North Iceland
The tiny rocky islet of Drangey (drown-gay), in the middle of Skagafjörður, is a dramatic flat-topped mass of volcanic tuff with 180m-high sheer…
Must-see attractions in North Iceland
North Iceland
The 18th-century turf-farm museum at Glaumbær is the best museum of its type in northern Iceland and worth the easy 8km detour off the Ring Road,…
Tröllaskagi
Lovingly created over 16 years, this award-winning museum does a stunning job of recreating Siglufjörður’s boom days between 1903 and 1968, when it was…
Mývatn Region
The giant jagged lava field at Dimmuborgir (literally ‘Dark Castles’) is one of the most fascinating flows in the country. A series of nontaxing, colour…
North Iceland
The bizarre swirls, spirals, rosettes, honeycombs and basalt columns at Hljóðaklettar (Echo Rocks) are a highlight of any hike around Vesturdalur and a…
Mývatn Region
The dramatic lava cave at Lofthellir is a stunning destination, with magnificent natural ice sculptures dominating the interior. Although it's one of…
North Iceland
Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) rips straight through the Bárðardalur lava field along Rte 1. Although smaller and less powerful than some of Iceland’s…
Mývatn Region
Dominating the lava fields on the eastern edge of Mývatn is the classic tephra ring Hverfjall (also called Hverfell). This near-symmetrical crater…
Mývatn Region
Krafla’s most impressive, and potentially most dangerous, attraction is the Leirhnjúkur crater and its solfataras, which originally appeared in 1727,…
North Iceland
On the Vatnsnes Peninsula's east coast, 30km north of the Ring Road, there's a car park, viewing platform and path leading to the splendidly photogenic…
Mývatn Region
For superb birdwatching background, visit Sigurgeir’s Bird Museum, housed in a beautiful lakeside building that fuses modern design with traditional turf…
Mývatn Region
The magical, ochre-toned world of Hverir (also called Hverarönd) is a lunar-like landscape of mud cauldrons, steaming vents, radiant mineral deposits and…
Mývatn Region
The Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters were formed when molten lava flowed into Mývatn lake, triggering a series of gas explosions. These dramatic green…
Mývatn Region
The ochre crater of Víti reveals a secret when you reach its rim – a cerulean pool of floodwater at its heart. The 300m-wide explosion crater was created…
Akureyri
The most northerly botanical garden in the world makes a delightful spot for a fragrant wander on sunny days. The wealth of plant life on display is truly…
North Iceland
This excellent museum provides all you need to know about the impressive creatures that visit Skjálfandi bay. Housed in an old harbourside slaughterhouse,…
North Iceland
Húsavík’s beloved church is quite different from anything else seen in Iceland. Constructed in 1907 from Norwegian timber, the delicately proportioned red…
Icelandic Folk & Outsider Art Museum
North Iceland
This excellent, eclectic museum 12km from Akureyri on Rte 1 (look for the sculpture of a tall blue man out the front) is a beautiful space filled with…
Mývatn Region
Vaporous vents cover the pinky-orange Námafjall ridge, which lies 3km east of Bjarnarflag on the south side of the Ring Road. Produced by a fissure…
Akureyri
Dominating the town from high on a hill, Akureyri’s landmark church was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the architect responsible for Reykjavík’s…
North Iceland
The striking stone arches of Arctic Henge are the darling of many a brochure, and in real life they live up to the exalted mood. The massive stone circle…
North Iceland
On the west side of Vatnsnes Peninsula is Illugastaðir farm, with wonderful views of peaks along the Strandir coast in the Westfjords. A 10-minute walk…
North Iceland
The town’s most significant building is Kaupvangur, a restored customs house. You’ll find an excellent cafe and information centre on the ground floor,…
North Iceland
The unsealed but magnificent old coastal road (Rte 870) around the wildlife-rich and little-visited Melrakkaslétta (Arctic Fox Plain) bumps along for 55km…
North Iceland
Flatey (pronounced Flat–eh) is a serene 2.5km-long island 9km from Húsavík, on the northwest edge of Skjálfandi Bay. The name simply means flat island …
Tröllaskagi
Several restored harbourside buildings have been turned into a museum exploring the reasons behind Icelanders’ emigration to North America, their hopes…
Mývatn Region
One of the area’s gentlest landscapes is on the forested lava headland at Höfði. Wildflowers, birch and spruce trees cover the bluffs, while the tiny…
Mývatn Region
Game of Thrones fans may recognise this as the place where Jon Snow is, ahem, deflowered by Ygritte. Grjótagjá is a gaping fissure with a 45°C water…
North Iceland
North of Akureyri, on the road to Grenivík you'll find the beautifully photogenic turf houses at Laufás, a preserved manor farm dating from the 1860s…
North Iceland
At 9am and 2pm weekdays (from mid-May to mid-September) you can tour Iceland’s only tannery (500kr), or stop by the visitor centre anytime to admire (and…
Akureyri
Stimulate your senses at the Akureyri Art Museum, which hosts eclectic, innovative exhibitions – from graphic design to portraiture – and is surrounded by…
North Iceland
This high-quality folk museum is set in a photogenic 18th-century turf-roofed manor house southwest of Vopnafjörður township. The on-site Cafe Croft…
Akureyri
Akureyri's newest entry on the exhibition scene, Into the Arctic displays cover the great north's wildlife, settlement, explorers and culture, from dog…
North Iceland
A walk along the duck-filled stream of the endearing town park, which is as scenic as the waterfront area, offers a serene break. Access is via a…
Mývatn Region
Bjarnarflag, 3km east of Reykjahlíð, is an active geothermal area where the earth hisses and bubbles, and steaming vents line the valley. Historically the…
Tröllaskagi
Completed in 1763, Hólar’s red-sandstone cathedral is the oldest stone church in Iceland and brimming with historical works of art, including a 1674…
North Iceland
The remote, reconstructed turf farmhouse Sænautasel, dating from 1843, brings the past to life…plus it sells pancakes and coffee. This is one of several…
Mývatn Region
During the Krafla eruption of 1727, the Leirhnjúkur crater, 11km northeast of Reykjahlíð, kicked off a two-year period of volcanic activity, sending…
Mývatn Region
This remote rift zone at the northernmost end of the Krafla fissure swarm was the source of the first eruptions in 1724, and was activated when…
Akureyri
The most interesting of the artists’ residences in Akureyri, Nonnahús was the childhood home of renowned children’s writer Reverend Jón Sveinsson (1857…
