Akureyri or Húsavík for Whale Watching?
The short answer. Stay in town if you are on foot, on a ship, or travelling with small children. The boats leave the harbour by Hof and need no transfer. Drive to Húsavík if you have a car and want puffins, a RIB on open water, or an oak boat. The bay is about an hour east, and no fare gets you there. Every Akureyri whale watching tour sits side by side on our comparison page.
Town or bay, side by side
| From the town harbour | From the bay, an hour east | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | On foot from the centre and most cruise berths | About an hour by car; not in any fare |
| Boats | Large ships with heated cabins, and one RIB | RIBs and an oak boat |
| Fares | $103 to $105 by ship; $195 by RIB | $98 by oak boat; $166 to $173 by RIB |
| Length | Two and a half to three and a half hours | Two to three hours |
| Puffins | Not a feature | In season, about 15 April to 15 August |
| If nothing shows | A free place on another sailing | A voucher on some boats; nothing stated on others |
The case for the town harbour
The whole case is the walk. The boats leave the pier beside Hof Cultural Centre, in the middle of town. You need no car, no coach and no timetable. That matters most on a cruise call, when the ship will not wait.
The boats are big. They have heated cabins, large windows and cafés. They carry overalls in children’s sizes. And if you see no whales, the town operators give you a free place on a later sailing. The classic whale ship costs $105; the three-hour sailing from the next pier is $104.
The fjord does have whales. Humpbacks feed in it, and minke whales and dolphins turn up too. The trade-off is time: the boat has to sail out to find them. On a good day that is a short run; on a quiet one you spend longer at sea. Either way, you step off where you started, in the middle of town, with the afternoon still yours.
The case for the bay
Húsavík sits on Skjálfandi bay, which the regional tourist board calls the whale watching capital of Iceland. Its boats sail straight out onto the bay. The choice is wider too: small RIBs that seat 12, and a traditional oak boat.
- Puffins, in season. From about 15 April to 15 August, the RIBs add a puffin island. The speedboat safari costs $173.
- A guide beside the driver. The big-whales RIB runs a guide separate from the driver, at $166.
- The cheapest sailing. The oak-boat trip is $98, for three hours.
- A museum. The whale museum on the harbour charges 2,650 ISK, with 20% off if you show a whale-watching ticket.
The catch: an hour each way, on your own
No fare to the bay includes transport. You drive about an hour, and you check in 30 to 40 minutes before you sail. A two-hour RIB trip therefore takes most of a day from Akureyri.
One RIB operator put it plainly to a cruise passenger who missed the boat: the harbour is approximately a one-hour drive from the Akureyri cruise port. Weather adds risk. Mary G. drove two hours to the start and was cancelled half an hour before departure.
The third harbour: the village boat
There is a middle way. Hauganes, a fishing village 25 minutes north of town, runs a two-and-a-half-hour trip for $90. The operator calls itself the oldest whale watching company in Iceland. Emma F. got hot chocolate and cinnamon buns on board. You drive there yourself, and the village has hot tubs on the beach for afterwards.
What it costs, all in
Compare the whole day, not just the fare. From the town harbour, the fare is the cost: $103 to $105 for a ship, and you walk to the pier. From the bay, add the car, the fuel and two hours of driving to a fare of $98 to $173.
For a family with a hire car already, the bay can still work out well: the oak boat is the cheapest sailing on either water. For a couple on foot, the town is cheaper and simpler. If you are on a ship, the bay needs a taxi or a hire car for the day, and the sums rarely work.
If the weather turns
Wind and swell cancel sailings on both waters. The big ships from town handle rougher water than a RIB, so a marginal day is more likely to sail from the harbour than from the bay. If your trip is cancelled, you are offered another date or a full refund.
The real cost of a cancellation is the drive. In town you walk back to your hotel. At the bay, you have spent two hours on the road for nothing. Check the forecast the night before, and ring the operator if the morning looks wild.
What you are likely to see
Humpbacks are the main event on both waters. You may also see minke whales, dolphins and porpoises, and very occasionally a blue whale. The bay adds puffins from about 15 April to 15 August; outside those months the bay trips are whale-only.
No boat can promise you a whale. Numbers follow the food, and a quiet day happens on either water. That is why the free second sailing from the town harbour is worth weighing. If you are staying a few days, it gives you a real second chance.
A day at the bay, planned
If you choose the bay, plan the whole day around one sailing. You leave Akureyri with time to spare, because the drive is about an hour and you must check in 30 to 40 minutes before you sail. You sail for two to three hours. Afterwards you can walk to the whale museum on the harbour, and you are back in town by evening.
Book your sailing for the middle of the day. You avoid an early start on the road, and if the weather cancels it, you are not left stranded at dawn.
Ship, RIB or oak boat?
Choose the boat before the harbour, because it decides who can come.
- A large ship suits families, the cold-averse and first-timers. All ages.
- A RIB suits thrill-seekers. It seats 12, and the minimum age is 8 in the bay and 10 in town. It is rough in a swell.
- An oak boat suits anyone who wants a slower, traditional trip. It rolls more, so bring seasickness tablets.
When to visit shows the puffin months. Where to stay covers staying a night in the bay town instead.
The verdict, by traveller
On a ship, go from town: it is the only choice that cannot make you miss the ship. With small children, go from town, where the boats are warm and take every age. With a car and a free day in summer, go to the bay for the puffins. Short on money, take the oak boat. If a close look is the point, take a RIB from either harbour.
Either way, check the sea before you book. The weather month by month shows the calm months, and the frequently asked questions cover what happens when a sailing is cancelled.
Boats from the bay and the village
Big Whales & Puffins RIB boat tour from Húsavík
Two hours by RIB in a group of twelve, with a guide separate from the driver. Ages 8 and up; getting to the harbour is up to you.
From $166 per person
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Traditional Whale Watching from Húsavík by Local Family Company
Three hours on a traditional oak boat with warm overalls and rain jackets. The cheapest sailing on the bay; the drive there is yours.
From $98 per person
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100% Whale Watching
Two and a half hours from a fishing-village harbour 25 minutes north, with light refreshments on board. You drive to the start.
From $90 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Planning the rest of the trip? How to get here sorts the starting points. For every price in one place, read what the tours cost. Every fare sits side by side on Akureyri Iceland Tours.