Akureyri: Zipline Tour
Ninety minutes with trained guides in the canyon through town: five lines of different lengths, short hikes between them and all the safety gear.
From $95 per person
Check AvailabilityThings to Do in Akureyri
Most of what you book from Akureyri happens out on the fjord or at the lake, but the town has a day of its own. Here is what costs nothing, what each paid door charges, and where Akureyri Iceland tickets fit around it.
Free in the town centre: the church, the garden and the harbour
You can fill a morning in Akureyri without paying anyone. Everything below is on foot from the centre, and the town buses that link it are free too.
- Akureyrarkirkja
- The church on the hill above the centre, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson and consecrated in 1940. Its twin towers are the town’s landmark, and X
- The botanic garden
- Lystigarður opened as a park in 1912 and added its botanic section in 1957. It covers about 3.6 hectares on Eyrarlandsvegur, it is open all year and it is free. From 1 June to 30 September the gates and toilets keep 09:00 to 22:00.
- The harbour and Hof
- The Hof Cultural Centre sits on the water at Strandgata 12, with the tourist desk inside and the whale boats tied up beside it. Walk the quay from there towards the cruise piers.
- The red heart traffic lights
- The town’s red lights are hearts. They date from a 2008 campaign during the financial crisis called “Smile with your heart”, and they are still there.
Start at Akureyrarkirkja and walk down: the church, then the garden a few streets south, then down to the harbour and the Hof Cultural Centre. That order keeps you going downhill, and it ends where the boats leave. How the harbour, the cruise piers and the day-tour pickups sit against each other is on the Akureyri map, and getting here at all is in the visitor guide.
Forest Lagoon, across the fjord
Forest Lagoon is the town’s geothermal bath, set in the birch wood at Vaðlaskógur, 3.6 km from the centre across the water. Its two pools hold 37 °C water, with three swim-up bars, a sauna of about 80 °C and a cold pool at 11 °C. The water was found while the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel was being bored.
It opens 10:00 to midnight, from 09:00 in June to August, and you have to be out of the water by 23:30. Under-12s leave by 20:00. Check the day’s hours before you go, because the lagoon posts changes on its own site.
- The standard ticket
- 7,490 ISK at the door. Bring your own towel or rent one for 1,400 ISK.
- The towel-and-drink ticket
- 10,150 ISK at the door, or the ticket we list at $80: entry, a locker, a towel and one drink at the swim-up bar.
- Children
- 3,790 ISK aged 6 to 15, sold at the lagoon itself; free under 6.
- Getting there
- The lagoon’s own free shuttle. In summer it runs hourly from the cruise pier at Tangabryggja, 10:00 to 17:00, with a town run at 17:30. From September to May one evening bus leaves Skipagata at 18:45 and comes back at 22:00.
Want the towel, the locker and the drink in one ticket?
Book the lagoon ahead, keep it free to cancel up to 24 hours before, and walk in without renting anything at the door.
Akureyri swimming pool, the one the locals use
The town pool is where Akureyri goes after work, and you pay a fraction of the lagoon price for it. The pool’s own site calls one of its slides the longest in Iceland. You shower without a swimsuit before you get in, which is the rule at every pool in Iceland.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | Skólastígur 4, up the hill from the centre |
| Adult | 1,400 ISK |
| Child, 6 to 17 | 310 ISK |
| Under 6 | Free |
| Winter hours, 29 August to 29 May | 06:45 to 21:00 on weekdays, 09:00 to 19:00 at weekends |
| Summer hours, 30 May to 28 August | 06:45 to 21:00 on weekdays, 08:00 to 21:00 on Saturday, 08:00 to 19:30 on Sunday |
| What is there | Two 25 m outdoor pools, five hot tubs at 38 to 42 °C, a children’s pool, a steam bath, a cold bath and three slides |
| Age limit | 8 and over for the larger slides |
The pool has a private changing room on the second floor, reached by lift, and a portable pool lift you can ask for.
Museums: art, town history and the Christmas Garden
Two museums sit in town and one oddity sits outside it. All three are on their own published hours, and both museums let under-18s in free.
| Door | Where | Hours | Adult |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akureyri Art Museum | Kaupvangsstræti 8, in the centre | 12:00 to 17:00 from September to May, 10:00 to 17:00 in June to August | 2,400 ISK; free aged 18 and under |
| Akureyri Museum | Aðalstræti 58, in the Old Town | 13:00 to 16:00 from October to May, 11:00 to 17:00 in June to September | 2,800 ISK for all seven of the town’s museums; free under 18 |
| The Christmas Garden | Ten minutes’ drive south; no bus | 10:00 to 18:00 in June to August, 12:00 to 18:00 from September to December, 14:00 to 18:00 from January to May | Open all year |
The Old Town, south of the centre along Aðalstræti, is where the town museum is. The Christmas Garden is out of reach without a car or a taxi, so plan it with a drive to Goðafoss or leave it out.
Zipline over Glerárgil canyon
Glerárgil is the canyon the Glerá river cuts through the middle of town, and the zipline crosses it five times. You meet at the operator’s base in town, get your harness and a safety briefing, then walk a few minutes between each line. It takes about an hour and a half, and groups are 12 at most.
- Who can go: 8 and over, and under 120 kg.
- Who should not: pregnant travellers, and anyone with limited mobility or using a wheelchair, by the operator’s own list.
- What you need: closed shoes and clothes for the weather. The gear is included.
- What it costs: $95 a person, free to cancel up to 24 hours before.
An hour and a half in the canyon?
The zipline starts in town, so it fits between a morning whale sailing and an evening at the lagoon.
When the weather turns: what to do instead
Boats cancel for sea state and the waterfall roads ice over, so you may find yourself in town with a free afternoon. Pick by what the weather is doing.
- If it is raining
- Go to the pool or the lagoon. Hot water is how Iceland does rain, and you are wet either way.
- If it is windy
- The museums. The art museum and the town museum are both indoors and both are in or near the centre.
- If it is dark by mid-afternoon
- The lagoon keeps its lights on until midnight, and a clear night is the one you want for the northern lights hunt.
- If the boat is cancelled
- Rebook the sailing for another day: the operators offer another date or your money back when they call it off.
Paid doors at a glance
Every paid door in and around the town, with the price at its own counter. The zipline is the only one here that is a tour rather than a door, so its price is the fare.
| Door | What you get | Price | How to pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| The lagoon across the fjord | Two warm pools, a sauna, a cold pool | 7,490 ISK; 10,150 ISK with a towel and a drink | At the door, or the ticket we list at $80 |
| The town pool | Outdoor pools, hot tubs and slides | 1,400 ISK | At the door |
| The art museum | Changing exhibitions | 2,400 ISK | At the door |
| The town museums | Seven museums on one ticket | 2,800 ISK | At the door |
| The zipline | Five lines over the canyon, guided | $95 | Booked ahead; groups of 12 at most |
| The ski area in summer | A day on the chairlift | 4,000 ISK | At the mountain |
Asked about things to do
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.
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.
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.
Is the church free to go into?
Akureyrarkirkja is a working Lutheran church, and walking up to it costs nothing. Opening inside depends on services and events, so treat a look inside as a bonus. The view back over the harbour from its steps is the part everyone comes for.
What can I do in Akureyri on a rainy day?
Go to the pool: the hot tubs are the way Icelanders deal with bad weather. The art museum and the town museums are both in or near the centre. Forest Lagoon stays open in rain and snow, and it is warmer in the water than out of it.
What is there to do in the evening?
Forest Lagoon is open until midnight, and its free shuttle runs from the centre in the evening. The pool stays open until 21:00 on weekdays. In the dark months the northern lights hunt leaves after dark and brings you back to town.
Where these figures come from
The church, the garden, the heart lights and the Christmas Garden are the tourist board’s and the garden’s own, read 23 September 2026. The lagoon’s prices, hours and shuttle are its own. The pool and museum hours are each door’s own site. The zipline rules come from its listing.
- Attractions in and around the town (Visit Akureyri)
- Botanic garden opening hours
- Stop for the red hearts (Visit Akureyri)
- The lagoon's own prices and hours
- The lagoon's free shuttle timetable
- Akureyri swimming pool (sundlaugar.is)
- Akureyri Art Museum opening hours
- Akureyri Museum opening hours
- The Christmas Garden (Visit Akureyri)
- The ski area's summer opening and lift prices
Next: plan the order of your day with Akureyri without a tour. Then see which season suits what you came for, find where each tour starts, or compare every fare on Akureyri Iceland Tours.
Tours that fit a day in town
Akureyri: Admission to Forest Lagoon with Towel and Drink
Stay as long as you like on the day: entry, a towel, a locker, shower products and one drink at the swim-up bar. Swimwear rental is extra.
From $80 per person
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Akureyri Food Walk With 4-5 Tastings and a Local Guide
Two and a half hours on foot from the big round building by the water, with lunch or dinner served as tastings at local venues. Fifteen guests at most.
From $140 per person
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