Akureyri hotels: Iceland’s second city
Akureyri is 380 km north of Reykjavík by road and a 45-minute domestic flight from the capital. Around 19,000 people live here, which makes it Iceland’s second city by a comfortable margin. The centre is properly walkable, the geothermal pool complex is the best public bath in the country, and Akureyri is the practical base for Mývatn, Goðafoss, and Húsavík whale-watching.
Three we recommend
Hótel Kea by Keahotels
The town’s landmark hotel, directly below Akureyrarkirkja and a two-minute walk from the main pedestrian street. Rooms have been refurbished in stages since 2019; ask for one on the upper floors for a fjord view.
Price band: $230 to $340 per night (ISK 32,000 to 47,000)
Icelandair Hotel Akureyri
A larger four-star on the same block as Kea, with the town’s best hotel restaurant (Múlaberg) and a proper bar. Popular with the domestic-flight crowd, which means quicker check-in but a livelier lobby.
Price band: $250 to $370 per night (ISK 35,000 to 51,000)
Sæluhús Apartments
Serviced apartments 10 minutes’ walk south of the centre, with in-unit kitchens and private hot tubs on the ground-floor units. The right choice for a family of four or a five-night stay where restaurant fatigue sets in.
Price band: $280 to $420 per night (ISK 39,000 to 58,000)
Practical tips
- The Akureyri geothermal pool, Sundlaug Akureyrar, is open until 21:00 in summer and 20:00 in winter; the hot pots and waterslides are the town’s best value at ISK 1,300.
- Akureyri to Mývatn is 100 km, 90 minutes’ drive; the round trip is doable in a day but Mývatn benefits from an overnight if you can spare it.
- Air Iceland Connect runs three to five daily flights from Reykjavík city airport; the flight is 45 minutes versus five hours on the ring road, and worth it in winter.