Bjarki Sigursveinsson from Ísafjörður, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Menningarhúsið Hof, Bjarki Sigursveinsson from Ísafjörður, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Iceland (4231163451), Bjarki Sigursveinsson from Ísafjörður, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Concrete jungle (4685154450), Bjarki Sigursveinsson from Ísafjörður, Iceland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Matching Nail Polish, Reck Dickhard, CC BY 3.0
- Акурейрі влітку, Ісландія, Andrii Gladii, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Traffic Light (52413739830), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- SVA VT X10 (27797877894), KK70088, CC BY-SA 2.0
- SVA RZ J84 (27797877864), KK70088, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Davíðshús á Akureyri 04.08.2024, Dagvidur, CC0
- Mótorhjólasafn Íslands á Akureyri-20210228 115328, Dagvidur, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Friðbjarnarhús Akureyri 20210228 120217, Dagvidur, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Skautahöllin á Akureyri-20210228 115725, Dagvidur, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Page built November 2, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.