Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [180]
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Kaffi Akureyri (Map Click here; 461 3999; Strandgata 7; 3pm-1am Sun-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat) This purple-striped cafe-bar is one of Akureyri’s better live-music venues and gets packed on Friday and Saturday nights when bands play.
Sjallinn (Map Click here; 461 2700; Geislagata 14; to 3am Fri & Sat) Perennially popular and always jammed, this bar, club and live-music venue has DJs playing everything from chart tunes to indie rock and live bands at weekends.
Græni Hatturinn (Green Hat: Map Click here; 461 4646; Hafnarstræti 96) More traditional and usually less boisterous than Sjallinn, this popular British-style pub is down a lane behind Café Paris. This is the best place in town to see live music.
Vélsmiðjan (Map Click here; 462 6020; Strandgata 53) Down by the harbour, Vélsmiðjan is the sort of pub you don’t often see in Iceland. It’s in a historical building (with reputedly the longest bar in Iceland), is popular with a mature drinking crowd and has regular karaoke.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Leikfélag Akureyrar (Map Click here; 462 0200; www.leikfelag.is; Hafnarstræti 57), Akureyri’s main theatre venue hosts drama, musicals, dance and opera, with its main season running from September to June. Check the website for information on upcoming performances.
There are two cinemas in the town centre: Borgabíó (Map Click here; 462 3599; Hólabraut 12), and Nyja-Bíó (Map Click here; 461 4666; Strandgata 2), just around the corner from the town square. Both show original-version mainstream films with subtitles.
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SHOPPING
Several shops on Hafnarstræti sell traditional woollen jumpers, books, knick-knacks and souvenirs under the tax-free scheme (Click here). Check out the quirky Christmas Garden for a bit of holiday cheer any time of year.
Viking (Map Click here; 461 5551; Hafnarstræti 104) This hard-to-miss shop lures the masses with its giant Viking statue plunked out front. There’s a good selection of Icelandic knitted jumpers and souvenir knick-knacks here. You can also rent bicycles for the day Click here.
Dogma (Map Click here; 562 6600; Hafnarstræti 106) If you didn’t pick up your ‘I’m Huge In Iceland’ T-shirt in the capital, then swing by the Akureyri branch of Reykjavik’s quirky clothing mainstay.
Fold-Anna (Map Click here; 461 4120; Hafnarstræti 85; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) Marginally cheaper woollen goods can be found at this factory outlet. Staff can be seen knitting behind the counter as you browse.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Iceland Express ( 550 0600; www.icelandexpress.com) runs one or two flights a week during summer from Akureyri to London (Gatwick) and Copenhagen.
Air Iceland ( 460 7000) runs flights up to seven times daily between Akureyri and Reykjavík (45 minutes), and from Akureyri to Grímsey (25 minutes), Vopnafjörður (45 minutes) and Þórshöfn (45 minutes). All other domestic (and international) flights are routed via Reykjavík. Prices start at Ikr4990 for all one-way domestic destinations.
Akureyri airport (Map Click here; www.flugstodir.is) is located 3km south of the city centre.
Bus
Akureyri is the hub for bus travel in the north. To get the most up-to-date information on bus prices and schedules, it is well worth stopping by the city’s helpful tourist information centre, or checking the timetables online. Both SBA (http://english.sba.is) and Trex (Bíar og fólk; www.bogf.is) are based at the tourist office at Hafnarstraeti 82. Note that the tourist office will move to the Hof along the waterfront when construction is completed – this will probably happen in 2010. At the time of research it had not been decided if the bus terminus would move to the Hof as well. Check locally for up-to-date information, or visit www.visitakureyri.is.
Buses run between Akureyri and Reykjavík twice daily from May to September (Ikr9900, 5¾ hours).