Iceland attractions

CampEast - Breiðdalsvík

CampEast Breiðdalsvík is a small campsite in the middle of Breiðdalsvík, a fishing village on the Ring Road in the Eastfjords of Iceland. It sits behind the hotel and next to the playground, so the pool, the grocery store and a beer at the local craft brewery are all a few minutes away on foot. Breiðdalsvík lies on Route 1 between Djúpivogur, about an hour to the south, and Stöðvarfjörður, a short drive north. That makes the Breiðdalsvík campsite a handy overnight on the long day between Höfn and Egilsstaðir, especially if you want to stop before the fjord roads get dark. Facilities are basic: toilets, hot and cold running water, electricity and a water refill point, and leashed dogs are welcome. CampEast does not list showers, a campers' kitchen, laundry or Wi-Fi here, so plan to shower at the village swimming pool. There are no bookings, so you turn up, pick a spot and pay. The listed rate is 2,000 ISK per adult per night plus accommodation tax, 1,750 ISK for seniors and disabled guests, and children under 16 stay free. Electricity costs 1,000 ISK per day, and the Camping Card is not accepted. Camping in Breiðdalsvík is a summer affair, with the season running from June 1 to about September 1. Outside those dates, contact the operator before you count on a pitch, and pack warm layers and a rain shell even in July, because East Iceland weather swings fast.

The Diamond Beach

Diamond Beach is the black-sand shore at Fellsfjara in Southeast Iceland, on the south side of Route 1 directly across the road from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Every Diamond Beach Iceland photo you've seen shows the same thing: chunks of glacier ice stranded on black sand, some as clear as glass and some taller than you, with the Atlantic surf rolling around them. The ice starts its trip at Breiðamerkurjökull, a tongue of Vatnajökull. Icebergs break off into the lagoon, drift out through the short channel under the Ring Road bridge, and the waves push them back onto the beach. Pieces range from fist-sized lumps to blocks taller than a person, and old, compressed ice that has lost its air bubbles can glow deep blue. No two visits look alike. How much ice lands on the sand depends on tides, wind and how much the glacier has calved, so the beach can be crowded with icebergs in the morning and nearly bare by evening. Seals often hunt in the river mouth, where large colonies gather. Sunrise and sunset light up the ice best, which is why photographers come in winter, when the sun stays low all day. Diamond Beach in winter is reachable because Route 1 is kept open year-round, though wind and ice can close sections of the road, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before the drive. Plan 30 to 60 minutes here, or longer if you're shooting photos. The beach itself is free and open all year, and rangers from Vatnajökull National Park look after the area. There are parking lots on both sides of the river mouth, and the east lot connects to the lagoon by a path under the bridges, so you never need to cross Route 1 on foot. The park charges a regional fee at the Jökulsárlón lot (ISK 1,110 for a car with up to five seats, valid until midnight, paid in the Parka app), and the nearest flush toilets are on the lagoon side. Keep well back from the waterline. Sneaker waves here can run far up the sand without warning, and icebergs at the water's edge can roll or get dragged out to sea, so never climb on them. For the drive, Diamond Beach is about an hour west of Höfn, roughly 2.5 hours east of Vík, and about five hours from Reykjavík, with Fjallsárlón lagoon 10 minutes farther west.

Fláajökull

Fláajökull is an outlet glacier on the southeast edge of Vatnajökull, about 40 km west of Höfn í Hornafirði, roughly 30 minutes by car. Most Ring Road drivers pass the turnoff on their way to Höfn without slowing down, which is why the ice front is usually quiet. Instead of a lagoon lined with tour boats, Fláajökull glacier gives you a walk across bare moraine right up to the ice. The glacier reached its largest extent in 1894, and the ground it has given up since is a mix of gravel ridges, meltwater channels and small pools. Reindeer graze in the area too, most often in winter. To drive in, leave Route 1 between the farms Hólmur and Lambleiksstaðir and follow the side road to the parking lot. The last 6 km are gravel, so take it slowly in a small car and check conditions after heavy rain or snow. You can also walk in from the Haukafell camping area on a footpath of just over 2 km, and overnight stays are not allowed at the parking lot. Vatnajökull National Park marks several trails here. The F1 historical trail is an easy 2.6 km walk of 1 to 2 hours, while the F2 geological trail runs 3.6 km and takes about 2 hours. Longer routes link the glacier to Haukafell (J3, 4.5 km) and to Heinabergslón (J2, 8.3 km), though the Hólmsá river on J2 has no bridge and the park advises against wading it. Allow two to three hours for a Fláajökull visit, including the gravel drive, which is easiest from late spring to fall. Stay on the marked trails and keep well back from the glacier edge, where ice can collapse without warning. Go onto the ice itself only with a guide and proper gear.

Kópasker Camping Ground

Kópasker Camping Ground is a small municipal campsite just below the entrance to Kópasker, a village of about 120 people on the eastern shore of Öxarfjörður in Northeast Iceland. Few campers make it this far northeast, so expect quiet nights and plenty of room. The service house is easy to spot from the road. Inside there is a toilet, a shower and two sinks, and outside you get electricity hookups, a charcoal barbecue, picnic tables and a line for drying clothes. Because the site lies below the village entrance, it's sheltered from the wind on every side except the south. The Kópasker campsite is open from June 1 to September 1. Prices aren't posted online, so call ahead or ask in the village for the current rate. The village has a store, a wine store, a pharmacy, a health center and a car mechanic, plus a 9-hole golf course and a playground. A marked walk of about 5 kilometers starts at the campsite and loops past the Snartarstaðir folk museum to the Kópasker fault and its bird-filled ponds, which takes one to two hours. It's a good way to fill an evening after a day on the road. Kópasker works best as a one- or two-night stop on the coastal route around Melrakkaslétta. Ásbyrgi canyon is about 30 minutes southwest, Dettifoss is about an hour away, and Raufarhöfn with its Arctic Henge lies about 40 minutes north along the coast. From Akureyri, plan on a little over two hours of driving.

Laugarhóll í Bjarnarfirði

Laugarhóll is a small geothermal site in Bjarnarfjörður on the Strandir coast of the Westfjords, with a hotel, a historic swimming pool and a campsite, about 25 km north of Hólmavík. Few campsites in the region let you end the day in warm water a short walk from your tent, and that's why people stop here. Hotel Laugarhóll's pool, Gvendarlaug hin góða, is a 25-meter outdoor pool that local farmers and schoolchildren built by hand in 1946. Spring water flows through it constantly at around 30–34°C, a little cooler on windy days. Beside it are a natural hot spring of about 40–42°C running down a small creek and a 14-person geothermal hot tub. Everything opens daily from 08:00 to 22:00. The pool closes for cleaning once a week, usually on Tuesday until 19:00, though the natural hot spring stays open. Day visitors aged 13 and over pay 1,000 ISK and children aged 6 to 12 pay 500 ISK, while campers get a reduced rate of 500 ISK for adults and 200 ISK for children. About 100 meters behind the hotel is Gvendarlaug hin forna, a stone-built pool believed to date from the 12th century. It's a protected archaeological monument and bathing is prohibited, so look but don't get in. The Laugarhóll campsite is open June 1 to September 30. The 2026 rates are 1,500 ISK per adult (13 and over) and 800 ISK per child aged 6 to 12 per night, plus 1,500 ISK for electricity and a 400 ISK accommodation tax per unit. The site has a small toilet building with cold water and only six blue electrical outlets on the lower area, so arrive early if you need power. EV charging from those outlets is strictly prohibited, but there's a charging station below the hotel. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and you pay on arrival, online or at the hotel. Laugarhóll is roughly half an hour's drive from Hólmavík, which has the nearest shops and gas, and about three hours (258 km) from Reykjavík. Beside the hotel stands the Sorcerer's Cottage, a turf house run by the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. The road north continues toward Djúpavík and Norðurfjörður along one of the quietest coastlines in Iceland.

Eastfjords Adventures

Eastfjords Adventures is a small tour operator based at Ferjuleira in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland, close to where the ferry and cruise ships dock. It runs hiking, jeep, e-bike and winter trips around the fjord and the wider Eastfjords, with a local guide instead of a seat on a big coach. Summer hikes range from easy nature walks to the peaks above the fjord, and the jeep tours climb into the mountains or head inland. The longest trip is the private Stuðlagil and Highlands jeep tour, which takes six to seven hours and was listed at ISK 199,900 for the whole group in 2026. Shared between a family or a few friends in one car, that works out better than it first looks. For something shorter, the Hidden Waterfalls e-bike tour follows the fjord for about three hours, from ISK 22,900 per person. In winter the program turns to hiking, snowshoeing and ski touring, and the intermediate snowshoe hike also takes about three hours, from ISK 18,900 per person. Snow and weather decide whether winter trips run, so leave some slack in your plans. Seyðisfjörður is about 30 minutes' drive from Egilsstaðir over the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass, so check the official road-conditions map before you cross it in winter. The three-hour tours fit around a cruise stop, and Sundhöll Seyðisfjarðar, the town pool, is a short walk away for afterward. All prices here are the operator's listed 2026 rates, so confirm the current schedule and book by email or phone before you travel.

Hlaðir tjaldsvæði

Hlaðir tjaldsvæði is a small summer campsite at Hlaðir on Hvalfjarðarströnd, the north shore of Hvalfjörður in West Iceland, with a warm outdoor pool a two-minute walk from the tents. At about 40 minutes from Reykjavík and 20 minutes from Akranes, it suits a quiet first or last night of a trip west or north. The ground has two parts. Below the community center is a flat field with electrical hookups, while west of the parking lot is a greener, more sheltered area that tents prefer. Toilets, showers, a cooking area and dishwashing sinks are behind the community center, and there's a dump station for motorhome waste. New operators took over in May 2026, and the season that year ran from 23 May to 31 August. Adults aged 14 and over paid 2,000 ISK for the first night and 1,100 ISK for each night after, seniors and disabled guests paid 1,000 ISK, and children under 14 stayed free. Electricity was 1,000 ISK per night, with a lodging tax of 400 ISK per unit added on top. The Camping Card (Útilegukortið) is accepted at Hlaðir campsite. You pay at the swimming pool reception, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Next door, Sundlaugin að Hlöðum has a warm outdoor pool with two hot tubs, a cold tub and a sauna, open from late May to mid-August until 20:00 every day. The War and Peace Museum, about Hvalfjörður's years as an Allied naval base in World War II, is on the same site and opens in summer from Wednesday to Sunday. Glymur, one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls, is about half an hour's drive away at the head of the fjord. From Reykjavík, take Route 1 through the Hvalfjörður tunnel, then turn east onto Route 47 along the north shore. Arrive by late afternoon in summer and you'll still have time for a swim before the pool closes.

Jökulsárgljúfur

Jökulsárgljúfur is a canyon about 25 kilometers long in Northeast Iceland, cut by the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum from Dettifoss north toward Öxarfjörður. In many places the gorge is more than 100 meters deep, and most people who visit Dettifoss only see its southern end. The name also covers the northern section of Vatnajökull National Park, which is why searches for Jökulsárgljúfur National Park lead to the same place. At the south end, Dettifoss and Selfoss pour into the canyon, with Hafragilsfoss a little farther downstream. Midway, Vesturdalur has the Hljóðaklettar echo rocks and the red Rauðhólar craters, and at the north end sits Ásbyrgi, the horseshoe-shaped canyon with the Gljúfrastofa visitor center at its mouth. Most visitors drive in rather than hike. Paved Route 862 runs down the west side of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon to Dettifoss, about two hours from Akureyri, and continues north to Vesturdalur and Ásbyrgi. On the east bank, Route 864 is gravel and is usually closed from late fall until the end of May. From the Mývatn area or Húsavík, a day covering Dettifoss, Hljóðaklettar and Ásbyrgi is easy. For hikers, the canyon trail links Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss over 32 kilometers, usually in two days with a night at Vesturdalur. There are no huts, so you camp at the park campsites, and the stage between Vesturdalur and Hólmatungur includes a cold, shallow wade. The camping fee at Ásbyrgi is 2,800 ISK per adult per night, while parking at the sights is free. June to September is the time to come, when the trails, campsites and both roads are open. Jökulsárgljúfur in winter is mostly a Dettifoss trip, since Route 862 gets only limited snow clearing and can close at short notice. Check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out.

Slyppugil - Þórsmörk

Slyppugil is a summer campsite in the Þórsmörk nature reserve in South Iceland, about 250 meters from Langidalur, the valley where most Þórsmörk hikers end up. If you finish the Laugavegur trail in Langidalur, it's the nearest tent pitch, a five-minute walk away. Most people here are hikers. The site is a start or end point for the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar, the Fimmvörðuháls pass from Skógar and the Tindfjallahringur loop, and it makes a good base for a day or two of shorter walks around Þórsmörk. Facilities are simple: toilets, cold water, outdoor sinks and tables, and cooking areas with grills. The operator also lists showers, but don't count on them until you've confirmed. The listed rate at Slyppugil is 2,900 ISK per adult per night plus 400 ISK lodging tax, and children stay free. The season runs only through the summer, ending on August 31, so confirm the opening date with the operator. Online booking was not active when we checked, so email ahead before you go. Getting in is the hard part. The F249 road into Þórsmörk crosses several unbridged rivers, ending with the Krossá, which only highland buses and modified super jeeps should attempt. For most visitors, a summer highland bus from Reykjavík to Langidalur is the sensible way in.

Skagaströnd Campsite

Skagaströnd Campsite is the municipal campground at the top of Bogabraut in Skagaströnd, a small fishing town on the east shore of Húnaflói bay in Northwest Iceland. It is about 266 kilometers from Reykjavík and roughly 20 minutes north of Blönduós and the Ring Road. Low cliffs called Hólaberg block the north and east wind, and on this open stretch of coast that shelter counts for a lot. Rows of shrubs divide the grounds into sheltered plots for tents, motorhomes, caravans and campervans, with electrical outlets at a few spots. In the middle of the site rises an old farm mound where the Höfðahólar farm once stood, and there is play equipment for children. The service building has flush toilets, showers, a washing machine and dryer, a sink for dishes and an indoor area where you can sit down to eat. On a wet evening that room makes a real difference, since plenty of small campsites in Iceland have nowhere to eat out of the weather. The season runs from 1 May to 15 September. For 2026, adults pay 2,500 ISK per night and seniors and disabled guests pay 1,600 ISK, plus a lodging tax of 400 ISK per person, while children 14 and under stay free. Electricity is 1,500 ISK, showers are 500 ISK, and the washer and dryer cost 800 ISK each. Straight from the campsite, Jónsstígur is a walk of about one kilometer through a small planted wood, with a bench for a picnic along the way. Out on the Spákonufellshöfði headland, a bird-watching hut looks over the sea, and the town's swimming pool and golf course are close by.

Sólbrekka tjaldsvæði

Sólbrekka tjaldsvæði is the campsite at the farm Brekka in Mjóifjörður, a remote inlet in the East Fjords of Iceland. It's the one place to pitch a tent in the fjord, on the lawn in front of a small family-run guesthouse. Mjóifjörður is reached by a single gravel road, and only a handful of people live here year-round. That quiet is the reason to come, along with the waterfalls and the long drive out to the lighthouse at the end of the road. The Sólbrekka campsite is simple, with electricity hookups for campervans and RVs on the lawn and the guesthouse right behind it. The same hosts rent bicycles by the day, sell a hiking map for the marked trails around the fjord, and run a summer café from June 10 to August 20. If you would rather sleep indoors, the guesthouse has five rooms and two cottages sit just below the house. Camping runs from June 1 to September 30, but the road sets the real schedule. Route 953 climbs from the Egilsstaðir side over the Mjóafjarðarheiði pass, about 40 km of mostly gravel with a steep descent into the fjord, and it is closed in winter. Check the official road-conditions map before you set off, and give yourself about an hour for the drive. Plan on at least one night, since the drive in is too slow for a quick look. On the way down from the pass, Klifbrekkufossar drops in tiers beside the road, and past Sólbrekka the road continues along the fjord to the Dalatangi lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. There is no shop or gas station in Mjóifjörður. Fill up and buy groceries in Egilsstaðir first.

Vatnajokull Glacier

Vatnajökull is the ice cap covering much of Southeast Iceland and the largest in Europe by volume, with outlet glaciers that spill down valley after valley toward the Ring Road. The Vatnajökull glacier covered around 7,500 square kilometers in 2023, about 7% of Iceland, even after losing more than 15% of its volume in the last century. Under the ice sit seven active central volcanoes, among them Grímsvötn, Bárðarbunga and Öræfajökull. Eruptions and geothermal heat beneath the glacier release outburst floods known as jökulhlaups, and those floods built the wide black sand plains between the ice and the sea. On the southern rim, Hvannadalshnúkur rises to about 2,110 meters, the highest point in Iceland. Most visitors meet the glacier through its outlet tongues. Skaftafell is the base for guided hikes and ice climbing on Falljökull and Svínafellsjökull, while at Jökulsárlón and Fjallsárlón icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull drift in lagoons right beside the road. The ice cap itself is protected as the core of a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Blue ice caves form inside the glacier in the cold months, and guided Vatnajökull ice cave tours visit them from about October to April, depending on conditions. A Vatnajökull glacier hike runs all year. In any season, go with a certified guide, because crevasses, moulins and thin snow bridges shift from day to day and the ice is no place to improvise. Skaftafell is about 330 km from Reykjavík, roughly 4 hours by car, and Jökulsárlón is about 50 minutes farther east. Give the area at least two days if you want a glacier hike and the lagoons without rushing. Parking at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón costs 1,110 ISK for a car with five seats or fewer, valid until midnight. On clear days, sightseeing flights leave Skaftafell for a look across the ice cap itself.

Dalbær Snæfjallaströnd Campsite

Dalbær campsite is a small summer campsite at Dalbær on Snæfjallaströnd, the thinly settled northern shore of Ísafjarðardjúp in the Westfjords. Drangajökull glacier rises behind it, and across the water you look over to the mountains above Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík. Few places in Iceland this remote still come with hot showers. The site belongs to Dalbær, a former community house now run by the local heritage society Snjáfjallasetur, and tents, campervans and caravans are all welcome. Facilities include toilets, showers, electricity, a washing machine and Wi-Fi. If you'd rather sleep indoors, the house rents beds in the loft or the hall, mattress space on the floor and one private double room. Dogs are allowed on a leash. The season is short. For 2026 the operator listed the campsite as open from June 17 to August 22, with a café serving food from noon to 6 p.m. on a few weekends in late June and daily from July 11 to August 16. Camping cost 2,000 ISK per person for the first night and 1,500 ISK after that, plus 1,750 ISK for electricity and 750 ISK per shower. Reaching Dalbær Snæfjallaströnd takes commitment. Road 635 (Snæfjallastrandarvegur) leaves Route 61 at the head of Ísafjarðardjúp and runs about 40 km of gravel to the end of the road, passing Kaldalón, a short fjord where a trail leads up toward an outlet glacier of Drangajökull. With no shops or gas on this coast, stock up in Hólmavík or Ísafjörður before you turn off. Plan on at least two nights to make the drive worthwhile. That leaves a full day for the Kaldalón walk or the empty valleys behind the shore, where seals, seabirds and the odd Arctic fox are more common than other people.

Norðurfjörður / Valgeirsstaðir

Valgeirsstaðir is a mountain hut and campsite in Norðurfjörður, the last village in Árneshreppur on the Strandir coast of the Westfjords, run by Ferðafélag Íslands (the Iceland Touring Association). Hikers sleep here before catching a boat to Hornstrandir, and road trippers stop here when they realize they have run out of road. The hut is a restored, electrically heated farmhouse on two floors with 26 beds in five bedrooms. It has a full kitchen with an oven and microwave, a dining room, two toilets and a shower. Campers pitch on the grass beside the house, and a restored sheep shed next door works as a shelter for cooking and meeting, with a charcoal grill outside. A bed at Valgeirsstaðir is listed at 11,000 ISK per night, and you book it through the Touring Association. The camping fee isn't published, so ask the warden when you arrive. Expect the site to open in early June and close in late August, when a warden is on duty, since it is locked all winter. Norðurfjörður is about two hours north of Hólmavík on Route 643, much of it gravel and winding along the fjords. In summer the hut can be reached in any car, but services are thin on this coast, so fill the tank in Hólmavík and check the official road-conditions map before you set off. A small grocery store is about ten minutes' walk from the hut. A few kilometers farther north, the Krossneslaug pool sits right on the beach and is the reason many people drive this far. In summer, boats sail from Norðurfjörður harbor to Hornbjargsviti and other parts of the Hornstrandir nature reserve, which makes Valgeirsstaðir a common start or finish for multi-day hikes.

Akranes Lighthouse

Akranes Lighthouse is a pair of lighthouses at the western tip of the Akranes peninsula in West Iceland, about 50 minutes' drive north of Reykjavík. The newer tower, Akranesviti, is a white concrete column with a red lantern, and the small square lighthouse it replaced stands out on the rocks a short walk away. The point makes an easy stop on the way from Reykjavík into West Iceland, with open sea on three sides and the Esja range across the bay. Built in 1918, the old Akranes lighthouse went dark in 1947 when the new tower took over. You can walk out to it along the shore. Akranesviti went up in 1943 and 1944 and entered service in 1947. At 22.7 meters, it's the tower you can climb when it's open, up a narrow stairway to a lookout over Faxaflói Bay. Inside, it doubles as a small arts venue for exhibitions and concerts, and musicians have praised its acoustics. Akranes is about 50 km from Reykjavík, roughly 50 minutes by car on Route 1 through the Hvalfjörður tunnel. The lighthouses sit at the end of Breiðargata on the town's western point, a short drive from the center. Give yourself 30 to 45 minutes, more if you climb the tower or catch a concert. Climbing hours change with the season, and published times don't always agree, so confirm with the Akranes information center before you drive out if the climb matters to you. On clear winter nights, locals come out to the point to watch for the northern lights, since it sits away from the town's brightest streetlights.

Akureyrarkirkja

Akureyrarkirkja is the Lutheran parish church of Akureyri in North Iceland, standing at the top of a long stone stairway above the town center. Its twin stepped towers were designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect who also drew Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík, and the church was consecrated in 1940. If the towers look familiar, that's because both churches carry his signature style. Inside, look for the stained-glass window above the altar, long said to have come from Coventry Cathedral in England, though that story has since been questioned. The Akureyri church also has a large pipe organ with around 3,200 pipes and a baptismal font copied from a work by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. You'll find the church on Eyrarlandsvegur, right above the town center and an easy walk from the harbor where cruise ships dock. Climbing the steps takes a few minutes, and the top gives a good view over the rooftops to Eyjafjörður. Akureyri itself is about five hours' drive from Reykjavík on the Ring Road, or a short domestic flight. Visitor hours change with the season, and the church closes during funerals and other services, which are posted on the door. If seeing the interior matters to you, check the parish's current hours before you go. Half an hour is enough for the church and the stairway, and it pairs well with a walk through the town center.

Akureyri Art Museum

Akureyri Art Museum (Listasafnið á Akureyri) is the main visual art museum in North Iceland, housed in a former dairy on Kaupvangsstræti in central Akureyri. Locals call the steep street Listagil, or Art Alley, and a rainy afternoon in town is the obvious time to go. The museum opened in 1993 inside the old KEA cooperative dairy, a white functionalist building from the street's industrial years. A 2018 renovation added a new exhibition hall, a new entrance and a walkway to Ketilhús next door, the old boiler house that now hosts exhibitions too. The program changes through the year, pairing Icelandic and international contemporary art with pieces from the museum's own collection. You'll find it in the town center, a short walk downhill from the steps of Akureyrarkirkja and within easy reach of the harbor where cruise ships dock. Akureyri is about five hours from Reykjavík by car on the Ring Road, or a short domestic flight. An hour covers the galleries comfortably, longer if a big show is on. The art museum in Akureyri is open every day, from 10 am to 5 pm in June through August and from noon to 5 pm the rest of the year. General admission is 2,400 ISK, with a reduced 1,200 ISK ticket for seniors and students. It closes on December 24, 25 and 31 and on January 1, so check the current exhibition program with the museum before you go.

Akureyri Botanical Garden

The Akureyri Botanical Garden, Lystigarðurinn in Icelandic, is a public garden of flowerbeds, lawns and tall trees on the hill above the town center in Akureyri, North Iceland. At 65.7°N, just below the Arctic Circle, it grows a range of plants that seems unlikely this far north. The land was set aside for a park in 1910, and the Akureyri Park Society, whose members were all women, opened it in 1912 as Iceland's first public park. It became a botanic garden in 1957 and is run by the town. Today it covers about 3.7 hectares and more than 6,400 hardy perennial species, with native Icelandic plants growing alongside species from mountain and arctic regions abroad. Summer is the time to come, when the Akureyri botanical garden is in full flower and a café in the grounds serves coffee and light meals. From June 1 to September 30, the gates and toilets are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The gates also stay open from October to May, though the toilets close and the beds are mostly bare or under snow. The garden is on Eyrarlandsvegur, about a 15-minute walk uphill from the town center and close to the Akureyri swimming pool, so it fits easily into a cruise stop or a free afternoon. No admission fee is listed for walking in, and only some summer concerts held in the garden are ticketed. Allow an hour for a slow loop, longer if you stop for coffee.

Akureyri Museum

The Akureyri Museum (Minjasafnið á Akureyri) is the town history museum of Akureyri in North Iceland, on Aðalstræti in Innbærinn, the old town at the south end of Akureyri. It sits next door to Nonni's House and tells the story of North Iceland's largest town from inside its oldest neighborhood. The permanent exhibition, Akureyri: The Town by the Bay, traces the history of the town and the fjord through objects and photographs from daily life in Eyjafjörður. Temporary shows rotate through the other rooms. In 2026 they include Under Occupation, on the British, American, Norwegian and Canadian troops stationed in the fjord during World War II, and early maps of Iceland from the Schulte collection, among them the oldest known printed map of the country, from 1507. Outside, two smaller sights are worth a few minutes. The Akureyri Museum church is a small church built in 1846 across the fjord and later moved here, with a chandelier from 1688 and an altarpiece from 1806. The garden around it began in 1899 as Iceland's first tree nursery, and in 2000 it held the tallest birch tree measured in the country. One ticket covers the Akureyri Museum and six other museums the same organization runs, including Nonni's House, and it stays valid for a full year. It costs 2,800 ISK for adults and 2,200 ISK for those 67 and over, and visitors under 18 get in free. From June to September the museum is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00, and from October to May daily from 13:00 to 16:00. Plan on about an hour, or longer if you add Nonni's House. The museum is about 2 km south of the town center, an easy walk through the Akureyri old town, which makes it a good pick for cruise passengers with a few free hours in port.

Akureyri Swimming Pool

Akureyri Swimming Pool (Sundlaug Akureyrar) is the main public pool in Akureyri, North Iceland's largest town, at Skólastígur 4 on the hill above the town center. It's a short walk from Akureyrarkirkja and the botanical garden, and on a sunny July afternoon half the town seems to be here. The outdoor area has two 25-meter pools heated with geothermal water, four hot tubs, two wading pools and a cold tub. Three waterslides keep children busy for hours, and in summer a sun deck and an artificial-grass play area open beside the pools. Indoors, there's a 12.5-meter pool and a warm tub for when the wind picks up. Adults pay 1,400 ISK in 2026 and children aged 6 to 17 pay 310 ISK. From August 29 to May 30, the pool opens 06:45 to 21:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 19:00 on weekends. In summer, from May 31 to August 28, weekday hours stay the same while Saturday runs 08:00 to 21:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 19:30. Plan on one to two hours, and come early in the morning or on a weekday evening if you want the hot tubs to yourself. Wheelchair access is good, with step-free changing rooms and lifts into the indoor pool, both outdoor pools and the large 38°C hot tub. Cruise passengers can walk up from the harbor in about 15 minutes, which makes the Akureyri pool one of the easiest things to do on a short stop in town. As at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before getting in. For a quieter indoor swim, Glerárlaug is on the north side of Akureyri.

Aratunga

Aratunga is the old community hall in Reykholt, a greenhouse village on the Golden Circle in South Iceland, and the grassy field beside it is the village campsite, signed as Reykholt Campsite (Tjaldsvæði Reykholti). It's on Skólabraut, about 100 meters off Route 35, with Geysir around 20 minutes up the road. The hall dates from the mid-20th century and takes its name from Ari fróði Þorgilsson, the medieval historian. Campers mostly care about what's next to it, though: toilets, a single hot shower, a small indoor kitchen and dining room, outdoor sinks, laundry, wifi and a children's playground. Campervans can plug in, refill fresh water and empty waste tanks, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Adults pay 2,400 ISK per night with the shower included, and anyone 17 or younger stays free. Electricity is 1,400 ISK per unit for 24 hours, and the washer or dryer costs 800 ISK. You can't book ahead, so pick a pitch and pay by card on arrival, and note that the Camping Card isn't accepted here. Friðheimar's tomato restaurant is about a kilometer from the Reykholt campsite. Gullfoss is roughly half an hour's drive, the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir about 15 minutes, and Reykjavík around 1 hour 20 minutes. Show your campsite receipt at the Secret Lagoon for 20% off an adult ticket. The season ends at the end of September and the site stays closed through winter. Spring opening dates aren't published, so check with the campsite if you're traveling in May or early June.

Arnarstapi

Arnarstapi is a small harbor village on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, set below Mount Stapafell with Snæfellsjökull rising behind it on clear days. The reason to stop is the shoreline just below the houses, where basalt columns, sea arches and rock pools line the Arnarstapi cliffs and kittiwakes nest on the ledges in summer. From Reykjavík the drive takes about two and a half hours via Borgarnes, with the last stretch on Road 574 along the peninsula's southern shore. The cliff edge is only a short walk from the parking lot in the village, so even a quick stop gets you to the best of the coast. A marked coastal path runs southwest from Arnarstapi to the hamlet of Hellnar, across the edge of the Hellnahraun lava field. It takes about 30 minutes each way at a steady pace, though most people go slower because of the arches and rifts along the way, starting with Gatklettur close to the village. The shore between the two villages has been a nature reserve since 1979, so stay on the path and give nesting birds space. Near the shore stands a stone statue of Bárður Snæfellsás, the half-troll guardian of the peninsula from Bárðar saga, made by Ragnar Kjartansson. Down at the small harbor, fishing boats still tie up behind the breakwater. Among the old buildings in the village is the Amtmannshús, a former Danish official's residence that was moved away in 1849 and brought back in the 1980s. Late spring and summer bring the birdlife and long evenings, while midday is when the tour buses arrive, so early morning or evening is quieter. Allow an hour for the cliffs around the village, or about two hours if you walk to Hellnar and back. In winter the path can be icy and the wind strong, so keep well back from the edge.

Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum

The Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum is a family farm on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland that still cures hákarl, Iceland's famous fermented shark, and opens the whole process to visitors. You'll probably smell the drying shed before you see it. The family has worked with Greenland shark for generations, and the farm opened its museum in 2001. Fresh Greenland shark meat is toxic, so it is fermented for weeks and then hung in an open shed for several months before anyone can eat it. These days the farm no longer hunts sharks itself and only processes sharks caught as bycatch. A visit includes a guided introduction to shark biology, the old fishing methods and the curing process, a look at the boats and gear in the museum, and a walk to the drying shed. At the end you get to taste the shark, which is the real test for most visitors. There is also a small 19th-century church on the farm. The museum sits between Stykkishólmur and Grundarfjörður, a short drive off Route 54 beside the Berserkjahraun lava field, and about two and a half hours from Reykjavík. It is open year-round, but hours and prices change, so check the official website or call ahead. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour, which fits easily into a day on Snæfellsnes.

Blönduós Campsite

Blönduós Campsite is a riverside campground on the bank of the glacial river Blanda in Blönduós, a small town on the Ring Road in Northwest Iceland. It lies close to the halfway point between Reykjavík and Akureyri, which makes it a natural overnight stop on one of the longest drives in the country. Also known as Camping Glaðheimar, the site takes tents, caravans and campervans on grassy pitches. Toilets, showers and a waste disposal point for motorhomes are included, electricity hookups cost extra, and there is a playground for kids. Dogs are welcome too. You can roll in straight off Route 1 without a detour, since the entrance is on the right just after the bridge over the Blanda when you are heading north. Pitches are assigned and paid for on site by QR code. Neither 2026 prices nor opening dates are clearly published, so budget with some margin and check ahead before arriving outside summer. From Reykjavík, Blönduós camping is about three hours' drive, and Akureyri is under two hours farther north. A short path from the campsite crosses to Hrútey, a wooded island in the river, and the town pool with its water slides is a few minutes' walk away. Hvítserkur, the sea stack on Vatnsnes, is roughly an hour's drive west if you want a detour the next morning.