Nestled in the northwest of Iceland, in one of the country’s longest fjords, the Eyjafjördur, and surrounded by mountains that reach altitudes of 1,000-1,500 meters, lies the city known as the ‘Pearl of the North’, Akureyri. This city, the second-largest urban area after Reykjavík with approximately 19,000 inhabitants, is a perfect base for discovering some of the country’s greatest treasures. It has many attractions that have not gone unnoticed by artists Aitana and Sebastián Yatra, who chose this place to film the music video of the song that confirmed their reconciliation and which also bears the name of the city.
Its welcoming urban center is full of small buildings with colorful facades, streets dedicated to art, and curious traffic lights where the red light is projected in the shape of a heart, a detail that did not go unnoticed by the artists.
Among the main points of interest in this destination, which promises to become fashionable after this publicity push, are: the Akureyri Church, a Lutheran temple built in 1940 by the same architect as the Hallgrímskirkja in the Icelandic capital, the world’s northernmost Botanical Garden which hosts 430 native species and about 6,600 exotic taxa in its 3.6 hectares, the statues of the area’s first settlers around the year 890, Helgi magri and Thorunn hyrna, the Icelandic Aviation Museum, which covers the history of this sector from 1919 to the present with photographs, videos, artifacts, and historical models – some of which are in flying condition, the Art Museum, the first institution outside of Reykjavík that focuses solely on the visual arts, the Motorcycle Museum and the Hof Cultural Center, a building inspired by Icelandic basalt columns designed for music and other performing arts, as well as for conferences and exhibitions.
For the youngest members of the family, there is Sundlaug Akureyrar, a water paradise with two outdoor geothermal pools, five hot tubs with temperatures varying between 38 and 42 degrees, play areas, and three water slides.
Beyond walking its streets in warm clothes, you can choose different plans to develop in the surroundings, such as hiking in Kjarnaskógur, the country’s most visited forest that offers a marked 7-kilometer trail, another dedicated to mountain biking 10 kilometers long, and a children’s play area, picnic area with barbecues, a volleyball court and bathrooms, swimming in a lagoon with natural thermal waters –located across the famous fjord– that has become one of the most popular swimming facilities in the area, climbing Súlur mountain that rises southwest of the city, an activity that takes between five and six hours, and for winter sports lovers there is Hlídarfjall, one of the best skiing areas in Iceland. And, take note, because no visit to the north of Iceland is complete without a boat trip to see whales.
Things to do near Akureyri
To complete the getaway to this destination, you can opt for:
– Try rafting: this city is located very close to the country’s two best rivers for this sport: East and West Jökulsá, with the first being one of the five best in Europe that offers a high dose of excitement.
– Explore Lofthellir ice cave, a lava tube cave near Myvatn Lake, which offers a world of unique ice formations. This cave features natural ice sculptures formed due to the freezing temperature recorded at such depth. The total length is about 370 meters with a height of about 15 meters at its highest point.
– Take a trip to see the northern lights.
– Visit Grimsey Island, located in the Arctic Circle, home to about a hundred people and one million seabirds. Here you can walk along the impressive cliffs to enjoy the views they offer, observe puffins, Arctic terns, and other bird species and get to know their charming village to taste some local dishes. To get there you can take a plane from Akureyri or a ferry from Dalvík.
– Discover Godafoss, the waterfall of the Gods, where the water of the Skjalfandafljot river falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.