Akureyri Tours: Frequently Asked Questions
Prices, meeting points, the boats an hour away and the bath every day tour leaves out. Weighing up Akureyri Iceland tickets? The answers below settle most of it.
Two of them matter more than the rest. First, where you board. Most whale boats sail from the harbour beside the Hof Cultural Centre. The Húsavík boats leave an hour’s drive east, one boat sails from Hauganes, and neither fare includes getting there. Second, the bath: every day to Lake Mývatn that stops at Earth Lagoon Mývatn leaves the entry for you to pay.
The rest covers Goðafoss and Dettifoss by road, Forest Lagoon across the fjord, puffins and the northern lights. After those come the food walks and the practical questions about children, wheelchairs, money and cancellation.
How much do Akureyri tours cost?
From about $80 for the Forest Lagoon ticket with a towel and a drink, and $90 to $105 for a whale sailing on a conventional boat. A RIB runs $166 to $195, and a day on the road to Lake Mývatn or Dettifoss $180 to $395. Every fare here is per person.
Where do the whale watching boats leave from?
Most sail from the harbour beside the Hof Cultural Centre in the town centre, at Oddeyrarbót 1 and 2. One boat leaves Hauganes, 25 minutes north, and the Húsavík boats leave about an hour east. No whale fare includes getting to the boat.
Can I go whale watching from Húsavík on a cruise stop in Akureyri?
Only with your own transport and a long call. Húsavík is about an hour each way, check-in is 30 to 40 minutes before the sailing, and no fare carries a transfer. On a port day, the boats from the town harbour are the safe choice: the pier is a walk away.
What happens if we don't see any whales?
The boats from the town harbour give you a free place on a later sailing. The Gentle Giants boats in Húsavík give a voucher for another trip instead of a refund. The Hauganes boat and the Húsavík Adventures RIB state no second-chance offer, so read the card.
Do I need to book in advance?
In summer and on cruise days, yes: the RIBs seat 12 and the smallest Mývatn minibus seats eight. Every listing here cancels free up to 24 hours before the start, so booking early costs you nothing if your plans move.
Is there a Lake Mývatn tour from the cruise port?
Yes. Several day tours collect you at the cruise terminal or on the pier where your ship docks, drive to Goðafoss and on to Lake Mývatn, and bring you back in five to eight hours. For a short call there is a two-and-a-half-hour run to the waterfall and back.
Is the Mývatn Nature Baths entry included in day tours?
No. Every day tour that stops at Earth Lagoon Mývatn, the new name for the Mývatn Nature Baths, lists the entry as excluded. The lagoon's basic ticket starts from 7,900 ISK, paid at the door, and one shore excursion stops there only if the ship's schedule allows.
How far is Goðafoss from Akureyri?
Goðafoss is about 40 minutes east of the town by road. The port run gives you an hour at the falls; the longer days stop there for 15 to 45 minutes on the way to the lake.
Can I see Dettifoss on a day trip?
Yes, on the longest days, seven to nine hours. Dettifoss is about two hours from the town, and the paved western road is not in winter service from January until the beginning of April, so check the season before you book.
When can I see the northern lights in Akureyri?
From September through April, on clear, dark nights. No one can promise them, and the guided hunt here does not: it offers a second night free if nothing shows, which is the opposite of guaranteed northern lights.
When are puffins at Húsavík?
Roughly about 15 April to 15 August, by the Húsavík RIB operators' own reckoning. Outside that window the same boats are whale trips only, and the Puffin Island pass can be skipped for weather even in season.
Is Forest Lagoon worth it, and how do I get there?
Forest Lagoon sits 3.6 km across the fjord, and its own free shuttle runs from the cruise pier in summer and from the town centre in the evening. The towel-and-drink ticket saves renting a towel at the door for 1,400 ISK, and it carries no time limit.
Are there food tours in Akureyri?
Yes. The Akureyri Food Walk leaves the Hof Cultural Centre with four or five tastings and runs from mid-May to September. A second walk, with food at two restaurants, takes about three hours. The food is the fare on both.
Can children join these tours?
Mostly. The larger whale boats carry children's overalls; the RIBs set a minimum age, the zipline starts at 8, and Forest Lagoon sends under-12s out by 20:00. The 4x4 Dettifoss day books ages 16 and up only.
Is there a private tour?
Not among these: no tour listed here is private. The smallest groups are the eight-seat Mývatn minibus, which needs two to book, and the 12-seat RIBs and 4x4 day.
What is the best whale watching tour in Akureyri?
By sheer volume of travellers, the classic sailing from the town pier. For getting close, a RIB; for puffins in season, a Húsavík RIB, if you have a car and the time.
Is a RIB or a big boat better for whale watching?
A RIB is two hours, 12 seats, faster and lower to the water, with age and health limits. A larger boat is two and a half to three and a half hours, with a heated cabin, a café and children's overalls. Seasickness is easier to manage on the bigger boat.
Does whale watching run in winter from Akureyri?
The regional tourist board says Eyjafjörður offers boat trips all year. Sailing days thin out in the dark months, so check each listing's calendar for your dates.
How long is a Lake Mývatn day tour?
Five to eight hours for Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss, and seven to nine with Dettifoss added. The port runs are sized to a ship's call; the town days leave at 9:00.
Is food included on day tours?
No day tour here includes food. The stops at cafés and at the lagoon are pay-your-own, so carry cash or a card and something to eat on the road.
Where do day tours pick up in town?
At Hotel Kea on Hafnarstræti at 9:00 for the longer days, with Brynja and the Hof Cultural Centre as further stops on one of them. The port tours collect you at the cruise terminal or on your ship's pier.
What should I wear on a whale boat?
Layers, a hat and gloves, even in July. Warm overalls are handed out on every boat here; one Húsavík RIB leaves gloves and hats out of its kit, so bring your own.
Do whale tours get cancelled for weather?
Yes, sometimes at short notice, when the sea is too rough. The operators offer another date or a full refund when they cancel, and the free 24-hour cancellation covers you if you change your own plans.
Are the Akureyri town buses free?
Yes. All town buses within Akureyri are free, on weekdays from about 06:30 to 23:00 and on weekends from about 12:15 to 19:00, looping from the Miðbær stop.
What is there to do in Akureyri for free?
Akureyrarkirkja on its hill, the botanic garden (open all year), the harbour and the Hof Cultural Centre, the red heart traffic lights and the free town buses. Each is on foot from the centre.
How much is the Akureyri swimming pool?
1,400 ISK for an adult, 310 ISK for a child aged 6 to 17, and free under 6. It has two 25-metre outdoor pools, five hot tubs and three slides.
When is the Akureyri tourist information open?
The desk is at Hof, Strandgata 12: 08:00 to 16:00 from June to August, 09:00 to 14:00 in April, May and from September to mid-October, and closed from 16 October to the end of March. Out of season, the Hof building itself still holds the meeting point for the food walks.
Can I fit a boat and the lagoon into one day?
Yes, if the times don't overlap. A morning whale sailing and an evening at Forest Lagoon fit easily, and so do the zipline and an afternoon food walk.
What is the Diamond Circle, and does any tour here do it?
It is a 250 km loop through Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík. No tour here drives the whole Diamond Circle; the Dettifoss days cover three of its five stops and skip Ásbyrgi and the Húsavík end.
Is the Grjótagjá cave still open for bathing?
No. Bathing ended after volcanic activity between 1975 and 1984 heated the water too far. The Mývatn days stop so you can look in from the edge.
How long is the zipline tour?
About an hour and a half: five ziplines over Glerárgil canyon with short walks between them. You need to be 8 or older, under 120 kg, and in closed shoes.
Do Akureyri tours cancel free?
Every tour listed here cancels free up to 24 hours before the start. Inside that window, the fare is usually lost, so move a booking early if the forecast turns.
Are prices in US dollars?
Fares here are shown in US dollars, as the operators list them. The extras you pay on the spot, such as the Mývatn baths, the town pool and the museums, are charged in Icelandic krónur.
Is Akureyri on the Arctic Circle?
No. The Arctic Circle crosses only Grímsey, the island north of the town, reached by ferry from Dalvík in about three hours or by air.
Are Akureyri tours wheelchair accessible?
A few listings say they are: the Hauganes boat, the oak-boat trip from Húsavík and one lagoon ticket. Most day tours, the RIBs and the zipline say they are not, and several listings say nothing either way. Ask the operator before you book.
Still deciding? The practical detail is in the visitor guide, and what travellers made of each day is in the reviews. Every fare sits side by side on Akureyri Iceland Tours.