Botanical Garden
Plants from around the world.
Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lee Vilenski — CC BY-SA 4.0
Akureyri is a town in North Iceland at the head of Eyjafjörður, the country's longest fjord. It is the largest town outside the Reykjavík capital region and is nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, about 250 km in a straight line north-east of Reykjavík. The area was settled in the 9th century, and the town grew as a trading centre and fishing port. Mountains shelter it from the wind, so its summers are warmer than many places in Iceland, and gardens and trees thrive here, among them the Akureyri Botanical Garden, with hundreds of plants from Iceland and around the world. The town stretches along the shore of the fjord. Visitors wander its small centre of cafés, shops and museums and the waterfront promenade, where large cruise ships sometimes dock. Higher points look over the fjord and snow-capped mountains, and in winter the nearby Hlíðarfjall mountain becomes a ski area. Exploring the town is free. Akureyri is a good base for the sights of the north, such as Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn and Húsavík, and domestic flights link it with Reykjavík.
Plants from around the world.
Fjord promenade.
Winter skiing.
Akureyri, North Iceland
Goðafoss and Lake Mývatn.
By domestic flight or by car from Reykjavík.