Akranes

Working port 45 minutes north of Reykjavik via the tunnel — the old lighthouse, black sand beaches, and cheaper beds.

Akranes is a working town of 7,700 people that most travellers drive right past on the Ring Road heading north. It has a cement factory, a fishing fleet, and — since the 2020 renovation — one of the most atmospheric lighthouses in Iceland. The old Akranesviti lighthouse (1918) at the tip of Breidin peninsula is now open as a small exhibition space with a climbable tower (ISK 1228, panoramic view of the whole Faxafloi bay including Snaefellsjokull glacier 100km away on clear days).

As a Reykjavik alternative it's practical — 45 minutes north via the Hvalfjardargong tunnel (free since 2018), doubles at ISK 14738-ISK 20879 versus ISK 27020+ downtown, and a genuinely nice waterfront. Skip if you want atmosphere in the streets themselves; the town centre is functional 1960s low-rises. Suits drivers, budget travellers, and anyone who wants a quiet base for west Iceland day trips without committing to a farmstay. It does not suit anyone chasing restaurants or nightlife.

The harbour itself is the more honest attraction than the town centre — trawlers unload most mornings around Bakkatun, gulls circle the fish plant, and by 9pm the whole place is quiet enough to hear the wind off Faxafloi. Akranes is also disproportionately obsessed with football: the local club, ÍA, has won more Icelandic championships than towns many times its size, and the pride shows in the Museum Centre exhibit and the flags on Skagabraut come match season.

Day-trippers use Akranes as a springboard into Borgarfjordur and the Snaefellsnes peninsula rather than a destination in its own right, and that is the honest way to think about it. Stay here for the price and the quiet; drive out for the scenery. Anyone wanting bars, live music or a choice of restaurants beyond a handful of pizza and fish-and-chips places should base in Reykjavik instead and treat Akranes as a half-day loop.

Where to sleep

The peninsula end around Breidin and Vesturgata is the walkable part — you can walk to both lighthouses, the beach and a couple of cafes. Expect ISK 14738-ISK 20879 in summer, dropping to roughly ISK 11000-ISK 15000 in the winter low season. Hotel Draupnisviti on the sea front is the newer option; Hotel Vellir, a short drive from the harbour toward the golf course, is a quieter alternative in a similar band. Cheaper guesthouses on Kirkjubraut and Skagabraut sit in the ISK 13510-ISK 17195 range. Avoid places in the industrial zone near the cement works — they're cheap for a reason, and it's a 20-minute walk back to anything worth seeing. Book Vesturgata or Breidin if you want the view; book Kirkjubraut if you just need a bed and a car.

The essentials

Akranes lighthouse peninsula walk (3 km)

Start at the old town centre on Kirkjubraut, walk out along Vesturgata to the tip of Breidin peninsula and the old lighthouse. Loop around the black rocks past the newer working lighthouse and the small Faxaflóahöfn harbour markers, then back via the north shore to Langisandur beach. Return via the residential streets. About 90 minutes with photo stops.

Getting there & around

Akranes is 50km north of Reykjavik via the Hvalfjardargong tunnel (free since 2018), 45 minutes by car with free street parking once you arrive. Straeto bus 57 from Reykjavik's BSI terminal stops here on the way to Akureyri, ISK 1228, about 60 minutes, running several times daily. From Keflavik airport there is no direct bus, so most visitors either rent a car at the airport or transfer through Reykjavik first, adding roughly an hour. Once in town everything's walkable in 15 minutes — the harbour, both lighthouses and the pool are all within a compact loop. A car helps for Borgarnes and beyond but isn't essential for staying in Akranes itself.