Where to Stay in North Iceland: A Practical Guide to the Mývatn Area

Mývatn vs Akureyri: two very different bases

The Mývatn area sits roughly 90 km east of Akureyri along the Ring Road, a drive of about 75 to 90 minutes in summer and longer in winter when road conditions slow you down. Akureyri has the airport, a university, a full-size swimming pool complex and the biggest concentration of shops and restaurants outside Reykjavík. Mývatn has fewer than a thousand residents spread along the lake, one main village at Reykjahlíð, and a landscape of lava fields, pseudocraters and geothermal steam that people cross the country to see. Choosing between them is really choosing between convenience and immersion.

If you are driving the Ring Road anticlockwise from Reykjavík, Mývatn is the natural third or fourth overnight stop, coming after the long haul across the north. Staying here means you are already in position for the lake's main sights before the day-trippers arrive from Akureyri. If you are flying into Akureyri and have only two nights, basing in the town and doing Mývatn as a long day trip is workable but rushed — you will spend close to three hours of the day behind the wheel. For most travellers with three nights or more in the north, I would book Mývatn.

What is within easy reach of the lake

From the Reykjahlíð area, the Dimmuborgir lava formations are about 10 minutes by car, and the Hverfjall crater rim trailhead is a similar distance. The geothermal area at Hverir, with its bubbling mud pots and the steaming cone of Námafjall, sits just off the Ring Road about 15 minutes east. The Mývatn Nature Baths, quieter and less expensive than the Blue Lagoon, are roughly 10 minutes east of the village and make an easy end to a day. The lake itself is shallow and full of midges in summer — a head net costs little and is worth packing for July and August.

Farther out, the waterfall Goðafoss is about 45 minutes west toward Akureyri, and the fishing town of Húsavík, departure point for whale-watching boats, is roughly 45 minutes north. The Krafla volcano area and the explosive crater Víti are about 20 minutes northeast of Reykjahlíð. Everything on this list is reached on paved or well-graded roads in summer; in winter, check road conditions daily at road.is and expect closures on the higher stretches. The best months for the area are June through August for access and midnight sun, and late September to March for northern lights, accepting shorter daylight.

Where Hótel Reynihlíð sits in the mix

Hótel Reynihlíð is the established full-service hotel in Reykjahlíð, a short walk from the village shop and the lake shore. It has a restaurant on site, which matters in a district where evening dining options are limited and most other accommodation is guesthouses or farm stays. For travellers who want a served dinner after a day of driving, a bar, and a front desk that can advise on road conditions, this removes a lot of small logistical friction. It is also one of the few places in the area with enough rooms to absorb a group or a family travelling together.

The trade-off is that you are paying for location and convenience rather than novelty. If you want a hot tub under the northern lights, a working farm with horses, or a converted turf-roof building, there are smaller places around the lake that do that well. My recommendation: book Reynihlíð for the middle nights of a north Iceland trip, when you want a reliable dinner and an early start, and use a smaller guesthouse for a single night if you are curious about that style of stay. Check the hotel's own booking page for current availability, since summer dates in this district sell out months ahead.

Practical notes on timing and driving

Distances in this part of Iceland are deceptive. The drive from Reykjavík to Mývatn is around 480 km and takes six to seven hours with stops, so most people break it with a night near Varmahlíð or Sauðárkrókur. From Akureyri, allow 90 minutes. Fuel up in Akureyri or Húsavík; there is a pump at Reykjahlíð but it is unmanned and card-only. In winter, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is a sensible precaution, and the mountain road over to the east coast can close without much warning.

For the northern lights, the open country around the lake has very little light pollution, so you do not need a tour — you need a clear sky and patience between roughly 10 pm and 2 am. Summer visitors should book accommodation and the Nature Baths in advance; the district has a limited number of beds relative to demand, and August is the busiest month. September and early October often give you the best combination of open roads, reasonable prices and the first dark nights.