How to Get to Akureyri: Flights, Airport Transfers and Driving from the US

Akureyri International Airport receives flights in 2026 from London Gatwick, Manchester, Zurich and Amsterdam, and most run only one or two days a week. The other way in is the road from Reykjavik, about 5 hours by car.

At a glance

• Arrival airport: Akureyri International Airport, open all year
• Airport to center: 5 to 10 minutes by car, 20 minutes on foot
• Flights listed for 2026: easyJet from London Gatwick and Manchester, Edelweiss Air from Zurich, charters from Zurich and Amsterdam
• By car from Reykjavik: about 5 hours (386 km, or 240 miles) on highway 1
• By bus from Reykjavik: Strætó 57, about 6 to 7 hours
• City buses in Akureyri: free

How do you fly to Akureyri from the US?

Akureyri International Airport is the gateway to North Iceland and the only international airport in the region. It’s open all year. Its single runway is about 7,900 feet (2,400 m) long and about 148 feet (45 m) wide.

easyJet flies from London Gatwick on Tuesdays and Saturdays and from Manchester on Mondays and Fridays.

Departures are few and tied to set days and dates, so check the day of the week before you pick a flight. For other dates, the road from Reykjavik is the alternative. Norlandair also flies scheduled routes from Akureyri to the east coast of Greenland.

How do you get from the airport to Akureyri?

The airport is a 5 to 10 minute car ride or a 20 minute walk from the city center. With light luggage, you can walk into town.

In town, the city buses are free and normally run from 6:25 a.m. to 11:03 p.m. on weekdays.

Can you get to Akureyri by train, bus or car?

By car from Reykjavik, highway 1 northbound takes about 5 hours for 240 miles (386 km). Other times for the same drive run from 4.5 to 6 hours over about 250 miles (400 km), so allow the longer end in winter or with stops. Ring Road 1 is fully paved and open to all vehicles year-round. Near Akureyri, the Ring Road goes through the Vaðlaheiði Tunnel, which has an electronic toll paid at tunnelen.is within 3 hours before or 24 hours after you pass.

Strætó bus 57 links the Reykjavík BSÍ terminal with Akureyri in around 6 to 7 hours. Schedules show one daily departure in each direction. The route stops in Blönduós year-round, about 3.5 to 4 hours from Reykjavík.

Strætó also runs other routes from Akureyri. Bus 56 goes to Reykjahlíð at Mývatn in summer, in about 1 hour. Route 78 runs between Akureyri and Siglufjörður with a stop in Dalvík, with 3 departures on weekdays, 1 on Sundays and none on Saturdays. A scheduled bus also goes to Árskógssandur, the harbor village for the ferry to Hrísey. It doesn’t drive down to the village, so plan on a walk of about 1.2 miles (2 km) to the ferry harbor.

How do you get around Akureyri once you arrive?

In Akureyri, all city buses are free. Route 6 runs weekdays from 6:23 a.m. to 10:59 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 12:18 p.m. to 6:59 p.m.

A rental car pays off for trips beyond town. Ring Road 1 is paved and open all year. Highland F-roads need a 4WD vehicle and open only in summer, typically from June.

What documents do you need to board a flight to Iceland?

U.S. citizens can enter Iceland without a visa. According to travel.state.gov: no visa needed for up to 90 days for tourism or business.

Your passport must have 3 months’ validity beyond your date of departure from the Iceland/Schengen Area, and 6 months is recommended. Iceland does not accept the 12-page U.S. emergency passport for visa-free entry unless it has 3 months beyond your planned date of departure. No vaccinations are required.