Akureyri Things to Do

  Brynja milk-bar.
by Regina1965
 
  • Brynja milk-bar.
      Brynja milk-bar.
    by Regina1965
  • Brynja milk-bar.
      Brynja milk-bar.
    by Regina1965
  • Akureyri swimming pool.
      Akureyri swimming pool.
    by Regina1965
  • Akureyri swimming pool.
      Akureyri swimming pool.
    by Regina1965
  • Isn´t it cute?
      Isn´t it cute?
    by Regina1965
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The church of Akureyri - Akureyrarkirkja.

by Regina1965

The landmark of Akureyri is Akureyrarkirkja - The Church of Akureyri with 112 steps to the top of the hill. It is such a beautiful church, consecrated in 1940. It was back then the biggest church in Iceland. Our state architect drew this church.Inside the church there are 17 beautiful stained glass windows, one of which is from a cathedral in Coventry, England, which was destroyed in WW2.The christening font is a replica of a font one of our most known sculptors made, Berthel Thorvaldsen, and the altarpiece above the font is from the first church in Akureyri, which was consegrated in 1863 (see my 4th photo).Do pay it a visit while in Akureyri and don't forget to count the steps!

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Take a photo with the parents of the Yulelads.

by Regina1965

You can take your photo in Akureyri with the parents of the Yulelads, who are ogres. They stand in Hafnarstræti, the main shopping street in Akureyri, and are quite grim looking and scary. Here in Iceland we have 13 Yulelads, which are quite different from Santa Claus, but now we have all but adopted the American Santa Claus. There are records of names of 80 Yulelads, but somehow these 13 Yulelads have stayed with us until the modern times.Our original Yulelads were spranksters and all of them have their special name. 13 days before Christmas the first Yulelad comes to inhabited areas and then a new one arrives every day until the last one arrives on the 24th of December. We Icelanders celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th of December. The parents of the Yulelads are Grýla and Leppalúði (see my photo). Grýla is a very bad and grim ogre, and she eats badly behaved children, she...

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The Akureyri swimming pool.

by Regina1965

I just love the swimming pool at Akureyri and go there every time I visit Akureyri. Swimming pools are a favourite pastime here in Iceland and are heated with natural geothermal water. When ever I (and this goes for most Icelanders) am travelling in Iceland, I seek out the swimming pools. And most of them are excellent.The special feature at Akureyri swimming pool are the two small waterfalls and it is absolutely lovely sitting under them. Highly recommended.Our swimming pools used to be open much longer at nights, but due to the crisis in Iceland they are now closed way earlier than they used to be. Opening hours:In summer time: May 28 - September 1stMondays-Fridays: 6:45 - 21:00Weekends: 8:00 - 19:30Winter: September 1st - May 31stMondays-Fridays: 6:45 - 21:00Weekends: 10:00 - 18:30Closed on Dec. 25-26, Jan. 1st, May 1st and June 17th.Admittance fee: Adults: ISK 450 (2011), kids up to...

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Feeding the ducks and geese on the pond.

by Regina1965

Next to the swimming pool there is a pond with ducks and geese, which I go feed with bread while I visit Akureyri. Last time I visited there were some yellow chicks there, so sweet. But beware of the black-headed gull (see my warning tip). The pond is located beneath the swimming pool in quite a steep hill. There is a small park by the pond with sculptures and flowers, so this makes for a nice place to sit down and rest. I used to stop there often just for the flowers as there were rows of snapdragons there, which are my favourite flowers. Didn´t see them the last time I visited though.

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Check out the cruise liners by the harbour.

by Regina1965

One of the things that I love about Akureyri is that there are always big cruise liners there when I visit. During the summer time a lot of cruise liners stop in Akureyri harbour and the town gets filled with tourists from the cruise liners, it is so lovely.As Akueyri stands by one of the longest fjords in Iceland, Eyjafjörður, then it adds a lot of character to the fjord when the cruise liners visit. I just love the sight of them. In the summer 2010 a big yacht of one of the managers of Microsoft visited (see my last two photos) - I remember that they were looking for something in the ocean, forget what though, but it stayed in Eyjafjörður fjord for days.

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The obligatory stop at Brynja to buy ice-cream.

by Regina1965

For most Icelanders there is an obligatory stop at Brynja ice-cream parlour to buy ice-cream - when visiting Akureyri. This is just what is done :) It is almost the best known place in Akureyri :) I haven´t had this ice-cream since I turned vegan though, but my friends say that it is still delicious. But take care - as it is also said that this ice-cream can be addictive ;)Fríður Leósdóttir, the owner of Brynja, says that they make their ice-cream from scratch, and that 100 g contain 4,74% fat, 4,43% protein, 17,69% lactose og 23,2% fat-free solid matters - and 130 calories!Brynja is open daily from 11:00 - 23:00.Do pay it a visit and find out if you like it as much as Icelanders do :)

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Blonduos

by smirnofforiginal

The accommodation I stayed in, in Blunduos was lovely, otherwise, sadly there is not a lot to say about Blonduos save that it makes for a good pit-stop.There are a couple of large petrol stations with attached eateries... a good place to stock up on basics.The major 'attraction' (if you can call it that) is the church! It is odd!

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Godafoss

by smirnofforiginal

If you are heading to Husavik from Akureyri, Godafoss is a very worth while (small) detour, between the two.

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Akureyrarkirkja

by smirnofforiginal

This church is set high on a hill and looks down over the town of Akureyri.The architect responsible for this geometrical church is the same architect (Gudjón Samúelsson) who built the dramatic (Hallgrimskirakja) in Reykjavik

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Listigarður Akureyrar - The Botanic garden.

by Regina1965

The beautiful Botanic garden in Akureyri is not to be missed when visiting the city. It was founded in 1912 after a group of housewifes founded the Park society and wanted "to have a park in Akureyri for the adornment for the town and a recreational place for the inhabitants". They were given 1 ha and created the first public park in Iceland and ran it with pride until 1953 when the town of Akureyri took over the management of the public garden and added a botanical garden in 1957. Since then it has grown every year into a beautiful park with over 400 species of native plants and 6600 alien plants. It is a really popular park both amongst the inhabitants of Akureyri and tourists alike. So pay it a visit if you are in the area.All over the garden are poems by our beloved poet Jónas Hallgrímsson.Opening hours are June 1st - September 30th - Weekdays from 8-22 and weekends from 9-22.

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Fun things to do in Akureyri
 
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Questions and Answers

vonysc profile photo

Q:  As only got this short amount of time Im quite scared to book one of the icelandic tour opporators in case they do not get me back... 

Donna_in_India profile photo

A: Hi - I saw your questions about cruise excursions. If you haven't already done so, I'd suggest taking a look at www.cruisecritic.com. Go to boards, then Ports of Call. ... 

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