Akureyri is a short walk from a real town with a botanical garden, a swimming pool, bakeries and a church on a hill, which is more than most Icelandic ports offer. The excursions push east: Goðafoss is 35 minutes away, Mývatn about 90, and the Diamond Circle with Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi is a full day. Whale watching leaves from the same harbour your ship is in.
Excursions
51
Fit a normal call
35
Operators
14
Typical price
€292
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
206 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
Where you come ashore
The cruise pier sits in the town itself, so you step off and walk into Akureyri in about ten minutes. That alone makes this the easiest port call in Iceland — you can go ashore with no plan and still have a good day.
What you can actually reach
Comfortably: Goðafoss, the Forest Lagoon across the fjord, whale watching in Eyjafjörður, the town on foot. A proper full-day call: the Mývatn loop, or the Diamond Circle if your ship is in for ten hours or more. Watch the maths on that one — it is eight hours of tour before you add the walk back to the gangway.
Back on board by
Put in the hours your ship is alongside. We have started you off with a typical call at Akureyri; yours is on your daily programme and is the number that matters.
Ashore 08:00 to 17:00 — we treat the final hour and a half before all-aboard as unusable.
The rule, openly: we would not book a tour that leaves less than about an hour and a half of slack before your ship sails. That is the shuttle from the pier, the queue at the gangway, and the twenty minutes an Icelandic coach loses to the weather or the bus in front of it. End times are worked out from each operator's own published departure times and tour length. A tour sold as an open ticket has no fixed departure, so it is judged against the length of your call instead.
Fits a normal call
Five to seven hours. On a nine-hour call this leaves you the margin you want.
from €161 per person★4.80· 184 Google reviews of the operator
about the usual price for boat tours
from age 6 · pickup included
6 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Explore the volcanic wonders of North Iceland on this comfortable shore excursion from Akureyri. Visit the majestic Goðafoss waterfall, the lava formations of Dimmuborgir, the famous Mývatn craters and the surreal landscapes of the Fly Lands.
from €125 per person★4.60· 5,195 Google reviews of the operator
from age 6 · meet at the start point
6 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Book same day
Discover North Iceland’s highlights on a half-day tour to Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Hverir geothermal area, Dimmuborgir lava fields, Grjótagjá cave, and Skútustaðir craters.
A great tour around the lake Mývatn area where we see how the power of nature has formed the country and how it's still working beneath our feet. We explore beautiful spots and enjoy the stunning scenery along the way.
from €1,475 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
5 h 30 · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Discover North Iceland’s most striking waterfalls and historic turf houses on a private tour from Akureyri, combining powerful nature with meaningful cultural insight.
from €2,492 per vehicle★4.80· 184 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
6 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Embark on an epic journey from Akureyri to North Iceland's volcanic marvels - witness Goðafoss waterfall, Dimmuborgir's lava labyrinth, Mývatn craters, and the otherworldly Fly Lands on this thrilling shore adventure.
from €1,406 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
6 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Explore Iceland’s scenic northern fjords and coastal towns on this private tour from Akureyri, with stops in Dalvík, Ólafsfjörður, and the historic herring town of Siglufjörður.
from €1,569 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
7 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Enjoy a perfect blend of sightseeing and relaxation on this private tour from Akureyri, combining the iconic Goðafoss waterfall with oceanfront soaking at the GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths in Húsavík.
from €81 per person★5.0· 19 Google reviews of the operator
50% below the €161 typical for northern lights tours
pickup included · evening
2 h 30 · from Akureyri
Food included
Wi-fi on board
Free cancellation until departure
Embark on a thrilling Northern Light Tour and chase the cosmic dance of auroras across the Arctic sky - an adventure where nature's magic lights up your night.
from €99 per person★4.30· 215 Google reviews of the operator
29% below the €139 typical for whale watching tours
meet at the start point
2 h 30 · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Join us for a thrilling 2.5 hour whale watching tour. Cruise with our experts, see amazing whales, and make unforgettable memories on this exciting adventure.
from €140 per person★4.80· 156 Google reviews of the operator
meet at the start point
3 h 30 · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Book same day
Discover North Iceland’s highlights on a half-day shore excursion from Akureyri, featuring the iconic Goðafoss Waterfall and the historic Laufás turf houses.
from €881 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
3 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Combine North Iceland’s most iconic waterfall with a visit to historic turf houses on this private tour from Akureyri, blending nature and culture in one scenic journey.
from €244 per person★4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator
28% below the €338 typical for super jeep tours
Moderate · pickup included
8 h · from Akureyri
Book the night before
Discover the Natural Wonders of the Lake Myvatn Area, the mineral rich Nature Baths and the beautiful Godafoss waterfall on this popular small group tour with an experienced local guide
from €169 per person★4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator
Moderate · pickup included
8 h · from Akureyri
Book the night before
Discover the Natural Wonders of the Lake Myvatn Area, the mineral rich Nature Baths and the beautiful Godafoss waterfall on this popular small group tour with an experienced local guide
from €330 per person★4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator
about the usual price for super jeep tours
pickup included
9 h · from Akureyri
Book the night before
Discover the Natural Wonders of Diamond Circle, Lake Myvatn, the amazing Dettifoss Waterfall in Vatnajokull National Park, Jokulsargljufur Canyon, Hljodaklettar Echo Cliffs, Asbyrgi Canyon, Tjornes Cliffs, Husavik & GeoSea optional add on
from €1,942 per vehicle★4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
9 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Book same day
Private
A private tour of the Natural Wonders of Diamond Circle, Lake Myvatn, the amazing Dettifoss Waterfall in Vatnajokull National Park, Jokulsargljufur Canyon, Hljodaklettar Echo Cliffs, Asbyrgi Canyon, Tjornes Cliffs, Husavik & GeoSea optional add on
from €285 per person★4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
9 h · from Akureyri
Book the night before
Discover the Natural Wonders of Diamond Circle, Lake Myvatn, the amazing Dettifoss Waterfall in Vatnajokull National Park, Jokulsargljufur Canyon, Hljodaklettar Echo Cliffs, Asbyrgi Canyon, Tjornes Cliffs, Husavik & GeoSea optional add on
from €2,098 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
9 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Explore Iceland’s wonders: Visit Lake Mývatn, geothermal Hverir, Husavik for whale watching, Husavik Town, relax at GeoSea Baths, and see the stunning Goðafoss waterfall. A perfect nature adventure.
Longer than nine hours, or multi-day. Listed for completeness: these are built for people staying in a hotel, and we would not book them around a port call.
from €1,923 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
10 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Explore North Iceland’s fjords, fishing villages, and Icelandic horse heartland on this private 10-hour tour from Akureyri, with scenic drives and cultural stops.
from €1,923 per vehicle★4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
pickup included
10 h · from Akureyri
Family friendly
Free cancellation 24 h
Private
Discover North Iceland’s Diamond Circle from Akureyri. Visit Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi Canyon, and Húsavík for a mix of stunning nature, history, and adventure.
Check your own sailing time first, not the scheduled one — calls get shortened by weather more often in Iceland than almost anywhere, and the ship will tell you the day before. Then pick a tour that ends at least an hour before that.
Tell the operator which ship you are on when you book. They plan around sailings all season and it changes how they run the day. Most of these allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs you nothing if the call changes — the exact rule is on each tour page.
33 of the 51 excursions here have departures published in the next four months. The rest open their calendars closer to the season, which is normal for Icelandic operators — search your ship’s date on the tour page to see it. And 2 of them are too long for a normal call, which is why they sit at the bottom of this page rather than the top.
Not sure it fits? Send us the ship and the date —[email protected] or +354 497 1373. We will tell you if the answer is no.
Akureyri port call: questions people ask
Can I book a shore excursion in Akureyri independently?+
Yes, and it is normally cheaper than the ship's desk because you are buying from the same Icelandic operators the ships buy from. The difference is that the ship waits for its own excursions and not for ours, so leave margin: on a standard nine-hour call we would not book a tour longer than seven hours.
How much do Akureyri shore excursions cost?+
Typically €292 per person across the 51 excursions we sell here from 14 operators, with the cheapest at €59. Private tours and small-group trips sit well above that; coach excursions below it.
What happens if the tour runs late and I miss the ship?+
That risk is yours on an independently booked tour, which is the honest trade for the lower price. In practice the operators here run these for cruise passengers all season and know the sailing times, but Icelandic weather closes roads without warning. Book the shorter option on a tight call, keep the operator’s number on your phone, and tell them at booking which ship you are on and when it sails.
Where does my ship dock?+
The cruise pier sits in the town itself, so you step off and walk into Akureyri in about ten minutes. That alone makes this the easiest port call in Iceland — you can go ashore with no plan and still have a good day.
How do I know an excursion fits my Akureyri port call?+
Put your own hours into the "back on board by" box at the top of this page and the lists re-filter to what fits. Each excursion then shows when it leaves and roughly when it ends, worked out from the operator's published departure times and the tour length. We treat the final hour and a half before all-aboard as unusable — that is the shuttle, the gangway queue and the margin an Icelandic road can eat — so anything landing inside it is marked as not fitting rather than as tight.
Several excursions, or a call in more than one port? One checkout covers the lot.