Everything you need to plan the first hours and first days of your Iceland road trip when your pickup is in Akureyri. From the city-first logistics to choosing the right day-one route, this guide is built for travellers starting from Iceland's capital.
Planning your first day in Akureyri before the road trip
Akureyri is the perfect acclimation town for North Iceland arrivals: calm streets, everything walkable in 15 minutes, and the jet-lag-friendly option of a geothermal pool within 5 minutes of downtown. If you're landing at AEY on a summer charter or flying Icelandair RKV-AEY, spend your first night at a downtown hotel and hit the depot fresh the next morning.
Where to stay pre-pickup
Akureyri's best downtown options: Icelandair Hotel Akureyri (Þingvallastræti 23, reliable chain), Hotel Kea (Hafnarstræti 87-89, classic central location since 1944), Hotel Akureyri Skjaldborg (by the marina, walk to restaurants) or the budget-friendly Akureyri Backpackers (Hafnarstræti 98, on the main pedestrian street). All within 10 minutes of most depot pickup locations at Norðurtangi.
Pro tip: if you've flown into AEY and your rental starts tomorrow, skip the taxi and walk — the airport is 2.5 km from the centre (30 min flat walk) and a bus runs every 30 min for 540 ISK. Much faster than waiting for airport coordination.
What to do on your pre-trip day in Akureyri
- Morning: breakfast at Berlin café (Skipagata 4), walk up Hafnarstræti pedestrian street to Akureyrarkirkja church (the heart-shaped traffic lights welcome you), visit the world's northernmost Botanical Garden (free entry, June-September bloom).
- Midday: lunch at Bautinn (classic Icelandic burgers, Hafnarstræti 92) or Rub23 (sushi + seafood). Ice cream at the legendary Brynja (Aðalstræti 3, open since 1939).
- Afternoon: swim at Akureyri Sundlaug (Þingvallastræti 21) — outdoor 50m pool + hot tubs + water slides, 1,000 ISK. Or drive 10 min to Forest Lagoon for geothermal spa with fjord views.
- Evening: dinner at Strikið (rooftop restaurant, Skipagata 14, Eyjafjörður views) or Akureyri Fish & Chips (harbour-side fresh catch).
- Grocery run: Bónus at Glerártorg shopping centre (cheapest in Iceland, closes 18:30 Mon-Sat, 18:00 Sun). Stock for 3-5 days before pickup.
Choosing your first route from Akureyri
Akureyri's biggest advantage: you're already within 90 minutes of Iceland's most-photographed sights. Unlike travellers starting in Reykjavík who face 5-6 hours of drive to reach the north, you can be at Goðafoss within an hour of leaving the depot. Here are the three routes that make geographic sense for your first day.
Option 1 — Diamond Circle half-day (easy day 1)
Route 1 east to Goðafoss (50 min, 40km), then continue to Mývatn lake (another 45 min, 60km) for the Hverir geothermal mudpots and Grjótagjá cave. Sleep at Mývatn Campsite. Next day loop back via Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík. This is the classic North Iceland first-day — manageable mileage, spectacular payoffs.
Option 2 — Tröllaskagi quick loop (ambitious day 1)
North on Route 82 to Dalvík (40 min), then through the new Múlagöng and Héðinsfjarðargöng tunnels to Ólafsfjörður (11 km undersea) and on to Siglufjörður, the former herring-boom town now with the excellent Herring Era Museum. Back south via Hofsós and Varmahlíð on Route 76. 250 km round trip, all paved, ferry views throughout. Great if you want a non-Diamond-Circle day.
Option 3 — Goðafoss + Forest Lagoon overnight
Shortest first-day option: Goðafoss in the morning (50 min east), turn around back to Akureyri for a late-afternoon geothermal soak at Forest Lagoon (Vaðlaheiði hill, 10 min from centre, €45 entry), sleep at Hamrar Campsite in the Kjarnaskógur forest south of town. Perfect if you landed late or want to reset before committing to mileage.
Parking and camping with a campervan in Akureyri
Akureyri has the most organised North Iceland campsite infrastructure, but rules are strict — wild camping is illegal everywhere in Iceland under the Nature Conservation Act. Plan your overnight stops using these three official options plus the in-town meter rules.
Overnight — Hamrar Campsite (best for forest quiet)
Hamrar (in Kjarnaskógur forest, 10 min south of downtown at Þórunnarstræti 81) is Akureyri's main campervan site — €20-30/night for two adults plus vehicle. Facilities: warm showers, kitchen, washing machines, Wi-Fi, drying room, playground. Open May-September. Wooded spacing gives privacy rare in Iceland. Arrive before 17:00 in July for a good spot.
Overnight — Akureyri City Camping (best for walking to town)
City Camping at Þórunnarstræti 9 is Akureyri's in-town site, 10-minute walk to the centre. Smaller, more exposed than Hamrar, but ideal if you want evening drinks on Ráðhústorg without driving back. €25/night, open June-August.
Daytime — street parking
Central Akureyri has metered zones P1-P4 (1-2 €/hour, free Sundays). Campervans fit in standard spots. No overnight street parking — police fine consistently after 22:00.
Pro tip: if Hamrar is full in peak July, drive 20 min south to Vaglaskógur forest campsite on Route 83 — quieter, smaller, and 1 of only 3 forested campsites in Iceland.
Akureyri pickup vs Reykjavík pickup — which is right for you?
This is the single most important decision for your Iceland trip routing. It changes your first and last days, your one-way fee exposure, and the shape of your ring road loop. Both are valid — here's when each makes sense.
Choose Akureyri pickup if…
- You're flying into AEY on a summer charter (TUI, Sunclass, easyJet May-September) or a Play direct from London — you skip the KEF-to-Reykjavík transfer completely.
- Your trip focuses on the Diamond Circle, Lake Mývatn, Húsavík whales or the East Fjords — driving from Reykjavík adds 5 hours each way.
- You want to end your trip at Keflavík (KEF) — Akureyri→Reykjavík one-way is the cleanest way to fit 10 days of ring-road into a tight itinerary.
- You prefer quieter starting conditions: Akureyri has 20k people vs Reykjavík's 130k and isn't ringed by depot traffic.
Choose Reykjavík pickup if…
- You arrived at KEF on an international flight (Icelandair, Delta, easyJet, Play, British Airways) — KEF has the most flight options.
- You want to start with the Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) — those sights are 1-2 hours from Reykjavík vs 5+ hours from Akureyri.
- Fleet variety matters — 20+ operators in Reykjavík vs 5-8 in Akureyri.
- You're on a very short trip (3-5 days) and will focus on south coast glaciers, Jökulsárlón and Vík.
Cost and transfer logistics
Daily rates are identical. One-way fees run €100-250 each direction. AEY transfer is 5-10 minutes vs KEF's 45-50 minutes. AEY summer charters often price €150-300 below KEF international fares if your dates line up — check TUI and easyJet direct for AEY availability.
Akureyri logistics — supermarkets, fuel, SIM cards, outdoor gear
Before leaving Akureyri for the ring road or the Diamond Circle, run these errands to avoid paying 30-40% more at rural shops. Everything below is within 15 minutes of downtown.
Supermarkets — cheapest to most convenient
Bónus at Glerártorg shopping centre (Glerárgata 36) is the cheapest chain in Iceland, closes 18:30 Mon-Sat. Nettó on Hörgárbraut (next door) runs slightly higher prices but stays open until 21:00 daily — your late-night backup. Krónan at Kaupvangsstræti is the middle-tier option with broader selection. Avoid Hagkaup for groceries (expensive) but it's the place to buy outdoor gear.
Fuel stations — top off before leaving the city
N1 at Hafnarstræti 75 is the main downtown station with LPG, diesel, petrol, bathrooms and a hot dog counter. Olís on Tryggvabraut (on your way to Ring Road 1 east) is 24/7 self-service. Orkan self-service on Glerárgata is the cheapest — 15-20 ISK/litre less than N1, bring a card.
SIM cards and data
Síminn kiosk at Glerártorg sells 50GB Ferðaflakkari SIM for 4,490 ISK (~€30), activated instantly. Nova at Gránufélagsgata 4 offers slightly larger bundles. Both cover Ring Road 1 fully but drop in Highland F-roads — expect zero signal on F26 Sprengisandur.
Outdoor gear and bank access
Hagkaup at Glerártorg has waterproof layers and basic camping kit. Specialist: Ellingsen (outdoor store, Glerárgata 34) for boots, thermals, waterproofs. ATMs at Landsbankinn (Ráðhústorg 3) and Arion Banki (Glerárgata 28). Vehicle emergency services via the 112 Iceland app (download before leaving the city).
