Akureyri calls itself the capital of the north, and with a bit under eighteen thousand people it is the second city of Iceland by some margin. It lies at the head of Eyjafjörður, the longest fjord in the country, with steep snow-streaked mountains rising straight from the water on both sides. The air is sharper than in Reykjavik and the winters are colder and drier, and in summer the town has a gentler, greener feel than most of the island. The church, a tall concrete building designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson and completed in 1940, stands above the town at the top of a flight of steps, and its stained glass includes a window rescued from a church in Coventry after the war.
The town is full of small pleasures. The botanical garden, one of the northernmost in the world, grows a surprising range of plants, and a good deal of the town's life revolves around a geothermal swimming pool with water slides and hot tubs. Traffic lights in the centre are shaped like red hearts, a local touch. Ice cream is taken seriously here, even in winter. Whale-watching boats run from the harbour in summer, and the fjord is rich in fish.
For riders, Akureyri sits on the Ring Road, route 1, and offers a choice of ways out. East, the road crosses the Vaðlaheiði hill or passes through a toll tunnel, opened in 2018, toward the powerful Goðafoss waterfall and the volcanic landscape of Lake Mývatn. West and south, the road climbs over heaths and valleys toward Blönduós and the western fjords. The surface is generally good tarmac, with occasional gravel at roadworks, and the wind is the usual hazard, with strong gusts in valleys that can push a bike sideways. Check the forecast on the official road and weather sites, since conditions change quickly, and in winter many roads close.
Fuel, supermarkets and repair shops are all easy to find in town, and there are many cafés and restaurants serving lamb, fish soup and skyr. Prices are high, as everywhere in Iceland. The midnight sun in June and July means riding almost around the clock, and September can bring the first northern lights. Buy provisions here before heading to more remote parts.