Photo: Berserkur, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
The 6-day plan, rearranged for 2 days: the best-ranked places stay, and each day keeps to one part of town.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
A field of dark lava towers and caves, with marked paths of different lengths through it. Pick one and stay on it.
Go when Morning, when the paths are quiet.
Local tip Choose a marked circuit, from short to long, and keep to it. The lava is sharp and uneven, so wear shoes with grip.
One of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe, a thick grey-brown river thundering into a canyon. You feel it in the ground. Keep behind the barriers, because the rock is wet and the edges are unstable.
Go when Midday, when the sun is behind you.
Local tip Roads to the falls may be gravel, and one side can be in much better shape than the other. Check ahead, and stay well behind the barriers.
Services are thin on this stretch, so buy bread, cheese, skyr, fruit and a flask of coffee before you go. Skyr is the thick, tangy Icelandic dairy food that travels well.
Local tip Buy it at the last supermarket you pass, and keep water in the car.
A rust-colored field of steaming vents and bubbling mud pots under a mountain. The sulfur smell is strong, and the ground is scalding and thin, so stay on the paths.
Go when Afternoon, when the steam stands out in the light.
Local tip Stay on the paths. The ground is scalding and thin, and the sulfur smell is strong, so breathe lightly if you are sensitive to it.
A horseshoe-shaped canyon with sheer cliffs and a forest on its floor, with a still pond at the end. Walk in under the cliffs. Folk tales say it is the print of a god's horse.
Go when Afternoon, with a slow walk under the cliffs.
Local tip Walk in along the forest path to the pond at the back. The cliffs hold the warmth of the afternoon, and the quiet is part of the place.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The Waterfall of the Gods, a wide, curved fall with a short walk along either bank. The story goes that an old lawspeaker threw his carved gods into it when the country took up a new faith.
Go when Morning, before the tour buses arrive.
Local tip Walk to the near bank first, then cross the bridge for a second view. The two sides look quite different, and the spray carries, so keep your camera dry.
The old wooden harbor, where whale watching boats leave in season. Sightings vary from trip to trip and are never certain. Check ahead, book a trip if you want one and bring plenty of layers.
Go when Morning, for a boat trip, with the afternoon free.
Local tip Wear more than you think you need, even in summer. Sightings vary and are never promised, so go for the bay as much as the whales.
A warm fish soup, filled with whatever came off the boats, with bread and butter on the side. A good lunch after a morning on the water.
Local tip Go slowly, and ask for more bread.
A northern garden in the middle of town, with Icelandic plants and many from other cold parts of the world. A calm start, and a surprise for how much grows this far north. Check ahead for the season.
Go when Morning, before the town wakes up.
Local tip Wander the paths without a plan and read the signs on the plants from far-off cold places. It is a good place to see how much grows this far north.
A tall church on a hill, reached by a wide flight of steps. Climb them and turn round at the top for the view down over the town and the fjord.
Go when Midday, then lunch in the town below.
Local tip Climb the stairs and turn round at the top, because the view over the fjord is the reason to come. Step inside if it is open.
The cold waters off the north give cod, haddock and arctic char. A simple plate of pan-fried fish with potatoes and butter says a lot about the country.
Local tip Ask what came in that day, and choose the plainest preparation.
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, July to August are the most comfortable months for walking around Akureyri. This plan is built for early August, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
It covers 2 days in Akureyri, planned for early August. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 95.5 to 105.5 kilometers between its stops, and 201.0 kilometers in all across 2 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
10 days on the Iceland ring roadAbout 180 km awayAn easy add-on
8 days on Snaefellsnes and in the WestfjordsAbout 260 km away
3 days on the Reykjanes PeninsulaAbout 320 km awayAnother guide with a page about Akureyri. It opens in a new tab.
Photo: No machine-readable autho…, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
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