Like the south of the country, north Iceland has plenty of amazing natural sites to visit. All of the places I’m sharing are free of charge and will provide hours, if not days, of fun activities. If you’re not familiar with north Iceland, there is a route up there called the Diamond Circle.
If you think that sounds familiar, then you might be thinking of the Golden Circle, which is in the south. The Golden Circle came first and I have a theory about why the north has called this route the Diamond Circle but I’ll share that in the random fact of the episode.
Personally, I love going north. There is a lot of gorgeous nature and one of my favorite places in the country is there. Don’t worry, I will be sharing about what that place is in this episode. If you are planning to visit north Iceland, I recommend staying over at least one night.
I was on a road trip from Reykjavík, and I stayed over two nights but that is because I arrived late in the evening the first day. You can stay as long or short as you like, but just know that there is so much to see in the north and this list is just the tip of the iceberg.
Go Car Rental Iceland – My Preferred Rental Car Company in Iceland
Before I get into the stunning places in North Iceland that are worth visiting, I would like to thank the sponsor of this episode.
I partnered with Go Car Rental Iceland to make this road trip to the north possible. Go Car Rental Iceland is an awesome local car rental company that has transparent pricing, great rates, unlimited mileage on their rentals, and friendly staff. They are my go-to company when I need a car for my adventures, which are many.
I was delighted when one of my listeners of the podcast reached out to me via email after listening to the Ultimate Guide to Renting a Car in Iceland to say that she had saved $400 by switching her rental from a company that is a big brand name around the world but has a franchise in Iceland, to Go Car Rental Iceland. The most amazing part is that she was able to get more features, like an additional, and extra insurance while still saving!
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Must-See Places in North Iceland's Diamond Circle
1. Akureyri
Akureyri is the known as the capital of the north. This stop is about a 4 and a half hour drive from Reykjavík.It’s the second largest urban area in the country and it has a population of 19,642. That’s according to Statistics Iceland data from January 1st, 2022.
To put that into perspective, the population of people in the Reykjavík area is 135,688 according to the same source.
Akureyri is such a lovely place to walk around and explore. Some fun things to do right in the center is walk downtown, which is easily walkable. You can visit Akureyrarkirkja, which is the church at the top of the hill. There are a decent number of steps if you want to reach the top if you are walking from the main street downtown. For those in a wheelchair or that have a hard time with steps, there is wheelchair accessible parking lot and entrance.
You can also visit the botanical garden, take a dip in their epic swimming pool (it has one of the best slides!), walk along the shore and admire the gorgeous view of the fjord, attend a cultural event at the Hof culture center.
A Delicious Vegan Hot Dog in Akureyri
If you are looking for some delicious food, I highly recommend Pylsuvagninn Akureyri and Brynjuís. Btw, I’m not sponsored by them or anything like that. I’m just going to both of these places.
Pylsuvagninn Akureyri is a well-known hot dog stand in the center of town that sells delicious traditional and vegan Icelandic hot dogs! I was stunned to see that they have 8 vegan hot dog options on the menu. That is the most I’ve ever seen!
One day, I plan to do a vegan Icelandic hot dog taste test showdown that includes all 8 because why not. LOL. It’s funny to me that I’ve yet to find a vegan hot dog at a regular hot dog stand in Reykjavík but I have the choice of 8 in the north.
My Favorite Ice Cream in Akureyri
Brynjuís or Brynja ice cream is an ice cream shop in the town. They have vegan and dairy based ice cream. Whenever I head north, I always make it a point to stop there because I like how creamy their vegan ice cream is.
My go-to order is a bragðarefur or a tasty fox. It’s vegan coconut-based ice cream with peanut butter, blueberries, and oreos. It hits the spot every time. Just know that if you get a small, that it’s almost the equivalent of a pint of ice cream. When it comes to ice cream, Icelanders like to have big portions.
These are just some things to check out in and around downtown. One important thing I have to point out is the traffic lights. If you look closely at the red light when you are driving or riding in a vehicle, you will see that there is a heart shape there. It’s adorable!
Apparently, the hearts were placed there during the financial crisis to lift peoples spirts, encourage positive thinking, and remind them of what really matters. After the impact of the crisis started to ease, they decided to keep the lights.
2. Goðafoss waterfall
When you drive out of town, you can either take the short route, which is through the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel that costs 1500 ISK each way or take the longer, scenic route. Regardless of what you choose, a stop at Goðafoss waterfall is totally worth it. Goðafoss can be translated as waterfall of the gods but I have also heard waterfall of the goði. Goði were priests or chieftans way back in the day.
It’s said the waterfall got its name after Icelanders decided to convert t Christianity in the year 1,000 AD. The chieftain that was trusted to make the choice as to whether Icelanders would stay pagans or convert to Christianity, chose the latter. A
fter this decision, he returned home to the north threw the statues of the pagan gods into the waterfall. After that, it was called Goðafoss.
You can walk on either side of it and even walk down a little path to get closer. Just be aware that the wind can shift the spray of water and you can get quite wet.
3. Húsavík
As we continue on our roadtrip in the north, Húsavík is our next stop. This quaint town is often referred to as the capital of whale watching in Iceland. I didn‘t go whale watching on this trip but I have done it in the past there and it was a lot of fun. We saw a few majestic whales and a playful group of dolphins.
If you saw the Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage movie with Will Farell and Rachel McAdams, you might recognize that Húsavík is where they Lars and Sigrid, their characters, are from in Iceland. There is now a Ja Ja Ding Dong restaraunt there and the little fake elf houses that were in the movie. If none of this makes sense to you, I recommend checking out the movie on Netflix. If that’s not of interest, then you can just ignore this information.
Húsavík also has a unique looking church that I think is beautiful. One of my favorite things to do here on a clear day is to take a dip in the GeoSea baths. They have an infinity pool setup and gorgeous views of the sea and mountains.
4. Ásbyrgi Canyon
Onto talking about Ásbyrgi, which I can literally do all day because I absolutely love this place. It’s a horse shoe shaped glacial canyon in north Iceland that has stolen my heart. It’s full of trees, which is rare for Iceland, has a still, drop-dead gorgeous pond called Botntjörn or bottom pond, and you easily walk up some stairs to get a nice view of the canyon. If you want a view from high above the canyon, you can go on a moderately challenging hike but that is about 3.5 hours roundtrip. However, it might be difficult for those who are afraid of heights.
Personally, I love just walking around here because it feels like a magical oasis. Also, the high rock walls seem to shelter it from lots of wind. According to Icelandic folklore, Sleipnir, Óðin’s enormous eight-legged horse put one of his hooves down on earth and formed this huge canyon.
5. Dettifoss Waterfall
After Ásbyrgi is Dettifoss, Iceland´s most powerful waterfall and the second most powerful waterfall in Europe. It‘s average flow rate is 6,816 cubic square feet per second and has a drop of 44 meters. The color of the water is grayish white because it is full of sediment.
You can view Dettifoss from two sides. I normally go on the east side, route 864, because I like the view more from there. Also, it seems that the mist from the waterfall is normally being pushed to the other side. The east side is a bit more bumpier of a ride because it is a gravel road, so just be mindful of that.
6. Hverir Geothermal Area
One lovely stop is Hverir geothermal area under the Namafjall mountain. It has vibrant orange, red, and yellow colors because of all the geothermal activity. There are bubbling hot pools and steaming vents everywhere.
I highly recommend wearing boots when you walk around here because it‘s quite muddy and can be a little slippery. Also, be prepared for an intense sulfur smell. It feels and looks like an alien landscape, which is what makes it so appealing to me.
While I didn‘t stop there on this trip, not far from Hverir is the Mývatn nature baths. It has icy blue water like the Blue Lagoon and is nice for a soak. Some people say they like it more than the Blue Lagoon but I don‘t feel that way.
I have nothing against the place but there are other nature baths that are higher on my list of places I enjoy. I always say that it‘s best to try it out for yourself because you might find that it‘s right up your alley.
7. Mývatn Lake
Last but not least on the list is Mývatn Lake or Midge lake. The lake is named after tiny annoying flies that swarm around you during the summer. I always recommend bringing a fly net when you come here because these little flies can make it unbearable to be there during summer. If there is a lot of wind, you won‘t have to worry about it and they are only there during summer.
This shallow lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption that happened 2,300 years ago! It‘s lovely to walk the different paths to see volcanic landforms, lava pillars and pseudocraters.
Some nice paths include the one at Skútustaðagígar, Dimmuborgir lava field, the Hverfjall Volcanic crater, and the northern shore of the lake.
Just know that there is so much more than this to do in the north and I plan to share more in future episodes.
Before moving on the Icelandic word of the episode, I’d like to thank Go Car Rental Iceland for sponsoring this episode. As a reminder, you can get 10% off your full rental car cost when you use my code Iceland10 at the time of your booking.
Icelandic Word of the Episode
Norðurland – North Iceland
Random Fact of the Episode
There is a little bit of a rivalry between the north and south. Northerners often say that the weather is much better there.
While I have never heard this, I think it is funny that this route in the north is called the Diamond Circle and the famous tourist route in the south is called the Golden Circle. It feels like a bit of a one up happening.
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