Hotels near Akureyri Airport - AEY, Akureyri

It was very interesting to visit "Iceland's Capital of the North" after having spent ten days in Reykjavik earlier this year. Akureyri is a lot quieter than Iceland's capital and is perfect to visit during the Autumn or Winter with the "magical" snowy scenery and with an excellent chance of seeing the Northern Lights, but a visit there in the Summer is also highly recommended to visit the amazing Botanical Gardens and lush green grass, flowers and trees.

A pleasant town with an excellent central location for day trips on the north coast, e.g., to Lake Mývatn, Húsavík, Siglufjörður, Hrísey, Svarfaðardalur, etc. The town itself has a lovely botanical garden and a few residential houses from the 19th and early 20th century, many of which have been renovated as heritage buildings. The town offers a range of services, including a first-rate hospital and a lovely shopping complex. It has many walking paths in Kjarnaskógur, an 18-hole golf course and skiing facilities in winter. For cultural activities, there is a music hall and several local museums, offering a range of exhibits on history and the arts. There is a good selection of restaurants in town and a range of hotels.

I've been to Akureyri for work on 8 previous trips -- this was my first visit on vacation. I've got a bit of a soft-spot for the city, given that I have a number of friends and colleagues from there. I'm also intrigued by the fact that it seems to have the services of a much bigger city than its population of 18,000 would warrant. I imagine it is the service centre for much of the North of Iceland, hence all the 'extra' services to be found there. It can get a bit busy in summer, especially when two 5,000-passenger cruise liners are in port. I recommend the city as a base from which to visit many of the other smaller towns (Siglufjorður, Myvatn, Husavík, etc) in the region. The city itself has some must-see attractions: the botanical gardens, Akureyrarkirkja, the university grounds, the city pool, etc. Like much of Iceland the city can be expensive, but there are bargains to be had. For a great burger 'meal', check out DJ's in the centre; for good prices on groceries, go to Kronan or Bonus. Sadly, the Vinbuðin (liquor store) has moved out to the North end of town, so you need to drive or bus out to get 'cheap' alcohol. if you just want to visit the city itself, two nights and three days is enough time. If you want to use it as a base for other adventures/visits, I'd go for 5-6 days (depending on what sights you want to visit away from the city).

In our opinion as a family with found Akureyri to be a more enjoyable city and atmosphere than Reykjavík. Has a very positive vibe and the whale watching was an experience of a lifetime. I would recommend at least two days probably three if you are doing a tour of Iceland. Potentially I would recommend flying here and driving clockwise on route one to Reykjavík.

I was travelling for business, but was very pleasantly surprised by Akureyri - a very nice town with good facilities, great resturants and bars, and everything within walking distance. There seemed to be a lot of things to do for tourists, but I was working so couldn't take advantage of them this time. Very picturesque location at the bottom of a Fjord, much nicer location than Rekjavik. It's a bit of a pain to get to from Rekjavik area (flight by small plane, or 5 hr drive) but well worth it once you're there.

I go there many times per year, sometimes for errands, sometimes for days or weekends off. It's cute, it's cosy, wonderful cafeterias (and bakeries with great cafeterias), great restaurants, I love it. It's also very walkable if one is on vacation in town center.