Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest town, known to Icelanders as the Capital of the North. It sits at the head of Eyjafjörður, the longest fjord in Iceland, about 380 km by road from Reykjavík — though a short domestic flight makes it easily accessible. Despite having only around 20,000 people, Akureyri has a disproportionately active cultural life: the Akureyri Art Museum, the Akureyri Museum, a botanical garden (at 65°N, one of the world’s most northerly), and a theatre company that runs through the winter.
In summer, the midnight sun allows for the Arctic Open golf tournament, played through the night in late June. In winter, the ski area at Hlíðarfjall, just outside town, is a favourite with Icelandic skiers. The real reason most people stop here, however, is as a base for Lake Mývatn, 100 km to the east — a geothermally active area of lava formations, craters, hot springs, and birdlife unlike anywhere else in Iceland. Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall, is a further 60 km beyond Mývatn. Budget at least two nights here.