With just 20,000 people, Akureyri is big enough to be bustling, but small enough to be cozy, the best of both worlds. It’s the main port and fishing centre in the north, thanks in part to an ice-free harbour. This is due to a mild, sub-Arctic climate, which puts the winters at about -2ºC and summer’s highs at about 15ºC.

Whether you’re going in June to take advantage of the 23-hour sunlight or visiting in November to see the Northern Lights, rent a car and drive around for a week. The landscape is incredible, the people sensible and the activities unique.

Make camp. There are a number of hotel offerings to sift through, but you’re staying at Icelandair Hotel Akureyri. Cozy, comfortable, bright and airy, this no-nonsense spot is used to the traffic of people popping in for only one or two nights. In the winter, the hotel also makes extra effort to accommodate skiers with a heated ski storage area with lockers and a private entrance. And the ski bus stop is right at the hotel’s front door.

Make a splash. Right across the street from the Icelandair Hotel, the geothermal Akureyri swimming pool is one of the best in all of Europe. There are two 25-metre outdoor pools, an indoor pool, four hot tubs, a steam bath and sauna and all of it is open year-round. This is a perfect winter afternoon, pre-nap soak.

Fill up. There’s a surprising number of great places to eat in Akureyri, depending on what you feel like. Head to Greifinn for pizza, Bautinn for comfort food, Rub23 for steak and sushi (this is a night out), Götubarinn for tunes and suds (this is where all the kids are) and Hamborgarafabrikkan for square hamburgers on square buns. Tipple tip: Lava-filtered water makes Reyka Vodka an international award-winner.

Get out. Besides the different museums, gardens, Hof Cultural Centre and the amazing Akureyri Church, there are multiple things on the to-do list, many of them out of town. Godafoss and Dettifoss waterfalls and Asbyrgi canyon are well worth the drive. Make the road trip a complete circle, encompassing a trip around Lake Myvatn and a stop at the peaceful and rustic Myvatn Nature Baths, a geothermal spa—seriously, do not miss seeing this place.

THINGS TO DO: IN ICELAND

Straddle the crack. Before heading back to Akureyri, stop at the nearby Grjotagja Cave. Iceland is on a volcanic seam, at what’s called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, essentially where the tectonic plates of North America and Europe meet. Here you can stand with one foot on each plate, astride two continents.

Get crazy. Halfway up the inlet, there is a Beer Spa where you can have a beer bath. And just south of town, there’s a Christmas store with giant liquorice allsorts on the roof. This is where your souvenir money comes out.

Hit the slopes. With seven lifts, 23 slopes and a 450-metre vertical, Hlidarfjall Ski Hill is Iceland’s top place for skiing and snowboarding, the snow lasting longer than anywhere else in the country. Bonus points for it being only 5 km from town.

Zen out. Minimal light pollution means more chances to see the Northern Lights in Akureyri on a clear winter night.

VISITAKUREYRI.IS

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Reykjavik stands as a true European cultural capital, while still maintaining a small-town feel. The hip factor is extremely high. Couple that with the steady stream of visiting Europeans of all stripes, just hanging out or there on business, and you’ve got the one of the coolest café society melting pots.

Start your adventuring in the Old City and work your way out. Reykjavik is full of art, with coffee bars and cafés providing the pit stops. Yes, there’s the Icelandic Phallological Museum filled with mammal penises, but that only takes a few minutes.

Visit any time. Like anywhere, visiting Iceland depends on what you want. Midnight sun? Go in June. Northern Lights? November through April. The biennial multidisciplinary Reykjavik Arts Festival is a cultural extravaganza in June. April through August sees a half dozen really good music festivals. The Fringe is in July. Pride is in August. Winter Pride is in March. The Laugavegur Ultra Marathon in July and the Reykjavik Marathon is in mid-August.

Make the food scene. The Food and Fun Festival is in March, but Iceland’s top chefs are busy reinventing the national cuisine all year long, embracing traditional foods and giving them a modern twist. Reykjavik’s Dill Restaurant is one of those at the forefront of this wave, with things like geothermally baked rye bread, salted cod, goose breast and incredible cheeses. The more casual Grill Market is another Reykjavik highlight. Grilled monkfish skewers, rack of lamb, grilled red fish, big steaks and puffin sliders (not kidding) top the menu here.

Get in the swim. Locals treat the public swimming pools like a social event, a way to start the day or unwind after work, year-round. Kinda like the pub. Check out the popular Laugardalslaug or the iconic, Art Deco Sundhöllin.

Head for the hills. The time you spend in the countryside will be what you talk about most when you get home. Iceland is the closest the Earth will ever get to looking like the moon. Sweeping beauty is absolutely everywhere, from the moss-covered lava fields to volcanic craters in the north. There is such a variety of breathtaking geology, you will find it hard to pick which tours to take. There’s something for all interests and fitness levels, from day trips to overnights. The big 4 x 4 trucks that take you out onto the glaciers have a Mad Max meets Monster Truck feel to them.

Trip up north. People stream to the northern city of Akureyri to watch the aurora borealis dance, sometimes all night. The geographical anomalies that dot this region are also a major draw, a veritable freak-show of sprawling waterfalls, volcanic oddities and geothermal go-sees. After you hike around crater ponds and explore lava ridges and caves, you can straddle the region’s giant fissure at the Grjótagjá Rift, standing with one foot on the Eurasian tectonic plate and the other on the North American plate. The Myvatn Nature Baths just east of the rift is a true delight; a man-made, mineral-rich, 36-degree hot spring pulling water from up to 2,500 metres below ground.

THINGS TO DO: IN AKUREYRI

Hit the big spa. Spend an hour or two at the famous Blue Lagoon on your way back to the airport. Mucking around in volcanic mud is the perfect way to say goodbye to this arresting and mesmerizing land—and your skin will thank you for it.

When you go. Average July temperatures are 12 C but of course can reach the 20s. And because Iceland lies in the path of the North Atlantic Current, its winter temps are mild considering how close you are to the Arctic Circle—hovering around +2/-2 C. Icelandair has some great packages worth investigating that also include the northern city of Akureyri.

VisitIceland.com
Icelandair.com

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Vibe: As the airport is next door, the domestic business traffic at the Icelandair Natura is considerable and well-catered to. Then, there are the tourists: Fleece-clad adventurers on their way to and from excursions to the magnificent countryside (in rented 4 x 4s with a driver); young marrieds who take advantage of a stopover package, checking in for a few days before heading on to Europe; nature-lovers who like to escape to the surrounding parkland yet still be “in town”; people en route to northern cities like Akureyri to see the Northern Lights.

Rooms: The 200 rooms exude authentic Iceland character, i.e. they’re spartan. Simple, modern décor includes lots of blond wood, parquet flooring, wool felt and clean lines (and little fridges). You have everything you need and little else, which is just the way I like it. Sóley Organics amenities in the bathroom deliver the benefits of local healing herbs and oils.

THINGS TO DO: IN ICELAND

F&B: Satt Kitchen does breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks and it’s kind of a miracle that they keep it so very clean. Find the standard hotel menu items like pizzas and sandwiches, plus a nice selection of Icelandic food to keep the locals happy and to expand your taste horizons. An in-house bakery is another example of the hotel’s high comfort factor.

Extras: The art is a breath of even more fresh air. The work of Icelandic painters and sculptors is front and centre, including the whimsical wooden creations of Adalheidur S. Eysteinsdottir, which you will find all over Iceland. There’s even a small gallery to escape to. The library also shows films if you don’t feel like sequestering yourself in your room. There’s also an indoor swimming pool and a nice spa.

Off-Site: The Icelandair Natura sits in the woodlands at the edge of town, just a five-minute walk from Reykjavik’s domestic airport next door. Designated parkland surrounding the hill of Oskjuhlid nets you hiking trails and cycling paths, and the fresh ocean air of Nautholsvik geothermal beach is 15 minutes away if you fancy a kayak or a swim. The hotel is a 10-minute walk from the Perlan, a glass-domed museum and restaurant, and the city centre is a 20-minute walk away.

Rate: $$

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