Ferry Services in Akureyri

Akureyri International Airport (AEY) does not have the option to transfer anywhere by ferry, but there are some local islands that can only be reached by either ferry and/or plane, or of course by private boat.

Ferry to Hrísey Island

Hrísey is an island that is located in the northern part of Eyjafjörður, approximately 35 km/22 mi north of Akureyri. It is known as the "Pearl of Eyjafjörður" and approximately 120 people live there.

The island is a part of the Akureyri municipality as of 2004. Previously it was its own municipality.

Historically the island was a base for fishing, first used by Norwegians and Swede, but in more recent years it has made itself known for being a bird sanctuary, as the fishing industry declined.

There is a small landing strip on the island, but there are no scheduled flights there, however, a 15-minute ferry ride connects the island with Árskógssandur on the mainland.

Árskógssandur village is connected with Akureyri by a scheduled bus, although the bus does not go all the way to the village, it stops approximately 2 km/1.2 mi in Siglufjörður. Travelers have to walk the remainder of the way to the harbor. The bus also stops in Dalvik and Ólafsfjörður in between Akureyri and Árskógssandur.

There are up to 9 ferry departures offered daily all days of the year. Some departures, the first and the last during weekends, must be booked in advance.

Ferry to Grimsey Island

Grimsey is an island located 40 km/25 mi north of Iceland's northern coast. It is, as of 2009, part of the Akureyri municipality. The island only has one settlement, Sandvik, and the arctic circle runs through the island. This is however changing as the arctic circle is constantly shifting, and it is believed that by the middle of this century it will no longer run through the island. The island's population is approximately 85 people.

It has steep cliffs all along the coastline, except for the harbour area of Sandvik. The village has a school ranging from kindergarten up to grade 8, a community center, a shop, a public indoor swimming pool, a library, a church, two small hotels and a campsite. Tourists tend to want to see the arctic circle monument up in the northern part of the island, and it is also a popular place for bird watching.

There are three scheduled flights to the island from Akureyri International Airport (AEY) three times a week (sometimes more during the summers), and there is also a ferry connecting the island with the village of Dalvik, located 45 km/28 mi north of Akureyri, every day of the week. A scheduled bus connects Dalvik with Akureyri some of those days adjusted to the ferry's departure time from Dalvik, and to the ferry's arrival time in Dalvik upon return from Grimsey.

In the winter the ferry stays on the island during the time it takes to unload and reload, up to two hours, while it stays docked for approximately 4 hours during the summer.

The journey is approximately 3 hours one-way.