Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [211]
From early June to mid-September it leaves Egilsstaðir at around 9.15am weekdays, with a second service at 2.20pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Between late June and early August there’s also a weekend service, leaving around 2.20pm on Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the year a bus runs at 5pm Monday to Friday and at 7pm Sunday.
Austfjarðaleið (East Iceland Bus Company; 477 1713; www.austfjardaleid.is) runs buses from Egilsstaðir to villages around the fjords. The Egilsstaðir–Norðfjörður (Ikr2000, 1¼ hours) service via Reyðarfjörður (30 minutes) and Eskifjörður (45 minutes) runs two morning buses daily from Monday to Saturday. There’s also a bus that runs a 40-minute route around Fjarðabyggð (Neskaupstaður–Eskifjörður–Reyðarfjörður) on weekdays, at 7.40am and 5pm from Neskaupstaður, and back from Reyðarfjörður at 7.35am and 5.45pm. The Egilsstaðir-Breiðdalsvík (Ikr2200, 1½ hours) service, via Fáskrúðsfjörður (45 minutes) and Stöðvarfjörður (1¼ hours), runs on weekday mornings only. Jump online for the latest schedule details.
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INLAND
EGILSSTAÐIR
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However much you strain to discover some underlying charm, you’ll find sprawling Egilsstaðir really isn’t a ravishing beauty. It’s the main regional transport hub, and a centre for commerce and industry. Sorry, it’s about as enchanting as it sounds.
Thanks to the high-profile Kárahnjúkar hydroelectricity project (Click here) and its influx of workers, there has been feverish house building over the last few years. In time, no doubt, the town’s entertainment facilities will catch up, but at present there’s little to amuse visitors.
Egilsstaðir does have one saving grace – it’s built on the banks of lovely Lagarfljót, Iceland’s third-largest lake Click here. Since the time of the sagas, tales have been told of a monster, the Lagarfljótsormurinn, who lives in its depths. If you want to go and do some beastie-hunting, or to explore the forest on the eastern bank of the lake, Egilsstaðir makes a very good base. Services include an excellent regional tourist office and some decent restaurants.
Orientation & Information
North past the airport and over the lake, you’ll find Egilsstaðir’s twin town. Fellabær has some pleasant accommodation options and a petrol station–bakery, but most services are in Egilsstaðir. The tourist office, petrol stations, bus terminal, banks (with ATMs), supermarkets and the campsite are all located on a large block just off the Ring Road. This is a good place to position yourself if you’re hitching.
The regional tourist information centre ( 471 2320; www.east.is; 9am-9pm daily Jun-Aug, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun Sep-May; ), by the campsite and bus terminal, has enough free brochures to paper your living room. Maps and guides are plentiful – you’ll find everything you need to explore the Eastfjords and beyond. It offers internet access as well (Ikr300 per 15 minutes); however, the town library ( 471 1546; Laufskógar 1; 2-7pm Mon-Fri), upstairs in the same building as Minjasafn Austurlands, has free online access.
The post office is just up the hill on the corner of Selás and Fagradalsbraut.
Sights & Activities
Egilsstaðir’s cultural museum Minjasafn Austurlands (East Iceland Heritage Museum; 471 1412; Laufskógar 1; adult/child Ikr400/200; 11am-5pm daily Jun-Aug, 1-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-May) is quite a sweet little place. Its displays focus on the history of the region, and they include a reconstructed farmhouse and 10th-century grave goods. Much of the information is in Icelandic only.
The town’s impressive swimming pool ( 470 0777; Tjarnarbraut; adult/child Ikr350/170; 6am-9pm Mon, Wed & Fri, 6.30am-9pm Tue & Thu, 9.30am-7pm Sat & Sun Jun-Aug, reduced hours in winter), with its indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, hot pots and a gym, is at the top end