Akureyri and North Iceland: What to See
Iceland’s second city as a base for exploring the north — whale watching, Mývatn, and Goðafoss waterfall.
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Akureyri, Iceland’s second-largest urban area, sits at the head of a long fjord in the north and makes a natural, comfortable base for a day or two on a Ring Road trip.
Whale watching from a calmer fjord
Eyjafjörður, the fjord Akureyri sits on, is known for reliably calm waters and regular whale sightings, making it one of the best places in Iceland for a whale watching trip without the open-ocean swell of some other departure points.
Goðafoss: the waterfall of the gods
A short drive from Akureyri, Goðafoss is a wide, horseshoe-shaped waterfall whose name — legend has it — comes from a chieftain casting pagan idols into it after Iceland formally adopted Christianity around the year 1000.
Lake Mývatn: a landscape unlike anywhere else on the loop
Further east, Lake Mývatn’s volcanic craters, lava formations, and geothermal areas feel distinctly different from the glaciers and waterfalls of the south — one of the clearest examples of how varied the Ring Road’s regions really are.
Fitting it into a trip
Akureyri sits roughly at the halfway point of a clockwise or counter-clockwise Ring Road loop, making it a natural overnight stop on a multi-day itinerary rather than a standalone destination.
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Keep reading
- North Iceland Self-Drive: Akureyri, Mývatn and Goðafoss (2026)Drive North Iceland yourself — Goðafoss, Mývatn and Akureyri as a full day from a north base, with parking, walk times, midges, and why Dettifoss is a side trip.
- Reykjavík, Húsavík or Akureyri: Which Whale-Watching Port Fits Your Iceland Trip?A head-to-head on Iceland’s three main whale-watching departure towns — sighting reputation, sea conditions, travel time and which one actually suits your itinerary.
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