In written accounts, Egilsstaðir is first mentioned in the 15th century as a place for a legislative assembly. Nothing is therefore known with certainty about the individual person Egil lending it their name, the only conjecture to this effect in books detailing the story of the town is that it may be named after Egil Síðu-Hallsson, but Hallr at Síða was a captain in the east and an uncle to Rollo in France, but this guess is of controlled probability and most likely the person left no other record of himself. The nearby river Eyvindará is mentioned in the Saga of the Sons of Droplaug and Saga of the inhabitants of Fljótsdalur.

Urbanization in Egilsstaðir can be traced to Jón Bergsson (1855–1923), a farmer, who laid the groundwork for increased commerce and services at the Egilsstaðir farm by erecting a large residential building at the start of the 20th century. The house is still in use as a hotel. Jón bought the farm Egilsstaðr at the close of the 19th century because of its location, he predicted "Crossroads will be here", which proved prescient.

Along with others, Jón Bergsson also took the initiative to establish the co-operative Kaupfélag Héraðsbúa (KHB) with its headquarters there in 1909.

From the History section of Egilsstaðir on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Churches and places of worship1

Egilsstaðakirkja

Church · Lutheran
1 Hörgsás

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Shopping4

Vaskur

Shop · 0.9 km
5 Sólvangur

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Bónus

Grocery · 0.6 km
13 Miðvangur, Egilsstaðir

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Nettó

Grocery · 0.9 km
6 Kaupvangur, Egilsstaðir

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Vaskur

Shop · 1.3 km
7 Sólvangur

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Gas and EV charging6

Atlantsolía

Gas station · 0.8 km
15 Fagradalsbraut, Egilsstaðir

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N1

Gas station · 0.9 km
4 Kaupvangur, Egilsstaðir

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ÓB

Gas station · 2.3 km
2 Lagarfell, Egilsstaðir

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Egilsstaðir Supercharger

EV charging · 1.0 km
9 Kaupvangur, Egilsstaðir

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Orkan

Gas station · 0.7 km
13 Miðvangur, Egilsstaðir

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N1 Egilsstaðir

EV charging · 1.0 km

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Schools, colleges and libraries3

Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum

School
25 Tjarnarbraut, Egilsstaðir

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Bókasafn Héraðsbúa

Library
Laufskógar, Egilsstaðir

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Grunnskóli Egilsstaða

School
11 Tjarnarlönd, Egilsstaðir

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Healthcare2

Lyfja

Clinic and pharmacy · 0.9 km
6 Kaupvangur, Egilsstaðir

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Heilsugæslan Egilsstöðum

Clinic and pharmacy

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Map of Egilsstaðir

45 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Egilsstaðir Airport (EGS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 km away.

Seyðisfjörður 18 km east, about 18 min by car
Reyðarfjörður 27 km south, about 27 min by car
Eskifjörður 28 km southeast, about 28 min by car
Neskaupstaður 36 km east, about 36 min by car
Fáskrúðsfjörður 41 km southeast, about 41 min by car
Vopnafjörður 58 km north, about 58 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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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
Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text

Photo credits

Egilsstaðir 2023, Eysteinn Guðni Guðnason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Egilsstaðir Airport Jun 2018 a, Gestumblindi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Egilsstaðir Airport Jun 2018 b (cropped), Gestumblindi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Egilsstaðir Airport Jun 2018 b, Gestumblindi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Iceland mountain roads (Unsplash), Andrew Ly nineteen, CC0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M17S000 (1642691503617717 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H43M52S000 (1287370386831904 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M27S000 (2314511805747927 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M06S000 (2269435533583447 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M12S000 (1585641449394166 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H43M57S000 (1845278182807551 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M44S000 (2145100959600494 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M51S000 (1271444845197674 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M38S000 (1455028366164722 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H44M58S000 (948334124765098 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M04S000 (1515736349943853 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M10S000 (27149499574658011 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M16S000 (1377177497776207 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M23S000 (1484124223321139 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M29S000 (1460873185835882 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M35S000 (1638290910616385 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M42S000 (4732683876967304 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M48S000 (833998479131392 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H45M55S000 (2046619732878003 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M04S000 (826303797192811 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M10S000 (1351791456778156 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M17S000 (837963375363508 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M23S000 (931499099704516 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M30S000 (1472199643839580 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M36S000 (1227172049617466 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mapillary (hshelgason) 2026-04-20 12H46M43S000 (1908969579737195 at l5bo7GcfxuEh2apLq4m31K) taken with Osmo OQ001, hshelgason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Egilsstaðakirkja 2023, Eysteinn Guðni Guðnason, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kike roll, enrique marin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Icelandic Horses (43571803271), Mustang Joe, CC0
Lögreglan - Toyota, Lan Glad, CC0
GS2878, Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0
EM U65, Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0
S169, Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0
LARIX 001, Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-05-04 12-31-18 Iceland - Egilsstöðum Fellabaer, Hansueli Krapf This file was uploaded with Commonist ., CC BY-SA 3.0

Page built November 2, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.

Why visit Egilsstaðir

Weather in Egilsstaðir

About Egilsstaðir

Museums and landmarks3

Gálgaklettur

Parks, trails and playgrounds3

Einbúablá leikvöllur

Listigarðurinn

Sigfúsarlundur

Restaurants and cafes10

Obo Diner

Kjot&fiskur Fresh Fish

Lùna

Nesti

Austri Brewery

Kaffi Egilsstadir

Where to stay13

Gistihúsið Birta

Gistihúsið Olgu

Lyngás

East Guesthouse

Eyvindará II

Lagarfell Studios

Tehúsið Hostel

Valaskjálf

History

Churches and places of worship1

Egilsstaðakirkja

Shopping4

Nettó

Vaskur

Gas and EV charging6

Orkan

N1 Egilsstaðir

Schools, colleges and libraries3

Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum

Bókasafn Héraðsbúa

Grunnskóli Egilsstaða

Healthcare2

Heilsugæslan Egilsstöðum

Map of Egilsstaðir

Getting there and nearby towns

Local news

Reviews, tips and questions

Sources and licences